Mystery Reviews, November 1, 2010
Nov 1, 2010MORTAL DANGER As history teaches us, life is dangerous. Authors of historicals capitalize on that by navigating their series protagonists through myriad hazards and perils that engage the reader’s imagination while remaining believable and true to the time. In Peril at Somner House, Joanna Challis throws her 1920s sleuth, aspiring novelist Daphne du Maurier, into a sinister mansion on the wild Cornish coast where dark secrets fester. In The Killer of Pilgrims, Susanna Gregory milks the plague-ridden 14th century as her physician sleuth fights disease and social ills in the university town of Cambridge. The Masuda Affair features I.J. Parker’s intrepid but impulsive sleuth Sugawara, who must play politics and fiercely protect all that he holds dear—not easy in medieval Japan.
Challis, Joanna. Peril at Somner House: A Mystery Featuring Daphne du Maurier. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Nov. 2010. c.304p. ISBN 9780312367169. $25.99. M
In her second outing (after Murder on the Cliffs), aspiring novelist Daphne du Maurier and her sister Angela investigate the murder of Max Trevalyan, their host and owner of Somner House, an imposing mansion on St. Mary’s Island off the coast of Cornwall. Housebound by a winter storm, the other guests harbor dark secrets, and the place fairly crackles with suspense and intrigue. Once again Challis captures du Maurier’s own writing style to depict the future author of Rebecca as a young woman full of ambition but also naive. The mystery is dark and brooding, a cross between du Maurier’s gothic style and that of Emily Brontë. VERDICT Challis proves that there are always fresh ways to reenergize an old genre. For fans of Golden Age traditional mysteries and readers who enjoy du Maurier’s books.
Crawford, Isis. A Catered Thanksgiving: A Mystery with Recipes. Kensington. Nov. 2010. c.304p. ISBN 9780758247384. $22. M
In Crawford’s seventh foray (after A Catered Birthday Party) into the wacky world of caterers Bernie and Libby Simmons, the gals are cooking Thanksgiving dinner for eight very snarky members of the Fields family in a Westchester mansion. When the turkey explodes in the face of patriarch Monty Field and a snowstorm strands the party, the sisters must find out which of the Fields wanted to kill Monty to avoid being cut out of his will. VERDICT Fans of culinary cozies by Joanne Fluke and Diane Mott Davidson will enjoy discovering Crawford. Her murder method is original, and the recipes are good.
Finch, Charles. A Stranger in Mayfair. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Nov. 2010. c.320p. ISBN 9780312625061. $24.99. M
In his fourth outing (after The Fleet Street Murders), Charles Lenox is asked to investigate the murder of a young footman, bludgeoned to death in the alley beside the house where he works. Lenox, busily preparing to begin his career in Parliament, hands the case to his young assistant, Lord Darlington. But circumstances keep dragging Lenox into the investigation and danger. VERDICT With a keen eye for period detail, Finch believably portrays his Victorian sleuth skillfully managing life’s demands as he learns the art of political maneuvering, deals with the changes in his life brought on by his new marriage to Lady Grey, and satisfies his love of detection. Readers of Anne Perry should be snatching up Finch’s books and clamoring for more.
Guttridge, Peter. City of Dreadful Night. Severn House. (Brighton Trilogy, Bk. 1). Dec. 2010. c.256p. ISBN 9780727869432. $28.95. M
The night four people are killed by armed police officers marks the end of Bob Watts’s career as chief constable in Brighton and the beginning of a two-prong investigation involving the current crime and a cold case from 1934 of a headless corpse with possible ties to the present. Watts, joined by Detective Superintendent Gillespie (with whom he had a one-night stand), radio reporter Kate Simpson, and Tingley, his MI5 friend, soon finds that corruption is only the beginning of this investigation. VERDICT Complex plotting and an unusual connection made between two very different cases make this first entry in a new trilogy an absorbing read. The cliff-hanger ending will whet the reader’s appetite for more. For fans of British procedurals. The British author of the Nick Madrid series (Two to Tango) is also the Observer’s crime fiction critic.
Meredith, D.E. Devoured. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Nov. 2010. c.336p. ISBN 9780312557683. $24.99. M
The brutal murder of Lady Bessingham, a free thinker and leader in 1856 London society, is assigned to Inspector Adams, a rising star of Scotland Yard. He in turn calls in Professor Hatton, a pioneer in forensic science, and his assistant, Albert Roumande. The crime revolves around a missing packet of letters written by a young scientist that, if published as Lady Bessingham had planned, could radically change Victorian society. VERDICT Meredith’s debut novel delves into the ugly secrets of that straight-laced time and believably renders life among the different social strata. There have been a number of extraordinarily good novels set in this time period recently. Think Michael Cox (The Meaning of Night) meets Jonathan Barnes (The Somnambulist). Strongly recommended for fans of historicals.
Miller, Maryann. Open Season. Five Star: Gale Cengage. Dec. 2010. c.302p. ISBN 9781594149153. $25.95. M
Several killings at Dallas shopping malls, dubbed the Mall Murders, are made even more high profile by the killer feeding his point of view to an ambitious TV reporter. The case has been assigned to white homicide detective Sarah Kingsly, who is under fire after recently shooting a young, black drug dealer who had killed her partner. Her new partner is Angel Johnson, a black woman whose family is pressuring her not to work with Sarah. With no clues to point them in any direction, Sarah and Angel doggedly inch toward the killer’s identity. The suspense level is jacked up to a fever pitch when political pressure and racial tension adds to the stress of the officers caught in the middle. VERDICT Try this debut mystery by a journalist for its open treatment of current urban problems, clean prose, and realistic depiction of women working together. For readers who enjoy Robin Burcell and fans of police procedurals.
Parker, I.J. The Masuda Affair: A Sugawara Akitada Novel. Severn House. Nov. 2010. 320p. ISBN 9780727869258. $28.95. M
In his seventh appearance (after The Convict’s Sword), government official Sugawara Akitada is returning home when he finds a small, half-naked boy, starved and beaten. Earlier that year, his four-year-old son had died in the plague that ravaged Heian-Kyo (now Kyoto). But helping the boy find his parents becomes an impossible task when Sugawara is accused of improper behavior with the boy. VERDICT Once again Parker has written a moving and beautiful tale, this time involving parental love and loss of a child. His depiction of an 11th-century Japan as a brutal society in which one’s fortune is made or lost on the whim of the most powerful will appeal to historical fiction fans and readers who enjoy Laura Joh Rowland.
Ramsay, Frederick. Reapers: A Botswana Mystery. Poisoned Pen. Dec. 2010. c.249p. ISBN 9781590588062. $24.95; pap. ISBN 9781590588086. $14.95. M
As the World Cup is set to begin in South Africa, there are attempts to bug the rooms of visiting dignitaries in neighboring Chobe, Botswana. There is also a push to smuggle into Africa orgone, an energy source thought up by Wilhelm Reich in the 20th century. The group involved in the smuggling believes that orgone energy will purify the African continent and rid it of its economic and social problems. When a man is murdered in the Chobe National Park, park ranger Sanderson (first introduced in Predators) must investigate the crime and determine why there are so many mysterious comings and goings of unauthorized people in the park. VERDICT Like Alexander McCall Smith’s Precious Ramotswe, Sanderson is a delightful sleuth, although her Botswana is more rougher edged than Precious’s. In Sanderson’s quiet way, she goes about her job, cares for her terminally ill son, fields her daughter’s teasing, and finds a bit of romance.
Southey, Roz. Sword and Song. Crème de la Crime, dist. by Dufour. Nov. 2010. c.266p. ISBN 9780956056627. pap. $14.95. M
After being called to the scene of a suspected murder in which he discovers he knows the victim, 18th-century Newcastle-on-Tyne musician/sleuth Charles Patterson (Secret Lament; Chords and Discords) must attend a house party where he has been hired to provide the musical entertainment. Arriving with his friend and patron Claudius Heron, Patterson discovers that their host is quite odd and that the guests include Esther Jerdoun, a woman intent on marrying him. VERDICT With hints of the paranormal (ghosts who can talk to the living in a parallel universe), this unusual historical series just keeps getting better. From a fledgling, hesitant detective, Southey’s protagonist has developed into full-grown sleuth. For readers who like a bit of the unusual. [Severn House has acquired Crème de la Crime, but Dufour will continue to distribute the titles this year; in spring 2011 Severn House will launch its first Crème de la Crime list, to be distributed by Ingram.—Ed.]
Talton, Jon.South Phoenix Rules. Poisoned Pen. Dec. 2010. c.215p. ISBN 9781590588147. $24.95; pap. ISBN 9781590588161. $14.95. M
After writing several stand-alones (Deadline Man; The Pain Nurse), Talton returns to Phoenix and his David Mapstone series (Arizona Dreams; Cactus Heart). Having resigned from the sheriff’s department after his friend and mentor was voted out of office, historian Mapstone is sharing his house with his sister-in-law, Robin, while his wife works in Washington, DC, with an elite anticyberterror unit. When Robin receives the head of her lover in a box, the police believe that the victim was not a professor but a notorious hitman for the Mexican cartels. Mapstone, who has made a career out of solving cold cases, must now protect Robin while uncovering who is behind the murder. VERDICT In an interesting twist, Talton throws Mapstone into a dangerous situation that forces him to confront and make peace with his dual natures as a quiet professor and a Rambo-like solver of problems. For readers who enjoy contemporary Southwestern mysteries with a touch of history.
Mysteries in brief
Brady, Rachel. Dead Lift: An Emily Locke Mystery. Poisoned Pen. Dec. 2010. c.240p. ISBN 9781590588109. $24.95; pap. ISBN 9781590588123. $14.95.M
Emily Locke, a single mother whose husband was murdered, is rebuilding her life in Houston, TX, by working part-time for her PI friend Richard Cole. His client is wealthy Claire Gaston, who is charged with killing a prominent plastic surgeon. VERDICT Stubbornly ferreting out the truth even when it places her in danger makes the clever and charming Emily an appealing new sleuth.
Clare, Alys. Music of the Distant Stars: An Aelf Fen Mystery. Severn House. Dec. 2010. c.256p. ISBN 9780727869418. $28.95. M
When Lassair, a young healer, goes to pray at her recently deceased grandmother’s grave, she finds the body of a young, pregnant woman. Thus begins a story of love, greed, thwarted ambitions, and murder. VERDICT In her third series historical (Mist Over the Water; Out of the Dawn Light) set during the reign of William II (1055–1100), one of the genre’s most underrated authors paints a haunting portrait of an unfamiliar time when old Saxon ways had to be hidden from Norman overlords.
Gregory, Susanna. The Killer of Pilgrims: The Sixteenth Chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew. Little, Brown UK, dist. by Trafalgar Square. Nov. 2010. 416p. ISBN 9781847442987. $24.95. M
It is 1358, and the university town of Cambridge is in a state of upheaval as the populace recovers from the ravages of the plague, a vicious rivalry between the colleges and the hostels vying for student patronage results in near riots, a thief preys on visiting pilgrims, and a powerful landlord is murdered. VERDICT After 15 series titles, Gregory has not gone stale. Her latest is a fresh, lively tale that follows her sleuth, Matthew Bartholomew, through the unhygienic streets of Cambridge on the trail of a heartless killer. For historical mystery fans.
Jones, Keith. The Suspicious Spouse. Salvo. Dec. 2010. c.194p. ISBN 9781609770075. pap. $15.95. M
Christopher Jenson has writer’s block and needs money to live in San Diego. He takes security cases as Christopher Jenson and Christina Jenner. Keeping his gender straight is a challenge. VERDICT A cross-dressing detective is a rarity in mystery, but Jones (Mayan Key; Mayan Equinox) pulls it off. For readers who like the offbeat.
Victor, Marilyn & Michael Allan Mallory. Killer Instinct: A Snake Jones Mystery. Five Star: Gale Cengage. Dec. 2010. c.300p. ISBN 9781594148941. $25.95. M
After the corpses of four shot wolves are left in the forest near the Minnesota Wolf Institute, the killing of humans begins. VERDICT This second mystery (after Death Roll) featuring zookeeper Snake Jones and her herpetologist husband will appeal to animal lovers who enjoy ecomysteries.
Washburn, Livia J. Killer on a Hot Tin Roof: A Delilah Dickinson Literary Tour Mystery. Kensington. Dec. 2010. c.304p. ISBN 9780758225702. $22. M
Delilah Dickinson (Frankly My Dear, I’m Dead; Huckleberry Finished) has arranged a tour for some English professors from Atlanta to the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival in New Orleans. When an old man accompanying one of the Williams scholars confesses that he wrote Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the fur flies.VERDICT Light, fluffy, and a tad venomous when it comes to academia, Washburn’s latest is a delightful way to spend a rainy afternoon. Think Laura Levine meets Susan Kandel.
ADDITIONAL MYSTERY
Griffiths, Elly. The Janus Stone: A Ruth Galloway Mystery. Houghton Harcourt. Jan. 2011. c.336p. ISBN 9780547237442. $26. M
British forensic anthropologist Ruth Galloway is called to investigate the headless skeleton of a child, found beneath the doorway of an old mansion, once an orphanage, which is now a target for redevelopment. Could the body be a part of the Roman ruins being excavated nearby or could it be the remains of one of two siblings who disappeared from the orphanage 40 years ago? DCI Harry Nelson and his sidekick, Clough, approach the case as a routine crime scene, while Galloway uncovers a tangled web of Roman mythology, family secrets, and insanity that endangers her own life and that of her unborn child. Following Griffiths’s wonderfully successful debut, The Crossing Places, this is an equally compelling and suspenseful sequel with just the right touch of the gothic. Galloway is an outspoken and engaging character who is now faced with balancing her career as an anthropologist with life as a single mom. VERDICT Fans of Erin Hart and Aaron Elkins will be delighted by this series. With just the right balance of suspense, tight plotting, and wonderful British seaside scenery, this is sure to be hugely popular. [See a Q&A with the author on p. 50.—Ed.]—Susan Clifford Braun, The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA
| Author Information |
| Jo Ann Vicarel, a branch manager and head of Reader’s Advisory Team Services, Cleveland Heights–University Heights P.L., OH, has reviewed for LJ since 1982 and wrote the Mystery column from 1985 to 1987. |
