Mystery Reviews, February 1, 2011
Feb 1, 2011FAMILY FEUDS Family troubles are no longer the mainstay of the cozy. Eccentric relatives like those of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum can also be found in Nancy Martin’s Roxy Abruzzo books (Sticky Fingers) and Maggie Toussaint’s Cleopatra Jones series (On the Nickel). Peter May has his sleuth, Enzo Macleod (Blowback), sorting out his children’s relationships and his own personal problems. Then there are the strong women who must cope with their childhood baggage. Chris Knopf really loads the deck against his protagonist, Jackie Swaitkowski, in Bad Bird when her current case leads to the one person she wants to forget. Probably the one with the most to overcome is Jade de Jong in Jassy Mackenzie’s Stolen Lives —she is forced to deal with unpleasant truths about her parents.
Bowen, Rhys. Bless the Bride: A Molly Murphy Mystery. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Mar. 2011. c.288p. ISBN 9780312628109. $24.99. M
It is 1903, and Molly Murphy (The Last Illusion; In a Gilded Cage) is about to marry NYPD Capt. Daniel Sullivan, who does not want her to continue working as a private investigator. But she takes on one last case when she is hired to find the missing wife of a wealthy importer and head of a Chinese tong. Trouble always manages to find Molly, and this time she is dodging both the criminal elements in the Chinese community and those in the police department. VERDICT Bowen always gives her readers an excellent story full of historical tidbits and the realities of life in Edwardian New York City. This may appeal to fans of Victoria Thompson.
Hays, Tony. The Beloved Dead. Forge: Tor. Apr. 2011. c.384p. ISBN 9780765326287. $25.99. M
In his third outing (after The Killing Way and The Divine Sacrifice) Malgwyn, Arthur’s one-armed scribe and most trusted adviser, is to escort Arthur’s intended bride to Castellum Arturius, where the royal wedding will take place. On the eve of departure, a young woman is brutally raped and murdered, but Malgwyn has no time for an investigation. On the way, two more women are killed. Upon his return, Malgwyn finds that his cousin Guinevere, who has had a long-standing relationship with Arthur and is not dealing with the impending marriage very well, has sought sanctuary in a monastery and is the prime murder suspect. VERDICT Hayes has captured the Arthurian legend and made it his own. Many complex plot threads and believable characters make this a series to be savored by historical mystery and Arthurian fiction fans.
Jance, J.A. Fatal Error. Touchstone: S. & S. Feb. 2011. c.368p. ISBN 9781416563815. $25.99. M
What seems like a routine job of providing a background check for a former colleague’s ex-boyfriend turns into a murder case in which Ali Reynolds (Trial By Fire) is trying to find Brenda, the person of interest. Ali must also deal with the loss of her job as a deputy sheriff, the eminent death of a dear friend, and the births of her first grandchildren, a set of twins. VERDICT Jance continues to delight with her detail-filled suspense stories that capture so much of life. Reynolds is a fine example of women over the age of 50 living life to its fullest and setting a standard of professionalism and maturity. Fans who enjoy Jance’s Joanna Brady series will like this one as well.
Knopf, Chris. Bad Bird. Minotaur: St. Martin’s.Feb. 2011. c.296p. ISBN 9780312551247. $25.99. M
Southampton attorney Jackie Swaitkowski (Short Squeeze) is watching horses romp in a field when a Cessna crashes to the ground. The female pilot, who was killed, had only a moment to throw out her metal camera case, which Jackie rescues. What Jackie finds on a memory card will lead her into danger and a personally devastating case. VERDICT Knopf has a knack for big opening scenes that set the tone for his danger-fraught plots and draw the reader into the dysfunctional world of Swaitkowski, who drinks too much, smokes pot, and attempts to evade too-close relationships. As usual, Knopf shocks with an unexpected ending.
Mackenzie, Jassy. Stolen Lives: A Jade de Jong Investigation. Soho Crime. Apr. 2011. c.256p. ISBN 9781569479094. $25. M
Pamela Jordaan hires PI Jade de Jong (Random Violence) as a bodyguard when her husband disappears from their home outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. At the same time the London police are investigating a brothel known to be involved in human trafficking. It soon becomes apparent to the reader that both cases are somehow connected. The fun here is how neatly Mackenzie ties it all together. Jade is a much-conflicted woman who has to face the truth about her parents and her background yet again. VERDICT This second Jade de Jong book is just as violent as the author’s acclaimed debut. However, Mackenzie offers insight into postapartheid South Africa, an area of the world unfamiliar to most U.S. mystery buffs. For those readers who like Sara Paretsky and Lynda La Plante and fans of international crime fiction.
Martin, Nancy. Sticky Fingers: A Roxy Abruzzo Mystery. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Mar. 2011. c.294p. ISBN 9780312573737. $24.99. M
Her demo and salvage business suffering in the economic downturn, Roxy Abruzzo (Foxy Roxy) has done a few other jobs, like collecting overdue gambling losses for her Uncle Carmine, an imprisoned mob boss. When he asks her to kidnap a woman, Roxy refuses but finds herself the number one suspect when the woman is murdered. Martin, author of the wacky “Blackbird Sisters” series, has come up with another eccentric crew running wild, this time in Pittsburgh. Roxy, who is trying to set a good example for her teenage daughter, has given up her promiscuous ways but can’t seem to shed her tendency to get into trouble. VERDICT Martin is a good choice for those who have read all of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series and want to try something new. [Library marketing; regional author tour.]
May, Peter. Blowback: The Fifth of the Enzo Files. Poisoned Pen. Mar. 2011. c.288p. ISBN 9781590588413. $24.95; pap. ISBN 9781590588437. $14.95. M
This fifth cold case (after Freeze Frame) finds Enzo Macleod in the volcanic Auvergne region of central France, where a top chef, rumored to be on the verge of losing one of his three Michelin stars, was murdered seven years earlier. Macleod is faced with the task of digging up the victim’s secrets while facing his own family issues. May skillfully intertwines Macleod’s personal dilemmas (his eldest daughter will not talk to him, his girlfriend will not allow him to see their six-month-old son, and he is forced to face the secrets of his childhood) with his cold case investigations. VERDICT Caught up in the various threads, readers are lulled into a false sense of knowing where the tale is heading until May pulls the rug out from under them. Those who enjoy mysteries with a Gallic flavor will snap this one up.
Robertson, Michael. The Brothers of Baker Street. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Mar. 2011. c.288p. ISBN 9780312538132. $24.99. M
In his second outing (after The Baker Street Letters), barrister Reggie Heath is in desperate straits since returning from California. He has lost his fortune and all of his clients, and he is about to see his girlfriend get engaged to the man who owns the Daily Sun, the newspaper most involved in his public humiliation. Then he is hired to defend a London taxi driver accused of a double murder. Receiving the mail sent to Sherlock Holmes is the starting gate for this fast-paced crime novel as Reggie must unravel the truth about a killer who not only wants to rid the world of Holmes but believes firmly that Reggie is the famous detective. VERDICT The premise here is as intriguing as that of Barry Grant’s novels, which see Holmes thawed out after a century in an ice flow and living in contemporary London. Great fun.
Wait, Lea. Shadows of a Down East Summer: An Antique Print Mystery. Perseverance: John Daniel. Apr. 2011. c.236p. ISBN 9781564744975. pap. $14.95. M
Maggie Summer (Shadows on the Coast of Maine), antique print dealer and an expert on 19th-century American art, is given the diary of a woman who may hold the key to a local dispute involving the artist Winslow Homer in Waymouth, ME. One of the ladies belonging to the historical society thinks that Homer fathered a child in her husband’s family. VERDICT This gentle regional mystery involving the art community in Maine will appeal to readers of Jane K. Cleland and Sharon Fiffer.
MYSTERIES IN BRIEF
Fluke, Joanne. Devil’s Food Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery with Recipes. Kensington. Mar. 2011. c.322p. ISBN 9780758234919. $24. M
Popular baker Hannah Swensen (Apple Turnover Murder) can hardly keep up with all her orders, but she finds the time to probe the murder of a new minister. VERDICT More baking, less sleuthing in this very gentle mystery. The mouthwatering recipes are winners. [Fluke is writing a cookbook that Kensington will publish in Oct. 2011.—Ed.]
Houston, Victoria. Dead Deceiver. Tyrus. Feb. 2011. c.240p. ISBN 9781935562269. $24.95; pap. ISBN 9781935562610. $15.95. M
After a woman fails to return home after snowshoeing in the forest outside Loon Lake, WI, police chief Lewellyn Ferris finds her body in the snow. In her 11th series entry (after Dead Renegade), Houston does an outstanding job of crafting a good plot and entangling her rural protagonists in real-life situations. VERDICT Fans of Mary Logue and regional mysteries will want to read.
Oldham, Nick. Hidden Witness: A Detective Superintendent Henry Christie Novel. Severn House. Feb. 2011. c.218p. ISBN 9780727869647. $28.95. M
DS Henry Christie (Seizure) must set aside his plans for a romantic getaway with his wife to work on several murders, which occur in one night in Blackpool. Oldham embeds many surprises in his complex story. VERDICT There is nothing soft about Christie or his approach to crime solving. He will appeal to readers of Quintin Jardine and other authors of British police procedurals.
Sawyer, Diane. The Treasures of Montauk Cove. Avalon: Thomas Bouregy. Feb. 2011. c.198p. ISBN 9780803477087. $23.95. M
On assignment at a convention honoring the history of Long Island, photojournalist Lilli Masters finds a bottle of wine on the beach—a simple discovery that leads to danger. Sawyer’s fourth series entry (The Montauk Mystery; The Montauk Steps; The Tamoka Mystery) is a treasure hunt, a thriller, a lesson in American history, and a thoroughly engaging romp in the dunes at Montauk Point. VERDICT Readers who like Jane K. Cleland’s cozies will appreciate this.
Toussaint, Maggie. On the Nickel: A Cleopatra Jones Mystery. Five Star: Gale Cengage. Mar. 2011. c.242p. ISBN 9781594149542. $25.95. M
Cleo (In for a Penny) witnesses an altercation between her mother and Mom’s mortal enemy, a woman who doesn’t care whom she hurts in order to get her own way. Then the woman is run over by a car, and the evidence points to Cleo’s mother. VERDICT Cleo is noisy and pushy and spends too much time thinking about sex, but in the end she finds the killer. Purchase if the budget allows.
Turnbull, Peter. Aftermath: A Hennessey and Yellich Mystery. Severn House. Feb. 2011. c.192p. ISBN 9780727869692. $27.95. M
While inventorying a large estate in Yorkshire, England, an attorney finds a walled kitchen garden with several decomposed corpses chained to the wall. DCI George Hennessey (Deliver Us from Evil) has his hands full with this case. No one handles a police procedural better than Turnbull, throwing a case of murder with no clues, no motive, and no suspects at his team of officers to investigate. VERDICT Fans of Sally Spencer and Cynthia Harrod-Eagles will enjoy this one.
ADDITIONAL MYSTERIES
Manfredo, Lou. Rizzo’s Fire. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Mar. 2011. c.304p. ISBN 9780312538064. $24.99. M
Set against the colorful backdrop of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, the second installment of Manfredo’s series (after Rizzo’s War) follows Det. Joe Rizzo and his new partner, Priscilla Jackson, on their first assignment together. When a local recluse is found murdered in his kitchen, the case appears to be an ordinary robbery gone wrong. As the investigation unfolds, both detectives begin to realize that their homicide could be tied to the recent killing of a Pulitzer Prize–winning author. In addition to the murder investigation, Rizzo must deal with the realities of his daughter joining the police force and his own realization of what it means to be a cop. VERDICT Heavy on dialog and lacking in energy, this police procedural leaves the reader wanting. The relationship between Jackson and Rizzo feels forced, and their constant banter is distracting. With the surplus of detective mysteries available, pass on this purchase. [Library marketing.]—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph P.L., MI
Mosley, Walter. When the Thrill Is Gone: A Leonid McGill Mystery. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Mar. 2011. c.368p. ISBN 9781594487811. $26.95. M
PI Leonid McGill, a tough guy striving to make up for his past transgressions, carries a lot of baggage. When he was young, his father abandoned him and ran off to war somewhere, but Leonid’s head is still filled with his father’s revolutionary maxims. Leonid’s best friend is dying of cancer in his apartment; Leonid loves his three children, but only one is really his; and his wife’s cheating again. Mosley’s plot is labyrinthine in this third series outing (after Known to Evil and The Long Fall), to say the least. A beautiful young woman hires Leonid to investigate her billionaire husband: she’s convinced he plans to kill her. But the woman isn’t who she says she is. Everyone lies to Leonid or hides things from him, but he plows ahead anyway. Mosley maintains interest until the end, when the plot fizzles out in a disappointing denouement VERDICT The scenes with Leonid’s family are the best in the book, especially those that depict the sleuth’s love for his wayward sons. Despite its flaws, this is an enjoyable book that will deservedly have fans. A welcome addition to a popular series. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/10.]—David Keymer, Modesto, 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 |
