Mini-Reviews #9…
[In keeping with my new policy of posting reviews of some of the ebooks I casually read here instead of on Amazon, these are reviews of two interesting mystery novels from across the pond. How I love them, from the local settings of England, Ireland, and Scotland, to the unusual characters and great mystery tradition of Agatha Christie, P. D. James, Ian Rankin, and many others. You’ll find great writers over there; their success explains why it’s so difficult for Yankees like me to get a toehold in that market!]
The Verge Practice. Barry Maitland, author. (2003, 2013, Arcade Publishing, NY) This one is set in London with side trips to Barcelona. Parts seem an echo of recent news items, but it was obviously written years ago. The theme is artistic ego and inner turmoil, but old Agatha would be shocked by the depth of the treatment here.
Famous architect Charles Verge has disappeared. They find his second wife murdered, so the coppers automatically suspect he did it and set out to find him. One task force from the Yard has no success. Another one is formed to put the case to rest.
This is fantastic mystery writing, so much so that I didn’t miss the grand tour of London. It’s so good I’ll excuse what follows: The protagonist, Kathy Kolla, is a bit too needy and bumbling, and there remain formatting and editing errors that can be distracting. Some of the latter are comical—“…arrived promptly in separate ears,” for example.
This mystery is filled with more than the usual share of twists and misdirects. You’ll not only be wondering who did it but why. Great fun.
Taboo. Casey Hill, author. (2011, Simon and Shuster?, GB) I loved my course with Pulitzer Prize winner N. Scott Momaday back in the day, but his TA was too malleable—all I had to do was mention Freud in a paper and my grade would go up. What’s this have to do with this book? Read it and find out.
I downloaded it because it’s about a CSI in Dublin starting out on the job by matching wits with a serial killer. She’s not a newbie though. That was my second problem: Why did the author need to jerk a forensics expert out of the FBI and transplant her in Ireland? I’m sure the Garda has fine CSIs, but the author makes them seem prehistoric.
I liked remembering places in Dublin, and the book was greatly entertaining, but I didn’t like the author putting all the clues in verbose flashbacks and skimping on misdirects, making the plot too predictable. Spoiler alert and my first problem: The preface was the only clue I needed!
The protagonist’s old instructor is also the most interesting character (again, why is the FBI needed?). I also never found out what mysterious disease ailed the cop friend and surfing buddy. Sometimes it’s better to put the first novel in the desk drawer and write the second? You can always come back to that first one later (it was the chosen route for me and Harper Lee). This one just misses.
[Kindle Countdown Deal: Teeter-Totter between Lust and Murder, #3 in the “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series,” will go on sale July 1 through July 7, reduced from $2.99 to $0.99 for this period. Does Chen commit murder? The long answer is surprising.]
In elibris libertas….
