Context is everything in this gritty crime story: Glasgow in 1979, with investigative journalists working in a newsroom filled with cigarette smoke and the din of typewriters. Tax avoidance with greed and Scottish ultra-nationalists are the nasty villains. A totally entertaining story with an appendix with a top-40 list of music from 1979. Thanks Amy, for this recommendation by the acclaimed “Queen of crime” writer.
Category: Mystery
A World Of Curiosities – Louise Penny
This 18th Inspector Gamache mystery is genuinely suspenseful with some eery parts. The complicated but compelling plot combines elements of a cold case with current crimes. Gamache and Beauvoir are revealed to have blind spots, so very human characteristics. There is art, and finally, a strong theme of forgiveness despite considerable darkness. This is one of Ms. Penny’s best Three Pines novels.
My Murder – Katie Williams
What an interesting premise for a murder mystery: Lou/Louise, a wife and mother of a toddler, is murdered by a serial killer, and then resurrected by cloning, masterminded by the resurrection committee. But there are unsettling discrepancies between the before and after. What if the murder you have to solve is your own? And of course, VR games are a complicating factor. Overall, a very original and startling book.
The Cloisters – Katy Hays
Context is everything in this fine first novel. The Cloisters is a gothic museum of medieval, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Researchers search for 15th century tarot cards used for divination – telling the future had been the original purpose of these cards. There is a murder, of course, and academic obsession. What is fate and what is choice? Sinister secrets abound and the ending is especially seductive.
The Ink Black Heart – Robert Galbraith
Be advised that this 6th book about the London PIs Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott is long (>1000 pages), but given that RG is the pseudonym for JK Rowling, there is impeccable (and necessary) detail. The often-seedy online world and a complex collection of anonymous Twitter aliases creates a real-world story with two murders and multiple conflicts to navigate. Robin and Cormoran’s formidable powers of deduction are tested but their personal chemistry remains deliciously complicated.
The Twist Of A Knife – Anthony Horowitz
A perfectly silly but completely enjoyable murder mystery. As always, context is everything – the London Theatre world. When a nasty theatre critic is murdered, all evidence points to the writer of the play that has been savaged by a review. With the dogged persistence of a detective, much is learned. And as a nod to Agatha Christie, all the suspects are brought together for the big reveal. Overall, the author is a master of misdirection.
Shutter – Ramona Emerson
Rita Todachene is a young Navajo woman working for the Albuquerque Police as a forensic photographer, documenting crime scenes. Her secret: the ability to see the ghosts of crime victims. Rita’s back story also unfolds while present-day ghosts persist in demanding justice. This is very good crime fiction with an eery paranormal component.
The Rising Tide – Anne Cleeves
Another story about DCI Vera Stanhope, the 10th book in a popular series of police dramas. The setting is NE England, and there are only three murders: one at the beginning, one in the middle and one at the end of the book. In part, this is a police procedural story involving face-to-face interviews. Who are withholding information, keeping secrets that threaten to resurface? Overall, an enjoyable read.
Bad Cree – Jessica Johns
This remarkable debut novel is all about Indigenous women. Mackenzie is a young Cree woman living in Vancouver, but darkness dreams drive her to return to her home on High Prairie, Alberta, in part to confront her unprocessed grief over the death of her older sister. Can spirits visit people in their dreams? Can evil entities feed off the hurt, isolated and grieving? This is both a masterful mystery and horror story that will forever change your appreciation of the phrase “murder of crows”. Highly recommended.
What David Read 