Reviews from JEAN UTLEY
JANUARY - FEBRUARY REVIEWS
BILL MOODY*
SHADES
OF BLUE
BILL MOODY
Poisoned Pen Press February, 2008
ISBN: 978-1590584859
Why
do we read mysteries? For me, the puzzle is the thing and a story with a puzzle
that really grabs me is the best kind of entertainment. Better yet, if the
character has a deeply personal reason for solving that puzzle, and makes me
believe in the search for an answer, then that book is satisfying. And if I have
a personal connection with the characters or settings or plot twists, well, then
the whole thing comes together better than a symphony.
Bill Moody's SHADES
OF BLUE isn't a symphony but a cool jazz piece, reflecting the occupation of
his amateur detective, Evan Horne, who is a jazz pianist. And a good one -- he
has been invited to duet with Roy Haynes, the current jazz superstar. He also
finds out he has been left an inheritance by his mentor and piano teacher,
Calvin Hughes, and, as he begins to claim his legacy, he discovers that his
friend was perhaps present at the recording of the greatest jazz album of
the era. Perhaps he even wrote one of the songs -- which would be worth a
fortune if it could be proven. So Evan embarks on a search for the truth about
the piano player's sessions with Miles Davis and, in the meantime, confronts his
own identity as a man and a musician. Powerful stuff.
Evan Horne has relocated to the little
town of
Guerneville
, on the
Russian
River
in
Northern California
. He inherits a house in the Hollywood Hills and finally ends up recording his
duets in
New York City
, and this cross-country chase is perfect for the plot twists and turns. His
characters feel like real people to me, almost my friends too, with interesting
jobs and lives.
If there is perhaps a flaw in this
book, it seems to me that there was a more elaborate ending tacked on to the
story of his inheritance and the relationship with Cal Hughes which is the heart
of the story. But as a whole, I really loved this story of a man's search for
himself to the strains of good jazz piano and Miles Davis. HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED.
- Jean Utley
*PHOTO CREDIT: BARRY MARTIN / BOOK'EM
MYSTERIES
LAUREN HENDERSON
KISS
ME, KILL ME
LAUREN
HENDERSON
Delacorte Press January, 2008
One
of my favorite series characters is Lauren Henderson's Sam Jones, so when a new
Lauren Henderson book arrived, I was drawn to it. It is a young adult mystery,
set in an English boarding school where Scarlett Wakefield has been sent after a
friend dies. Well, not a friend, her first boyfriend, Dan. Who died as they were
kissing for the first time. Ever.
KISS
ME, KILL ME
starts with a bang but never lives up to the expectation. Scarlett, an athletic
teenager who goes to St Tabby's in
London
, has never been a social butterfly. She and her two best friends watch the
popular girls from afar and yearn to be part of that clique. When the invitation
comes, Scarlett makes the mistake of a lifetime and joins the social whirl. At
the party, the boy of her dreams lures her out to the balcony and kisses her. As
they kiss, he dies.
We
next find Scarlett, who is an orphan, back at the family owned school, Wakefield
Hall, trying to figure out exactly what happened. Naturally, she is a pariah at
the new school, but comes to gradually earn everyone’s respect as she figures
out who and what killed Dan. My complaint is that the book stops abruptly after
the secret is revealed. I suspect we will see a sequel to this book in the
future, and with a deeper plot. Scarlett
could emerge as a sleuth for the Millennial Generation.
- Jean Utley
THE
KINGDOM WHERE NOBODY DIES
KATHLEEN
HILLS
Poisoned
Pen Press January, 2008
ISBN:
978-1-59058-476-7
THE
KINGDOM WHERE NOBODY DIES
is a quiet, rural mystery about the death of a farmer while he is plowing his
fields. He is shot and his daughter finds his body as she takes him his lunch.
Constable John McIntire tries to find out whodunit.
Set
in the upper
Midwest
, near a former Civilian Public Service Camp from World War II, this novel is
told in two voices: that of Town Constable McIntire and of eleven-year-old
Claire Hofer. There are no car chases or shootouts, just the aftermath of a
bullet that killed farmer Reuben Hofer and left his family shattered. But as
McIntire searches in the past for the answer to the puzzle, he uncovers layer
upon layer of history and past actions that created the person that was
murdered. And what a fascinating story those hidden incidents reveal.
The
portrait of the 1950's life of an impoverished farm family is gritty and
realistic. Hills writes her characters without sentiment, but imbues them with
real lives. They are not glossy cardboard figures but down to earth people.
The
ending is a surprise and quite heart-rending. No happy endings with all the
loose ends all tied up here -- just like real life. I liked this book as a
change from all the slick, glossy mysteries out there.
- Jean Utley
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NOVEMBER - DECEMBER REVIEWS
THE
OTTOMAN CAGE
BARBARA
NADEL
Felony & Mayhem Mysteries pb 11/07
ISBN: 978-1-933397849
A
modern day police procedural set in
Istanbul,
Turkey. Now there's a premise. THE OTTOMAN CAGE
by Barbara Nadel is a fascinating glimpse into modern day forensics in an
ancient, historical city.
The
mystery revolves around a young man found dead in an apartment scrubbed clean
and bearing an amazing resemblance to the Kafes apartments, places where young
royal boys were imprisoned and killed. He was a drug addict, but his body is
surprisingly undisturbed, as though he had never been outside or experienced
physical exercise. He seems to be Christian, in a country where your place in
society depends on your religion.
Inspector
Cetin Ikmen heads the investigation with Sergeants Farsakoglu and Suleyman,
medical examiner Arto Karkissian and officer Cohen. Among these detectives are
represented all levels of Turkish society from noble blood descended from the
Sultans to the peasant class, and including Armenian and Jewish ancestry. The
various religions and castes provide a fascinating subplot to the story and
provide unusual clues to the crime. Aging parents, arranged marriages and long
time friendships add to the story that is told clearly and occasionally with
humor.
Istanbul
itself is a character in this story -- the narrow streets
built to keep warring strangers out, the bazaars and markets selling exotic
items, and the
Topkapi
Palace, where the Sultans ruled. Nadel's writing is tight and lively but yet a loving
look at her adopted home. She evokes the senses: the smells of interesting foods
and spices, the colors of exotic clothing and flags, the sounds of a modern city
still living with the ancient -- such as cars and donkey carts. She reminds us
of the ancient Armenian-Turkish conflict, with its divide still visible today. I
really enjoyed this book as I learned about the social structure of a city half
a world away, and watched modern forensics meet historical precedent. HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED.
-
Jean Utley
THE
MAN WHO KILLED SHAKESPEARE
KEN
HODGSON
Five Star November, 2007
ISBN: 1-59414-598-9
Not
many mysteries are set during the Depression in
America. THE MAN WHO KILLED SHAKESPEARE by Ken Hodgson is really neither a
mystery nor about William Shakespeare. Having gotten that bit of information out
of the way, I really enjoyed the smoothness of the writing.
Our tale
begins in a mining town in
New Mexico, Shakespeare. We meet a couple of miners and the bartender without whom any
western tale can't exist. Enter Lett Halsey, heir to his late brother's estate
consisting of a bar and a few cabins, including one in which the town whore,
Delight, practices her trade.
Enter Sam
Ransom, a con man fleeing his victims in California
and looking to fleece more money from investors with a phony mine operation.
Instead, he finds himself in
New Mexico, constantly being taken for a ride by the natives. The realization that no one
is above making a few bucks on a gullible man makes this book a true picture of
the desperation of the Depression. Ransom is hailed as a hero but we see the
uncertainty and desperation of his scheme.
Both men
find themselves attracted to the town whore, who is actually a pretty
interesting person. She becomes confidant to both men, but the romantic ending
is just as it should be.
The
feeling of panic and fear comes through loud and clear. It is a particularly
vivid time in American History that changes a man and molds his character. Some
men become more than they appear, others less. This book makes us believe in
both.
- Jean Utley
THE
HUNT
JENNIFER
STURMAN
Red Dress Ink Trade PBO 12/07
ISBN: 978-0-373-89570-0
A
chick lit mystery. Fancy that. THE HUNT,
fourth in a series by Jennifer Sturman, is a wonderful surprise. I'm a bit tired
of all the women-looking-for-men subplots that proliferate out there in
mysteryland, but in THE HUNT, our
heroine has found her man (see the first three books) and is happily at her
engagement party.
A New
Yorker, Rachel Benjamin, is visiting
San Francisco
and her fiancée’s parents for the announcement of her engagement to handsome
Peter Forrest. She is also an investment banker about to present a proposal for
venture capital to an old college friend turned
Silicon Valley
entrepreneur, Iggie Behrenz. Her best friends, Hilary, Ben and Luisa, are along
for the trip. At the engagement party, Hilary disappears and Rachel receives a
text message to help her. The group takes off on a scavenger hunt to find
Hilary, finding clues all over the bay area and involving many of the guests at
the party. In the meantime, Rachel finds out not all is what it seems with the
venture capitalists.
Rachel is
an interesting character after four books. She has grown into a successful
businesswoman, so the subplot involving the financial world is interesting and
mature. And the humor of a future daughter-in-law trying to fit into the very
different world of the Forrest's
San Francisco
social strata is very funny. Her fast-paced adventures leave us with the notion
that all is right with the world, and I, for one, am anxious for the next book
in the series.
- Jean Utley
MURDER
AT THE LAURELS
LESLEY
COOKMAN
Accent Press / Dufour Editions Trade PBO 11/07
ISBN: 978-1-905170-84-5
MURDER
AT THE LAURELS by
Lesley Cookman falls victim to two of my pet peeves in the first fifty pages.
First, the entire beginning keeps on repeating the information that our heroines
have solved a previous case, and over and over mentions their adventures in book
one. Since I haven't read book one, I feel at a loss and that I'm missing some
crucial information. Two, there are too many characters who appear all too
often. I could not keep them straight.
However,
accepting that I've come into the second chapter in the lives of Libby Sarjeant
and
Fran
Castle
gets going, the story was quite interesting. Multiple points of view exist and
we see the mystery involving the death of an elderly aunt of Fran's in a nursing
home as the opening scene that brings the two friends back together. Was it
greedy relatives who murdered the elderly lady?
When I
finally got them sorted out, I enjoyed the portrayals of the characters.
Cookman doesn't gloss over the nastiness and kindness that people have in
them. Her small town
England
is an interesting place, and gives me a vivid picture of the daily lives of the
inhabitants. Both Fran and Libby are older women, and both discover that they
are not yet romantically out of the race. Their newly minted romances add a bit
of interest to this book. The plot has many twists and turns and I enjoyed the
trip. I went out and bought book one so I could catch up on the first adventure
and am happily waiting for the third installment for this pair of unusual
detectives. But please, don't re-tell story two again!
- Jean Utley
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