R.J. Ellory: The Anniversary Man

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There are so many serial killer novels, so little time.  There are so many that I gave up reading them long ago, and yet – when I come across one that seems to have a different twist, I can’t help but pick it up.  I’ve read a couple others in the past few years that offered a twist – A Curtain Falls, by Stefanie Pintoff, which used a historical perspective; and Children of the Street by Kwei Quartey, which seemed to be (and was) a commentary on the street children of Accra, Ghana, but turned out also to be a twisty serial killer story.  R.J. Ellory’s joins that company, though his book is the most traditional of the three. read more

G.M. Malliet: Wicked Autumn

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G.M. Malliet is obviously a devotee of the golden age of mystery – Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham – and she takes the old formula made dear to readers and applies it to the 21st century.  This novel especially resembles Ngaio Marsh’s Overture to Death, where a particularly unpleasant village specimen is murdered at the piano warming up for an amateur theatrical.  The vicar in Marsh’s novel is described as looking like a “Roman Coin,” while in Malliet’s, the vicar instead resembles the contemporary and dishy Hugh Grant. read more

Deborah Crombie: No Mark Upon Her

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Deborah Crombie’s skills as a sophisticated novelist have only increased over time.  What began as a standard, though excellent, police series based in London, has evolved into a series that’s richly populated with detailed, complex characters, vivid settings, and themes.  She’s neck and neck with authors like P.D. James and Elizabeth George, though she doesn’t share their sometimes completely bleak viewpoint.

Deborah Crombie also often highlights something interesting about England in each book – in this novel, she’s chosen sculling, and the Oxford University rowing culture.  Her victim is a cop who had Olympic aspirations – Becca Meredith – and who has been contemplating a last shot at the Games.  She’s last seen out with her boat, and her ex-husband gets worried about her. read more

Julie Hyzy: Affairs of Steak

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Julie Hyzy unusually combines the skills of a cozy writer with the skills of an accomplished writer of slam bang action.  The combination is irresistible.  Her main character, executive White House Chef Olivia “Ollie” Parras, has been assigned the job of working closely with her nemesis, Peter Sergeant, as they plan an off site birthday party for the Secretary of State.  Uneasy at working together – Sergeant has no use for Ollie’s tendency to get involved with suspicious bodies, or her tendency to think a bit outside the box – they head off to look at a final venue for the party.  Unfortunately there are two bodies there ahead of them, and Ollie and sergeant are put under 24 hour guard, as both of the bodies were connected to the White House. read more