Review of "A Fatal Lie: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery" by Charles Todd

 

This review was first posted on Mystery and Suspense. Check it out for features, interviews, and reviews. https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/a-...

In this 23rd book in the Inspector Rutledge series, the detective investigates the death of a man who fought in World War I. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard returned from World War I suffering from shell shock (PTSD) exacerbated by guilt.



In addition to being traumatized by the horrors of war, Rutledge killed an insubordinate soldier in his own company. The dead man, named Hamish MacLeod, now haunts Rutledge, constantly whispering in his head - usually about criminal cases.

The story opens in 1921, when Inspector Rutledge has recovered somewhat from his war experiences. Rutledge is on desk duty when a body is pulled from the River Dee near Llangollen, in northern Wales. The dead man apparently fell from a narrowboat aqueduct high above the river.



The corpse has no ID and the police can't tell if the incident was an accident, suicide, or homicide. So the Welsh authorities call Scotland Yard, and Rutledge is sent to investigate.



No man is missing from Llangollen, and the body is too decomposed for easy recognition. However, the dead man's short stature, military tattoo, and custom-made shirt lead Rutledge to identify the deceased as an Englishman named Sam Mitford, who served in a UK Bantam Battalion during the war.



Rutledge drives to Mitford's home town of Crowley, far from Llangollen, to inform Ruth Mitford about her husband's death.



Rutledge learns that the Mitfords and their relatives own a failing pub, and Sam left for Shrewsbury about a week ago, to negotiate with the pub's liquor suppliers. Sam said nothing about going to Wales.



With ghostly Hamish providing helpful tips, Rutledge determines that Sam was pushed off the Llangollen aqueduct. However, local residents and boat owners who use the aqueduct say they never saw Sam and know nothing about his death. Determined to find out what happened, Rutledge drives back and forth between England and Wales multiple times, interviewing people and gathering evidence.



Rutledge eventually learns that Sam went from town to town looking for someone, and contacted people for assistance along the way.



The case gets complicated, and comes to involve Sam's disturbed half-sister; a devious solicitor; abandoned lead mines; murderous squatters; marital infidelity; a no snitching culture; and more. Additional murders occur, and it's clear someone is threatened by Rutledge's investigation. In fact Rutledge himself is imperiled when he heedlessly walks into dangerous situations.

As Rutledge travels around, we get evocative descriptions of post-WWI British towns, still reeling from the effects of war.



We also learn about the Bantam Battalions. When World War I started, the height requirement for recruits to the British Army was 5' 3". This excluded many small men who were anxious to do their bit. So Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, permitted the formation of fighting units composed of men between 4' 10" and 5' 3". These units were named Bantams after the small roosters that became their battalion emblem. The victim Sam Mitford was one of these men - brave, fearless, and determined.



This clever mystery has plot twists that will surprise even the most ardent mystery fans.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The Heron's Cry: A Detective Matthew Venn Novel" by Ann Cleeves

 

In this second book in 'The Two Rivers' series, Detective Inspector Matthew Venn investigates murders in an artsy community in North Devon. The book can be read as a standalone.



*****

Wealthy economist Frank Ley has a sizable estate, called Westacombe, in North Devon - with a large house and several outbuildings.





Ley wants to give back to the community, so he rents space to struggling artists for a nominal sum. Thus Westacombe houses glassblower Eve Yeo;



furniture maker/craftsman Wesley Curnow;



and a married couple named Sarah and John Grieve, who manage Ley's farm and run a small dairy. Ley is friendly with his tenants, and occasionally invites them to his home for drinks.



One morning Eve Yeo enters her glassblowing studio at Westacombe and finds her father - Dr. Nigel Yeo - dead, stabbed with a shard of glass from a vase she made.



DI Matthew Venn gets the case, and he and his colleagues - Detective Sergeant Jen Rafferty and Detective Constable Ross May - investigate.





Eve tells the detectives her father worked for North Devon Patients Together (NDPT), an advocacy group that represents patients' interests. At the time of his death Nigel was helping a family called the Mackenzies, whose teenage son had committed suicide. The Mackenzies feel their mentally ill boy was let down by the health trust that oversees North Devon hospitals, and Nigel was looking into the matter.



The police interview the Mackenzies, the health trust administrators, employees of NDPT, Nigel's neighbors, and residents of Westacombe, but no obvious suspect emerges. The situation escalates when another murder occurs - again with a shard of glass from one of Eve's vases. This is followed by a suicide, and Matthew knows he has to stop the carnage. This is easier said than done, because people have secrets, and they withhold information and prevaricate even if they're innocent of the murders.



Like the first book in the series, the detectives are just as interesting as the mystery. DS Jen Rafferty, a single mother with two teenagers, struggles to be a good mom while doing her job and partying after work; DC Ross May, who has lofty ambitions, chafes at being assigned (what he considers) boring, mundane police duties; and DI Matthew Venn struggles with the aftermath of growing up in a religious sect. Matthew left the sect and married his husband Jonathan, which was hard for his parents to accept. A rapprochement with Matthew's mother may be on the horizon however, since Jonathan invited her over for a birthday lunch....and she agreed to come.



I enjoyed the book and recommend it to mystery fans.

Thanks to Netgalley, Ann Cleeves, and Minotaur Books for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle: A Novel" by Stuart Turton

 

When I imagine Stuart Turton writing this book I picture him consulting a complicated flowchart with arrows pointing in all directions - so he can stay on track with this complex, inventive story.

The premise: Lord and Lady Hardcastle are hosting an extended house party at their crumbling estate, Blackheath House.



There's plenty of food and liquor, nighttime revelry, a men's hunting party, and - the pièce de résistance - a glamorous costume ball. On the night of the gala, the daughter of the house, twentysomething Evelyn Hardcastle, is shot dead at 11:00 P.M., just when the fireworks go off. Aiden Bishop, a guest at the house party, has to discover the identity of the murderer. Sounds simple....but it's not.

*****

As the story opens, Aiden Bishop 'wakes up' in a woodland with no memory of who he is, and the name Anna on his lips. Bishop has seen a woman named Anna being chased by a man intent on killing her, but he isn't able to catch up with them. When Bishop makes his way back to Blackheath House to get help, people address him as 'Sebastian Bell'.....which is very puzzling.

Bishop is soon brought up to speed by a mysterious figure dressed as a plague doctor.



The plague doctor informs Bishop that Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed during the costume party that night, and Bishop has to identify the killer. Bishop will be forced to relive the day of the murder up to eight times, in the bodies of eight different people, unless he fingers the wrongdoer. If Bishop doesn't name the killer by the eighth day the cycle will repeat again and again and again.....ad infinitum.

Moreover, other people are also trying to find the killer, and ONLY one 'sleuth' can 'win.' The first person to name the killer will be permitted to leave Blackheath. The others will be trapped there forever, in a sort of purgatory. Bishop has no memories of himself - or his life - outside Blackheath, but he knows he wants out.

As the story ambles along, Bishop occupies various bodies, including:

A drug-dealing doctor;  



An obese banker; 



A wealthy dilettante; 



A lascivious playboy; 



A disfigured butler;



A dissolute artist; and more.



The story gets even more complicated because Aiden has to spend the equivalent of a full day in each body, and 'jumps hosts' every time he falls asleep. So Bishop might be the banker for few hours, then doze off and become the butler, then zonk out and become the banker again, and so on.....until he's spent the correct amount of time in each body. To add to the drama, there's a murderous footman skulking around, bent on killing each and every host.



As Bishop advances through the eight-day-cycle, minute by minute.....hour by hour.....and day by day, he accumulates clues to the identity of the killer and even tries to change the course of events. Along the way Bishop makes 'allies' - some of whom are true friends and some of whom are dirty backstabbers.

Bishop eventually learns that the current situation at Blackheath has a connection to events that occurred nineteen years ago; that Lord Hardcastle has squandered the family fortune; that there's a vile blackmailer at work; and that things aren't always as they seem.

The plot is cleverly constructed and I enjoyed the book, though the ending is a bit too drawn out (IMO). A few other things bothered me as well:

- It's hard to believe that uppity aristocrats like the Hardcastles would have a house party in a decaying estate that's literally falling apart - with threadbare furnishings; peeling wallpaper; dirt and cobwebs everywhere; a crummy stable; a falling down boathouse; and so on. The snobby British upper-class gossipers would rip them apart.

- Bishop's growing obsession to be the 'hero' to a 'damsel in distress' - no matter her flaws - strikes a wrong note.

- It would have been interesting to see Bishop have at least one female host (just for fun). 😊

These are minor criticisms though, and I strongly recommend the book to mystery fans.



Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Stuart Turton) and the publisher (Sourcebooks Landmark) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "Secrets on the Fens: A DI Nikki Galena Thriller" by Joy Ellis

This review was first posted on Mystery and Suspense. Check it out for features, interviews, and reviews. https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/se...

In this 12th book in the 'DI Nikki Galena' series, the detective investigates a series of odd murders. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Detective Inspector Nikki Galena and Detective Sergeant Joe Easter lead a police squad that oversees the Lincolnshire Fens, with the goal of keeping the peace and seeing that justice is served.





This can be a difficult proposition because rival criminal families, the Leonards and the Burgesses, both want to be the top mob in the region, and hostilities are easily provoked.





The animosity between the criminal clans ratchets up when homicide victims start appearing in the fens. First, the bodies of a young man and woman are found in the woods, posed like sweethearts. The couple, dressed in Goth attire, have no ID, and the police dub them Romeo and Juliet. Soon afterwards another young couple is found dead, in a boat in the Tunnel of Love. The boy and girl are again dressed like Goths and lack ID.



No missing persons reports match the deceased, and detectives Nikki and Joe speculate that the victims' families don't want police attention. This may in fact be the case because young people associated with both the Leonard and Burgess families are missing, and - instead of calling the authorities - the mob bosses accuse each other.





The situation escalates when Mickey Smith, a young man who was adopted into the Leonard family, goes missing. The Burgesses seem like natural suspects, but someone is anxious to divert attention from both the Burgesses AND the Leonards. An anonymous phone call to each mob family, and a note to the police, claims the perpetrator is a member of the Goth community.



The police interview the local Goths, and a Goth woman named Nova helps them identify the Romeo and Juliet and Tunnel of Love victims.



It turns out all the dead individuals were using made-up names and hiding their Goth identities from their relatives, who disapprove of the Goth subculture.

Following all possible lines of inquiry, Nikki and her team interview the victims' families, friends, and co-workers; speak with the mob bosses; and look for clues on cemetery tombstones where the Goths hang out.



While the police probe the fen deaths, Nikki's mother Eve and her friend Wendy - dedicated amateur sleuths - investigate a mystery of their own.



Eve and Wendy have been restoring the studio of a famous artist named Robert Richmond, who went out to paint flowers a hundred years ago and never returned. Eve and Wendy uncover hidden letters that hint Richmond was involved with a woman, and embark on a quest that has unexpected consequences.

Readers new to the series will meet an interesting array of characters, and established fans will enjoy visiting with old favorites, like pathologist Rory Wilkinson - who has a Shakespeare quote for every crime scene.

This is an artful mystery and police procedural that will challenge even the most clever armchair detective.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "A Hiss Before Dying: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery" by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

In this 26th book in the 'Mrs. Murphy' series, farmer/amateur sleuth Harry Haristeen becomes involved in the investigation of two deaths.



As usual, Harry's 'talking pets' - the cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and the corgi Tucker - add their comments to the story.





The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Harry Haristeen, a lifelong resident of Crozet - in Albemarle County, Virginia - has a lot going on.



She's married to a large animal veterinarian; she takes care of her farm and horses; she's on a committee to preserve Virginia wildlife; she's in charge of buildings and preservation at St. Luke's Church; and she pokes into homicides being investigated by her friend, Deputy Sheriff Cynthia Cooper.

Harry's fur babies, Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tucker, accompany Harry everywhere, discuss her activities, and sometimes find clues to murders being probed. Unfortunately the animals can't communicate this to people, which frustrates them greatly.



The story opens when Harry's pets observe an eagle flying off with an eyeball hanging from it's beak. Soon afterward Deputy Sheriff Cooper gets a call about an abandoned car-hauler - a truck that transports automobiles around the country. The vehicle is found on the side of the road, with no driver in sight.



When the driver is discovered, he's dead, and one of his eyeball's is missing. It looks like death by misadventure, but murder can't be ruled out.

Soon afterwards, another body is discovered, with two bullet holes in the back. This time it's clearly murder, and the victim is an African-American man wearing a slave tag on a chain. The historic tag, which has the plantation name and a number, would have been carried by a slave out and about doing the master's bidding.



The dead Black man is identified as a private detective, but his business is unknown.....as is his possible connection to the dead truck driver.

While these deaths are being investigated, there's a burglary at a Crozet shop that sells Native American garb adorned with fur/feathers from endangered species.



The use of endangered species is illegal, but Indians get special dispensation for religious reasons. Additionally, someone is setting traps for animals whose body parts are sold as aphrodisiacs and the like.

While Harry and her friends discuss the felonious occurrences in Crozet, Harry speculates that the dead men may be connected with the trade in illegal animal parts. Soon afterwards, someone starts shooting at Harry as she drives around in her truck.

The investigation into the current crimes in Crozet alternates with scenes set in the 1780s, a decade after the Revolutionary War. The newly independent colonies are rivals for trade and commerce, can't get their currency aligned, and have different attitudes about slavery. All this is the subject of discussion among local Virginians, so the reader gets a little lesson in American history.



Historic Albemarle County has two large plantations, one owned by newly widowed (and re-married) Maureen Selise Holloway - a cruel, vain woman who mistreats her slaves;



and one run by Ewing Garth and his married daughters, who are kindly slave owners.



(I'm uncomfortable with the author's somewhat rosy-ish depiction of the slave-owning Garth family - which has nothing but the slaves' best interests at heart. Really?? I suspect the author's loyalty to Virginia influenced the writing.)

In the chapters set in the old days, a young kitchen slave named Mignon, who belongs to brutal Maureen, is unfairly accused of stealing jewelry and runs away.



A bounty is put on Mignon's head, and she lives in fear of being discovered.



This drives much of the historic action, and - in the end - connects the past and present in an ingenious way.


Author Rita Mae Brown

As in her other recent books, Rita Mae Brown injects her personal politics, opinions, and interests into the story by way of discussions among the characters. Thus we read about the need for a profit-making economy; politicians serving their own self-interests; the welfare of wild creatures; correct farming practices; restoration of slave schools; art forgery; church renovation; southern manners; and more.

In truth, this really isn't much of a mystery, but more a book about central Virginia then and now. Still, I'd recommend the book to fans of the Mrs. Murphy series and/or historic novels.

Rating: 3 stars