Review: "The Killer Question," Janice Hallett

Can a top-notch mystery be crafted entirely through text messages, emails, police transcripts, and other documents? Janice Hallett has achieved this before, and I’m delighted to say she’s done it again. While the format may not appeal to everyone, I adore it.

Sue and Mal Eastwood are attempting to run The Case is Altered, a country pub in Hertfordshire. They have a vibrant group of regulars who attend Trivia Night regularly, and Mal takes great pride in creating his own questions.

Personalities are abundant. The group that wins the most is “The Plucky Losers,” led by the talkative and determined Chris. The “Spokespersons” cycle to the pub. The millennials of “Ami’s Magic Carrots” represent one end of the generational spectrum, while the boomers of “Let’s Get Quizzical” provide the other. Initially, “Bob and Linda and Friends” are just—Bob and Linda.

Texts flow between Sue and Mal and among the trivia players, as well as the landlords of the five pubs owned by Ye Olde Goat Brewing Ltd. They are all vivid characters, reflecting the themes of their pubs, from The Brace of Pheasants to The Rainbow.

The landlords quickly report to each other about a random group of ne’er-do-wells moving from pub to pub. When “The Cheats” appear at The Case is Altered, Mal throws them out.

But soon there’s another problem. Well, actually two. First, a group called “The Shadow Knights” arrives, and they are unbeatable. Chris is beside himself, and the other regulars are not pleased. Mal is conflicted—he enjoys the challenge the group presents, but he knows he must do something to ease the frustration of the other trivia players.

Before he resolves that issue, a body is discovered in the river at the end of the lane, just yards from the pub.

It’s a member of “The Cheats.”

As the police investigation unfolds, the landlords prepare for the brewery group’s Annual General Meeting. They decide that, afterward, the landlords—dressed in costumes reflecting their pubs’ motifs—and the brewery admin will join Trivia Night at The Case is Altered. Peter, the dry and reserved ex-military landlord of The Lusty Lass, has uncovered “The Shadow Knights’” secret. Dressed in drag, he is ready to reveal all.

Chaos ensues.

The Killer Question is captivating, engrossing, witty and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny. Sue and Mal have a secret history, one that is gradually revealed. Naturally, the past is intricately linked to the present. As the conclusion nears, there’s one clever twist followed by a spectacular one. The storylines converge into a satisfying ending. And yet—this is one of those books that I truly didn’t want to end.

It was that good. 

Review: "The Killing Stones," Ann Cleeves

It is good to see Jimmy Perez back, even if he is in the Orkney Islands rather than Shetland.

Cleeves had said Wild Fire would be the last book in the popular series. But after a visit to the Orkneys—which lie off the coast of Scotland—where she’d sent Jimmy and his partner, Willow, to live, Cleeves thought she’d like to check in with the characters again.

Jimmy and Willow are thriving. They now have a four-year-old, James, and Willow is expecting. They’re enjoying their new lives on the Orkneys main island and looking forward to celebrating Christmas together.

But tragedy strikes when Jimmy’s good friend, Archie Stout, goes missing. Jimmy heads out to Westray Island, where Archie and his family lived, to look for him. He finds Archie dead—murdered; and the weapon is a Neolithic “story stone,“ stolen from the island’s heritage center.

Archie was a bigger than life character. Maybe he could be abrasive at times, but who would want to kill him? Jimmy quizzes Annie and Bill, landlords of the Pierowall Hotel. There had only been a few outsiders on Westray recently, including Godfrey Landsdown, a quiet naturalist, and the Johnsons, a married couple. He’s a professor and a minor celebrity, due to his television presentations on the history of the island.

Then there’s George Riley, a flamboyant but dedicated history teacher at the grammar school on the mainland (as the main island is known), which all the older Orkney children attended. He was on Westray as well when Archie went missing.

Another person of interest is the jewelry maker, Rosalie Greeman. Archie was besotted with this island newcomer. And it wasn’t his first romantic entanglement outside of his marriage.

Willow is Jimmy’s boss, and she shares the investigation. I wasn’t happy when Jimmy got involved with her, but she has grown on me and the two work well together. As they dig deeper into the lives of the Stouts, other islanders and the visitors, an undercurrent is thrumming. On Christmas Day, a mass football game called The Ba’ is a major, all-consuming event on the mainland. Even a murder can’t detract from the momentum that is building.

Crowds descend on Kirkwall, Orkney’s main town, to watch the “uppies” (from the upper end of the mainland) face off against the “doonies” (from the lower end and other islands). The competition explodes into the streets—merchants and residents board up their windows to prevent damage. Confusion reigns.

Amid this fever-pitch excitement, Jimmy and Willow let the game play out—and then arrest Archie’s murderer.

Ann Cleeves writes well-plotted cozy mysteries with intelligence and emotion. Her settings are always fascinating and dramatic, populated by interesting characters. They are as warm as a Fair Isle sweater. I did feel that the resolution of The Killing Stones came as too much of a surprise. Other than that, this was a first-rate outing to a place that, as I now know, is as wild, historic and appealing as Shetland. 

Review: "The Wasp Trap," Mark Edwards

Six friends, who haven’t seen each other for more than 20 years, have gathered at a posh Notting Hill home to mark the passing of their mentor, Sebastian Marlowe.

It doesn’t take long for their pasts to catch up with them.

Professor Marlowe had hired the group of smart postgraduates in 1999, to help him create an online dating site. Now Theo, a successful businessman, and his wife, Georgina, who teaches yoga, are married. They’re hosting this London reunion/celebration of life.

Will, the narrator, is a struggling writer. He was the “wordsmith” of the group and came up with the site’s clever name: Butterfly.net. Sophie, now a jewelry maker, contributed creative ideas, while Lily is still an uber-techie. Rohan was also business-oriented, but seemed to spend a lot of time watching footie with Sebastian’s nephew, Dominic.

The gathering is mildly uncomfortable from the get-go, but then things really go south. The group has been trapped in the house and their lives are on the line. One of them has a secret that must be revealed to save all their lives—but no one’s talking.

At least at first. In flashbacks to 1999, when they were all working at Marlowe’s country estate, gradually each member of the group reveals something that the rest don’t know. Despite the confessions, the tension ratchets up and blood is shed—before the final, devastating secret becomes known.

The Wasp Trap is a taut psychological thriller with compelling characters and an intriguing plot. Tech infuses the narrative—it is the reason the group got together and the reason they are trapped. Lily developed a test for psychopaths back in the day, which had major repercussions. Now she’s created a lie detector test. Will that save the day for the friends? It looks like it will—until it doesn’t.

At times, The Wasp Trap seemed just a little implausible. But then there was another twist, and I really didn’t care. I was too busy turning the page.

Review: "The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer"

Translated from the Icelandic by Victoria Cribb

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The popular Icelandic crime novelist Elín S. Jónsdóttir is missing.

Police detective Helgi Reykdal is especially intrigued to be on the case. 

Readers first met Helgi in Death in the Sanitorium. He loves classic crime fiction, and was doing post-graduate work when the police recruited him. Helgi has read Jonsdottir’s work. He is intrigued by her life and determined to find out what has happened to her. 

Helgi interviews Elin's friends—her publisher Rut and husband Thor, and Lovisa, a lawyer. Lovisa and Elín had gone hiking together. Later they’d met at a favorite cafe, a ritual with them. Lovisa hasn’t seen her since.

They say they are totally flummoxed by Elin's disappearance—but are they, really?

In alternating chapters, a recorded 2005 interview with Elín (by an unnamed, unseen reporter) plays out. The writer and her life are slowly revealed.  Other chapters deal with Hulda, Helgi’s predecessor at the police station. In the 1970s, she investigated a bank robbery that resulted in an employee being killed. She has dropped out of sight since she left the force, and Helgi wants to find out what happened to her as well. 

Meanwhile, Helgi has broken up with the alcoholic and violent (and scary) Bergthóra but she’s back on the scene, now stalking Helgi's new girlfriend, Anita. 

Helgi is a somewhat passive character, yet he is growing emotionally and he is tenancious. Jónasson’s writing has a flat affect, which reflects Helgi’s personality and adds to the tension of the story. The detective’s quiet determination serves him well as he slowly uncovers the secrets of Elín's life. But he fails to confront Bergthóra, and that proves to be a tragic mistake.

I enjoyed this thriller, which kept me turning the pages without clenching my stomach. Helgi is now co-owner of a second-hand bookshop. His classic crime fiction reading list is included. Elín’s writing life, as she describes it in the interview, is absorbing. These are welcome cozy elements that enhance, rather than detract from, the evil doings in the narrative.

Though Hulda’s story eventually intertwines with Elin’s disappearance, her whereabouts are still unknown. Although I usually dislike loose ends, I assume Helgi will be continuing his investigation of Hulda in the next book. At least, I hope so. Hulda is a sympathetic and interesting character.

This, the second book in the series, ends with a shocker, as did the first one. I am already anxious to find out what really happened in the final pages. I was wrong about the first book!