Brady, Conor. A June of Ordinary Murders. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Apr. 2015. 400p. ISBN 9781250057563. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9781466861268. M
Tensions run high in Dublin in the summer of 1887 as Queen Victoria prepares to celebrate her Golden Jubilee. The Land War in Ireland, a bitter conflict between tenant farmers and the wealthy landowners, coupled with nationalist unrest, also makes the capital a nexus of unease. DS Joe Swallow is assigned the unlucky task of investigating the brutal murder of a badly mutilated woman—initially identified as a man owing to her modest clothing—and a young boy found in a city park. A curious Irish law on the books at the time classified all nonpolitical crimes, regardless of their heinous nature, as “ordinary,” so Swallow must find a way to give these murders their proper due without ruffling the feathers of his superiors. VERDICT Making his mystery debut, former Irish Times editor Brady presents a fascinating and in-depth historical peek at crime solving in a bygone era when it took more than a few keystrokes and a phone call to catch a perp. Swallow is a complicated, earnest hero with just enough flaws to make him endearingly sympathetic. [Library marketing.]—Jordan Foster, Portland, OR
Cook, Josh. An Exaggerated Murder. Melville House. Mar. 2015. 336p.
ISBN 9781612194271. pap. $16.95; ebk. ISBN 9781612194288. M
Trike Augustine rubs most everyone the wrong way. His only saving grace is his impressive brain, one that rivals that of Sherlock Holmes—and Trike has Holmes’s prickly attitude and total lack of social niceties to boot. Along with artist sidekick Lola and laconic ex-FBI agent Max, Trike runs a semisuccessful private eye business. He can always solve the investigation but coming up with next month’s rent is sometimes tricky. When reclusive billionaire Mr. Joyce vanishes from his home, leaving only a conspicuously large bloodstain behind, Trike takes the case, motivated by the generous reward that gets smaller every day Joyce remains missing. Though he prides himself on being one step ahead of, well, everyone, even Trike’s not prepared for how this case unfolds. VERDICT While Trike’s obsession sometimes lapses into annoying parody—there are definite shades of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes here—bookseller and debut novelist Cook’s humorous take on various whodunit and noir tropes is mainly spot-on.—Jordan Foster, Portland, OR
Harwood, Michael. The Manservant. Kensington. Mar. 2015. 252p. ISBN 9781617733116. pap. $15; ebk. ISBN 9781617733123. F
What does the Savile Row firm of Gieves & Hawkes purvey? Who supplies Her Majesty the Queen with knickers? (Hint it’s not Marks & Spencer.) If you’re manservant to a masochistic noble, when exactly is it your turn to wear the French maid’s outfit? Answers to these and other questions you may never have asked yourself are provided in this absolutely fabulous gay romance by an author who is described as “one of the UK’s most sought after private chefs” and so presumably has insider dope on Britain’s plummiest elites. At the start of the novel, our hero, Anthony Gowers, is dismissed for good and scandalous reason from the employ of a London hotel. Incredibly handsome, and with no gag reflex to speak of, he lands securely on his knees as Lord Shanderson’s manservant at Castle Beadle, where he’s showered with Mini Coopers and loads of long-stemmed white roses. What seems like a dream job, however, quickly and predictably turns horribly wrong before Tony learns that knights don’t always arrive on white chargers but sometimes in black taxis. VERDICT This breezy debut confection is Downton Abbey as seen through the gimlet eyes of Thomas Barrow and will help while away that next afternoon you’re awaiting your fitting at Gieves & Hawkes.
Kelly, Stephen. The Language of the Dead: A World War II Mystery. Pegasus Crime. Apr. 2015. 288p. ISBN 9781605986968. $25.95; ebk. ISBN 9781605987545. M
As German bombs rain down on England, all remains fairly quiet in the remote Hampshire village of Quimby. Until its residents start turning up dead. First Will Blackwell, an elderly loner, is found murdered, his death eerily reminiscent of the manner in which suspected witches in the same area were once killed. Adding fuel to the rumor mill, stories circulate that, as a boy, Blackwell made some sort of Faustian pact with a ghostlike black hound. The country cop in charge of investigating, as well as trying to quell the villagers’ panic about both the murder and the Germans’ impending invasion, is DI Thomas Lamb. Soon after, a young woman who is carrying the illegitimate child of a pilot is also discovered dead, along with the town drunk, who is found in the mill, his skull crushed. With his constituency dropping faster than the Germans can bomb them, it’s up to Lamb to solve this perplexing case. VERDICT Fans of well-researched historical mysteries, particularly the work of Charles Todd and Charles Finch, will welcome this solid debut that introduces a complex, driven hero who is both a product of his time and relatable in our modern age. Here’s hoping this will be the first of many installments featuring the endearing Lamb.—Jordan Foster, Portland, OR
Kornegay, Jamie. Soil. S. & S. Mar. 2015. 368p. ISBN 9781476750811. $26; ebk. ISBN 9781476750903. F
A renegade farmer who goes up against nature and loses forms the basis of independent Southern bookseller Kornegay’s memorable first novel. When Jay Mize gave up the comforts of a respectable career and home to begin an experiment in soil-free farming, he expected to be on the cutting edge of an agricultural revolution. But a crippling flood washes out his efforts and places him on the road to bankruptcy, and his wife, Sandy, concerned about Jay’s mental health, leaves with their son. Soon after, Jay comes upon a corpse in the Tockawah River behind his house; convinced the body is part of a plot to destroy him, he sets about making it disappear. Meanwhile, a nosy deputy with a roving eye for the town’s single women is poking around the Mize farm (not to mention Sandy’s apartment) in search of a big bust to validate his wayward career. Add to that a revenge-seeking vagrant roaming the woods behind Jay’s property and perhaps his paranoia isn’t so misguided after all. VERDICT Kornegay imbues his characters with depth and his story with suspense, but the real star of the book is the pungent and foreboding Mississippi earth itself. A promising debut from an assured new voice in Southern fiction. [See Prepub Alert, 9/15/14.]
Miller, Jason. Down Don’t Bother Me: A Slim in Little Egypt Mystery. Bourbon St: Harper. Mar. 2015. 288p. ISBN 9780062362193. pap. $14.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062362209. M
It’s hard to escape the grime and grit of coal in Little Egypt, a tiny southern Illinois town with some of the area’s last working collieries, including Knight Hawk, which employs Miller’s quirky narrator, Slim. A lifelong miner who is equally adept at raising his young daughter as a single father and finding people who’d rather stay hidden, Slim gets roped into tracking down a missing newspaper photographer after the man’s reporter partner turns up dead. The clues aren’t subtle—a recorder is tied around the victim’s neck and a notepad is shoved in his mouth—but Slim suspects there’s more to the story than just a disgruntled reader, and he’s right. Mining executives’ dirty dealings—emphasis on dirty—are just part of the shady practices Slim uncovers as he digs deeper into a story that everyone seems to want buried. VERDICT Fans of Daniel Woodrell’s “Ozarks Noir” books (Tomato Red) and FX’s Justified TV series, as well as the show’s Elmore Leonard source material, will welcome the tough-talking Slim and the eccentric cast of characters he meets along the way in this series launch by the coauthor of the graphic novel Redball Six. The violence is authentic, if heightened—there’s no shortage of grisly deaths in the mines, but they’re in keeping with dangerous work.—Jordan Foster, Portland, OR
Miller, Jax. Freedom’s Child. Crown. Jun. 2015. 320p. ISBN 9780804186803. $25; ebk. ISBN 9780804186810. F
Freedom Oliver is not her real name. She is not really from the small Oregon town where she currently lives. Why the fake name and why is she so far from home? Well, she killed her husband, a cop, 20 years ago and is now living in witness protection. Working at a biker bar, Freedom keeps her distance from everyone and just tries to survive each day. She misses her kids and is sorry she ever made this deal with the Feds. What Freedom doesn’t know is that her worst enemy has just been released from prison. While inside, Matthew Delaney found out where she is, and now he’s coming for her with revenge on his mind. Adding to this unknown danger, Freedom learns that her daughter has gone missing and has possibly been kidnapped. The past that Freedom has kept at bay now returns with a vengeance. VERDICT Miller’s debut novel is not for the faint of heart as it’s pretty graphic in terms of violence, language, and imagery. For fans of fast-paced reads, reckless characters, and noir, this thriller will be a hit. It may also attract readers who enjoy Chelsea Cain’s writing. [Library marketing.]
Mordecai, Pamela. Red Jacket. Dundurn. Apr. 2015. 400p. ISBN 9781459729407. pap. $24.99; ebk. ISBN 9781459729421. F
Growing up on a Caribbean island, Grace Carpenter is a misfit. Her freckled copper-colored skin is not the same shade as the rest of her family. Taunted as a “Red Jacket” by the neighbors, Grace determines to be the best at everything in order to find her place in the world. She excels at academics and wins scholarships to an elite high school and a fine college in Toronto. There she leaves her island family behind and is now a person of color in a white world. She earns a doctorate and works for the World Health Organization, visiting Haiti and Africa. As the reader follows Grace’s successes and tragedies, the secret of her birth family is revealed, her own missteps come back to haunt her, and her wrestling with God reveals him to be Anancy, a trickster spider. VERDICT Canadian poet Mordecai’s first novel moves from the warmth of the Caribbean to the chill of Canada and then to the deserts of West Africa. Fans of Caribbean literature and readers who enjoy sagas of misfortune may find this book captivating.
Taylor, David C. Night Life. Forge. Mar. 2015. 336p. ISBN 9780765374837. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9781466843431. F
Michael Cassidy is a World War II veteran from an affluent background who has an erratic ability to foretell the future in his dreams. Known throughout New York City for throwing a fellow police officer out of a window, he is not your typical detective. When Cassidy and his partner are hampered by FBI agents while investigating the gruesome murder of a male chorus dancer, the two wonder why the Feds would get involved. More deaths follow, and a narrative unfolds that ultimately leads Cassidy to question the veracity of those closest to him as he uncovers a devastating secret involving those in the highest of places. VERDICT Set against the backdrop of the Cold War and the rising power of Sen. Joseph McCarthy, this debut novel’s atmosphere is suffused with paranoia and bitterness. With a strong opening and definite sense of place, Taylor has much to offer as a writer. Unfortunately, the novel is weighed down with too many competing story lines and Cassidy’s prescient dreams feel out of place in this noir police procedural.
True, Sylvia. The Wednesday Group. St. Martin’s. Mar. 2015. 288p. ISBN 9781250051882. pap. $14.99; ebk. ISBN 9781466850040. F
This debut brings together five women whose husbands are sex addicts. Each wife has decided to “stand by her man,” and try to make her marriage work despite the seriousness of her mate’s transgressions. Support group leader Kathryn is a graduate student working under her advisor, the esteemed Dr. O’Reilly. When O’Reilly insists that Kathryn include Gail (a prominent judge married to a college professor who keeps having affairs with his students) in the therapy, Kathryn bristles and their relationship takes a contentious turn. The other women in the group include Hannah, whose husband can’t stop meeting men in public restrooms for quick hookups; Lizzy, married to a porn addict who won’t have sex with her; Bridget, whose husband has sex online with many women; and Flavia, whose spouse keeps getting in trouble for groping women on the subway. None of the participants really wants to be there, but after a few weeks they start to form a strange bond and rely on one another for support and friendship, despite their differing backgrounds. While the story line is salacious and titillating, the disjointed writing is hard to follow at times. VERDICT A great plot concept that doesn’t quite come together as it should.
