Review: THE GREAT DECEIVER, Elly Griffiths

• this edition supplied by my local library
• 
  published by Quercus 2023
  
• ISBN 978-1-5294-0-990-1
• 344 pages
• author website
• #7 in the Brighton Mysteries

Synopsis (Fantastic Fiction)

It starts with a magician and a murder in a Brighton boarding house; throw in a show on Brighton pier, a sinister radio personality and a potential serial killer, and you've got the next twisty mystery from Elly Griffiths.

Magician Max Mephisto, now divorced and living in London, is on his way to visit daughter Ruby and her new-born baby when he is hailed by a voice from the past, fellow performer Ted English, aka the Great Deceiver. Ted's assistant, Cherry, has been found dead in her Brighton boarding house and he's convinced that he'll be accused of her murder.

Max agrees to talk to his friend, Superintendent Edgar Stephens, who is investigating the case. What Max doesn't know is that the girl's family have hired private detective duo Emma Holmes (aka Mrs Stephens) and Sam Collins to do some digging of their own.

The inhabitants of the boarding house, most of whom are performing in an Old Time Music Hall show on Brighton pier, are a motley crew. The house is also connected to a sinister radio personality called Pal. When a second magician's assistant is killed, Edgar suspects a serial killer. He persuades Max to come out of semi-retirement and take part in a summer show. But who can pose as his assistant? Edgar shocks the team by recommending someone close.  

My Take

It seems to me that the more I read of this series, the more I really enjoy them.

This one is set in 1966, mainly in Brighton but also in London. Magicians on stage, and variety acts, have almost been displaced by television. But someone is murdering magician's assistants and of course there really is only one person who can help in solving this mystery.

The characters are well developed and I enjoyed the story line.

However, you need to start this series at the beginning so that you can appreciate the back stories that contribute to the series. Of course you could read this one as a stand-alone, but will miss so much.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

• 4.8, THE ZIG ZAG GIRL - Brighton Mysteries #1
• 4.5, SMOKE AND MIRRORS - Brighton Mysteries #2
• 4.5, THE BLOOD CARD- Brighton Mysteries #3
  
• 4.4, THE VANISHING BOX - Brighton Mysteries #4 
• 4.6, NOW YOU SEE THEM- Brighton Mysteries #5
  
• 4.5, THE MIDNIGHT HOUR- Brighton Mysteries #6

Review: ELEPHANTS CAN REMEMBER, Agatha Christie

• 
  originally published 1972
  
• this edition published in Australia by Harper Collins
• ISBN 978-0-00-816497-3
• 245 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

Hercule Poirot stood on the cliff-top. For here, many years earlier, there had been a tragic accident – the broken body of a woman was discovered on the rocks at the foot of the cliff. This was followed by the grisly discovery of two more bodies – a husband and wife – shot dead. But who had killed whom? Was it a suicide pact? A crime of passion? Or cold-blooded murder? Poirot delves back into a crime committed 15 years earlier and discovers that, when there is a distinct lack of physical evidence, it’s just as well that ‘old sins leave long shadows.'

This story is part of Agatha Christie’s murder in retrospect series, a collection of stories which look at a crime several years after the fact, piecing together testimonials and witness reports to finally uncover the truth. This time we see Mrs Oliver’s goddaughter, attempting to find out the truth about her deceased parents – who killed whom?

    Elephants can remember, but we are human beings and mercifully human beings can forget.
    Ariadne Oliver, Elephants Can Remember  

My Take

I have already recorded a review of this novel here.

I am re-reading it this time for discussion with my U3A Agatha Christie group. 

I ma pleased to see that this time around I have actually rated the novel a tad higher - perhaps because I am now 10 years older, and have a better appreciation of aging and of the fragility of memory in particular.

I haven't necessarily repeated comments that I made in the earlier review.

Please be aware that there may be mini-spoilers in what now follows.

To solve a cold case (15 years before) where a husband and wife were assumed to have committed suicide, the sleuths decide to contact "elephants" - elderly people who may have known the couple in the past or may have heard rumours/gossip about them. 

Ariadne Oliver visits many of these "elephants", including her own Nanny, and raises the tragedy in conversation to see what these people know. As she says, many of these don't actually know anything for certain, have even made up scenarios to fit what they have heard, but they have heard stories, details unconfirmed. Gradually, for the reader, a picture emerges, but really Mrs Oliver doesn't "see" it.

Ariadne is quite systematic in her investigation. She goes back through her old address books and tracks down people she hasn't seen for years. An interesting picture emerges of the life that Ariadne has led too.

Hercule Poirot mainly exercises his little grey cells. Ariadne frequently reports to him with what she has found out. He mainly pulls strings to contact ex-policemen who worked on the case at the time. He even makes a flight to Geneva when he realises there are 2 people who know more they have revealed. All becomes clear.

Some critics have cruelly suggested that Christie has Alzheimer's or similar when she wrote this. They cite a reduced vocabulary, repeated phrases etc. I think it is more that Christie is trying to emulate how elderly people talk and how they reminisce in a sort of rambling way. They become uncertain about what they once knew and have a tendency to embroider on what they can remember. 

My interest in Christie is always on how she comments on social issues. At the time of writing the book she was 82, and there are lots of comments about aged care, reduced circumstances, nursing homes, and even how mental health issues are being handled. 

I don't think the plot is strengthened by the wimpish characters that Celia Ravenscroft and Desmond Burton-Cox turn out to be.

However when you bother to look at it in depth, the plot is quite intricate and the various threads raise a lot of issues: the nature of community and individual memory, love, age, the effectiveness of psychiatric treatments etc.  Ariadne Oliver and Hercule Poirot are themselves aging (this is their last case together, in fact, for both of them, their last cases), and I think they put a surprising amount of energy into this investigation.

I hope I haven't spoiled your reading of it!

My rating: 4.5 

My reviews of all Agatha Christie novels

Review: THE DARK LAKE, Sarah Bailey

• 
  This edition made available by my local library
  
• published in 2018
• ISBN 978 1 76063 297 7
• 432 pages
• #1 in Gemma Woodstock series
• winner Ned Kelly Award for best first novel, Winner of Davitt Award for best debut
  

Synopsis (publisher)

A hot summer. A shocking murder. A town of secrets, waiting to explode. A brooding, suspenseful and explosive debut that will grip you from the first page to the last.

A beautiful young teacher has been murdered, her body found in the lake, strewn with red roses. Local policewoman Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock pushes to be assigned to the case, concealing the fact that she knew the murdered woman in high school years before.

But that's not all Gemma's trying to hide. As the investigation digs deeper into the victim's past, other secrets threaten to come to light, secrets that were supposed to remain buried. The lake holds the key to solving the murder, but it also has the power to drag Gemma down into its dark depths.

The Dark Lake is an addictive crime thriller, a mesmerising account of one woman's descent into deceit and madness, and a stunning debut that has caused a stir around the world. 

My Take

I first reviewed this book in 2017. I am rereading it for my U3A Crime Fiction group.

Like the victim, Gemma Woodstock is working in the town that she grew up in. She has some background knowledge of the victim and her family. In some ways that should be an advantage in a police investigation but Gemma underplays how close her relationship with Rosalind Ryan was. In fact she lies to her boss, and she probably should have stood herself down from the investigation.

Her boss "Jonesey" is so taken with what he sees as Gemma's brilliance that he is more than willing to accept her assurances at their face value. More than that he is prtty well a boss that doesn't rock the boat. However there are times when he should be much more asserive and observant.

One of the blurbs I have seen describes Gemma as troubled and brilliant. I would add damaged and unstable.

Rosalind Ryan has returned to the town of Smithson that she grew up in and has been teaching English to senior students there for four years. She has persuaded the principal to allow her to produce a version of Romeo and Juliet. The play is a great success with the students and Ms Ryan is very popular. The production occurs late in the last school term, after exams. It is opening night when Ms Ryan is killed, found face down in the lake the following morning.

THE DARK LAKE is tightly plotted and takes concentration from the reader. The plot has several twists. The investigation into Rosalind Ryan's murder takes nearly 3 weeks, approaching Christmas and New Year. Almost everyone in the town comes under intense scrutiny and there are few clues.

In addition a number of issues and relationships in Gemma's life cause complications, her young son is abducted, and Gemma herself is attacked. 

The plot structure is interesting with narrative from "then" accompanied by daily accounts of what is happening in the investigation.  Most of the latter are from Gemma's point of view. However these are supplemented with short third person accounts of incidents where Gemma is not a witness. 

The Australian setting is very strong, and the weather plays a strong role too.

Secrets Gemma Woodstock is hiding

• the extent of her connections with Rosalind Ryan and the role she played in past events
• what happened to Jacob Morgan
• her relationship with her Sergeant Felix McKinnon
  

My rating: 4.7

I've also read

• 4.7, THE DARK LAKE
• 4.8, INTO THE LIGHT
•  4.5, THE HOUSEMATE

Review: MURDER AT THE BRIGHTWELL, Ashley Weaver

• 
  This edition available from Amazon on Kindle
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00N01TS36
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Allison & Busby (October 23, 2014)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 323 pages
• (Amory Ames Book 1)

Synopsis (Amazon)

1932, Devon. 

Amory Ames is glamorous, wealthy and unhappily married to notoriously charming playboy Milo. She willingly accepts her former fiancé Gil Trent's plea for help in preventing his sister Emmeline from meeting a similar matrimonial fate. Amory accompanies Gil to The Brightwell, the sprawling seaside resort where Emmeline and her fiancé, the impeccably groomed, disreputable cad Rupert Howe are holidaying, along with the other rich and sumptuously-dressed guests.

Champagne flows but the sparkle soon fades as a dark and unresolved history between Gil and Rupert surfaces. After a late night quarrel the luxurious hotel is one guest fewer by morning. When Gil is arrested for murder Amory is determined to defend his innocence. But if she's right, the killer is still in their midst - can she prove it before she, too, becomes a victim? And what of the unexpected arrival of Milo? Extravagance, scoundrels and red-herrings abound as Amory draws closer to discovering the murderer - as well as love.

My Take

It came as a surprise to me to discover that the author of this cosy set in 1932 is an American. The story is set at the British seaside in 1932 amongst a flapper set. I thought she did a good job of creating the ambience of the period, at the same time creating a respectable whodunnit.

My rating: 4.4

About the author

ASHLEY WEAVER is the branch manager at Oberlin, the headquarters branch of the Allen Parish Libraries in Louisiana. Weaver has worked in libraries since she was 14; she was a page and then a clerk before obtaining her MLIS from Louisiana State University. She lives in Oakdale, Louisiana. Murder at the Brightwell is her first novel. 

Review: MURDER ON THE FARM, Kate Wells

• 
   this edition read on Kindle (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C727GM8K
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Boldwood Books (September 4, 2023)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 346 pages
• #1 Malvern Farm Mystery series
  

Synopsis (Amazon)

Lambing season always brings the unexpected… But no one expected murder

Jude Gray never thought she’d find herself widowed and running a working farm full-time, but here she is, living in the small Malvern village her husband Adam spent most of his life in.

After a particularly gruelling lambing season, she is looking forward to some time off, but there’s no rest for the wicked, especially when she finds the body of one of Adam’s oldest friends on her farm.

Unimpressed with the local constabulary's efforts, Jude starts an investigation of her own. But as the body count rises, danger creeps ever closer to Malvern Farm.

A killer is on the prowl. And all that stands in their way is one woman – and her dog.

My Take

A well constructed cozy mystery with a number of plot strands. I thoroughly enjoyed it and liked the central character Jude Gray. Life has not been easy for Jude since her husband Adam died of cancer but she is making a go of her sheep farm with the help of a shepherd Noah.

But now her best friend Sarah is in trouble with problems that Jude had not even guessed existed. And then the bodies start to pile up, and the perpetrator is someone Jude has always trusted.

My rating: 4.5 

About the author

Kate grew up in Malvern on the Herefordshire/Worcestershire border and still spends much of her time there. It is her heart's home and the muse for a lot of her writing.

She began her adult life training as a nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital and then moved to Reading where she took a teaching degree.

When she took a break to have her two daughters she began creating stories and hasn't stopped writing since!

Having spent time living and working on farms she developed a love of the rural life and often dreamt of running a sheep farm, especially when she married the son of a farmer. It wasn't to be though, so instead, she lives out her farming dreams through researching and writing her books.

These days she's often found in a field talking to the sheep, or out on the Malvern Hills walking her border collie cross.

Review: HIGH PROFILE, Robert B. Parker

• 
   made available as an e-book on Libby by my local library
  
• published originally in 2007 by No Exit Press
• e-book published 2014
• ISBN 978-1-84344-327-8
• #6 in Jesse Stone series

Synopsis (Fantastic Fiction)

The murder of a notorious public figure places Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone in the harsh glare of the media spotlight.

When the body of controversial talk-show host Walton Weeks is discovered hanging from a tree on the outskirts of Paradise, police chief Jesse Stone finds himself at the center of a highly public case, forcing him to deal with small-minded local officials and national media scrutiny. When another dead body - that of a young woman - is discovered just a few days later, the pressure becomes almost unbearable.

Two victims in less than a week should provide a host of clues, but all Jesse runs into are dead ends. But what may be the most disturbing aspect of these murders is the fact that no one seems to care - not a single one of Weeks's ex-wives, not the family of the girl. And when the medical examiner reveals a heartbreaking link between the two departed souls, the mystery only deepens.

Despite Weeks's reputation and the girl's tender age, Jesse is hard-pressed to find legitimate suspects. Though the crimes are perhaps the most gruesome Jesse has ever witnessed, it is the malevolence behind them that makes them all the more frightening. Forced to delve into a world of stormy relationships, Jesse soon comes to realize that knowing whom he can trust is indeed a matter of life and death.

My take:

This is the first novel that I have read by this author.

His style is very distinctive - the story is mainly told by dialogue through the main characters, with just a little descriptive writing. There is a little humour too, mainly in Jesse Stone's dealing with his offsider Suitcase Simpson who does a lot of the leg work, but is not yet accorded the title of detective.

Running in the background is Stone's own relationships with his ex-wife whom he is finding it hard to beak off relationships with, and Sunny, the woman he would like to develop a relationship with.

My rating: 4.4

About the author

Robert B. Parker began writing in 1971 while teaching at Boston's Northeastern University. Now he is acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction and was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America (2002). His novels featuring the wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private-eye Spenser have earned him a devoted following and reams of critical acclaim. The Spenser character inspired the television series Spenser: For Hire and a number of made-for-television films.

Review: TO THE RIVER, Vikki Wakefield

• 
  this edition supplied by Text Publishing
• published 2024
  
• ISBN 9781922790590
  
• 347 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

The Kelly family has always been trouble. When a fire in a remote caravan community kills nine people, including 17-year-old Sabine Kelly’s mother and sister, Sabine confesses to the murders. Shortly after, she escapes custody and disappears. Recently made redundant from marriage, motherhood and her career, journalist Rachel Weidermann has long suspected Sabine made her way back to the river—now, twelve years after the ‘Caravan Murders’, she has the time and the tenacity to corner a fugitive and land the story of the year.

Rachel’s ambition lights the fuse leading to a brutal chain of events, and the web Sabine weaves will force Rachel to question everything she believes. Vikki Wakefield’s compelling psychological thriller is about class, corruption, love, loyalty, and the vindication of truth and justice. And a brave dog called Blue.

My Take

Twelve years after she, 17 years old, confessed to the 'Caravan Murders', Sabine Kelly wants to tell her story and obtain justice for her mother, her sister, and the other 7 innocents who died then. An opportunity presents itself when Sabine realises that journalist Rachel Weidermann is living in the property next to Sabine's grandfather Ray on the river. The time has come to reveal the truth. Ray is dying. The policeman who lost his son in the fire has retired. And Rachel has time on her hands.

From the start Rachel sees Sabine as steps to her own redemption in the journalistic world where her career has flagged. She had begun an investigation a few years ago, but didn't get very far because she couldn't locate Sabine. But now Sabine has re-appeared. There is a reward on Sabine's head and Rachel could simply turn her in. But there is more money to be made from the story. But what Rachel doesn't realise is that just as she is playing Sabine, reeling her in, so Sabine is manipulating Rachel to her own ends.

The author has created her setting from the Murray River backwaters in South Australia. Sabine and Rachel are the primary voices telling the story, while the time frame flits between 2007 and 2019. The characters are much alive, also including Sabine's dog Blue.

Highly recommended.

My rating: 4.5

I've also read

• 4.3, BALLAD FOR A MAD GIRL
• 4.6, AFTER YOU WERE GONE