A Man With One of Those Faces by Caimh McDonnell

First Sentence: "You remember Alan, Robert's first cousin from Clare?"

      

Paul Malchrone has a face that doesn't stand out and that makes elderly people think he's a relative.  When visiting a nursing home, Nurse Brigit Conroy aska that he visit Martin Brown, a patient whose had no visitors since being admitted.  Unfortunately, Brown mistakes Paul for being the nephew of an enemy and nearly kills Paul.  This sets Paul and Brigit down a dangerous path, helped by D.S. Bunny McGarry, Paul's former mentor.  The question is whether they can survive.

      

Ah, the Irish is thick here and the author's voice plays into what one thinks of as classic perception—"You do realise that just saying 'no offence' does not magically make whatever you say inoffensive?"—and humor—"The fox was now sniffing at the sandwich it had retrieved.  Rather than eating it, it elected to urinate on it instead.  As reviews went, it was pretty damning."

     

It's the characters who truly drive the story. Paul, the granny whisperer, is delightful and quirky. When joined with Bridgit. Dr. Singh, D.S. Bunny McGarry, the lawyer's secretary, and others, and when combined with the situational humor, one can be assured of laughing through the entire book…almost.  One might even find oneself using the phrase "fair play" on occasion.

      

The plot moves along at a brisk pace and is one where everything falls brilliantly into place in the end with a wonderful rescue scene.  One should definitely read the epilogues, as well as give the author credit for some well-done self-promotion.

"A Man With One of Those Faces" does get a bit silly at times, but this isn't intended to be a serious book.  Still, McDonald does balance the humor with insight, tension, and suspense.  Happily, there are more books in the series.

A MAN WITH ONE OF THOSE FACES (AmaSleu-Paul Malchrone-Dublin, Ireland-Contemp) - VG

      McDonald, Caimh – 1^st of series

      McFoir Ink – Aug 2016

The Hallows by Victor Methos

First Sentence:  "Murder."

      

Tatum Graham is a successful, wealthy defense attorney who has never lost a case.  Discovering his newly acquitted client really was guilty of murder sends Tatum off on the road from Miami without an apparent destination in mind.  Or was there when he ends up in the small Utah town of his birth.  There he finds a father dying of cancer, and an old girlfriend now the town's sheriff, and himself the prosecutor in the murder trial of a young girl.

      

One can't always judge a character by the opening.  Just when one thinks one has a bead on him, he surprises you.  And isn't it nice when that happens? 

      

Tatum is something of a study in contrasts.  On one hand, he is the no-holds-barred attorney; abrasive, egotistical, even rude.  Then the man within the shell shows up and draws one in to see what a well-constructed, fully developed character he is.  The excerpts from "The Art of Jury Trial as War," a book only being written in Tatum's head so far, are interesting and thought-provoking.  The occasional flashes of humor, and the dog, are a lovely diversion.

      

Methos really knows how to twist a plot.  The best part is that the protagonist is as surprised as are we.  And twists and turn there are galore.  Yet there is also an excellent balance between the legal information, which is fascinating, and the personal aspects of the story, which is relatable and can touch one's heart. 

      
"The Hallows" is an excellent legal mystery filled with great characters which make one almost wish this wasn't a standalone.  However, it also proves Thomas Wolfe wrong. One can go home again.

THE HALLOWS (LegalMys-Tatum Graham-Florida/Utah-Contemp) – Ex

      Methos, Victor - Standalone

      Thomas & Mercer – July 2019

Water-Blue Eyes by Domingo Villar

First Sentence:  The line of lights on the coast, the glimmer of the city, the white spray where the waves broke… It made no difference that it was dark and the rain was lashing against the windows.

      

Police Inspector Leo Caldas is best known for his radio show Patrol on the Air, although very few of the calls are actual police matters.  One cryptic call seems to make no sense, however. Luis Regosa, a professional musician, has been murdered in a particularly brutal fashion.  Police Inspector Leo Caldaas, and his second, Rafael Estévez, are sent to the crime scene.  Within jazz clubs, the wealthy, and the work of forensics, it is up to them to find the killer.

      

One may appreciate that one of the two books on the victim's nightstand is "The Terracotta Dog" by Andrea Camilleri, as well as other authors. However, this is offset by a method of death which is unusual and particularly grim, especially for the victim—"This is worthy of Caligula."        
      

The author creates a wonderful sense of atmosphere—"In Galicia, however, swaths of green land gave way here and there to rias of varying colours, shielded from the pounding of the Atlantic by streamlined, white-sand islands." The restaurant, "Eligio's" is just the sort of place where one should love to dine--"...a small dish of beef stewed on a low heat, with potatoes seasoned with olive oil and a mixture of paprika and cayenne pepper, and a good portion of scallop quiche..." and "The Grial" for classic jazz.

      

Good characters can make or break a book.  Leo, Estévez, and even Superintendent make this book.  No great buddies, here.  Leo and Estevez couldn't be more different, nor could Estévez be more out of his element—'Is Estévez with you?' 'Yes,' ratified Caldas. 'Shouldn't he have come?' 'He shouldn't have been born.' Replied Soto and rang off. It's the contrast of the two which makes them entertaining. 

Although not mentioned in the story, Galicia is a unique area in the northwest corner of Spain and has strong Celtic connections.  That does help to explain why Estévez, who came from Argon, Zaragoza in northeastern Spain, felt so out of place--"To Rafael Estévez's stern Aragonese mind, things were this way or that, got done or didn't, so it was only with considerable effort that he managed to decipher the ambiguous expressions of his new fellow citizens.  The interview of a teenager by Estévez which follows is delightful. 

      

The humor is subtle and well done. Caldas is constantly being recognized from the radio show which is something of a running gag. Estévez encounter in the gay bar after injuring his foot is visual and makes one laugh.  Caldas is an intriguing character about whom we learn a bit, but not everything.  One slight issue in other books which are translated, it that while most of the text rings true, anger, or rage, often comes across over the top. 

      

Beneath it all, this truly is a book where procedure and forensic details are not overlooked. The clues are revealed as the mystery unfolds. "The most difficult cases were often solved after a seemingly insignificant point was brought to attention."

     

"Water-Blue Eyes" is a succinct, tightly plotted mystery with good twists and an excellent red herring.  The author's style is intriguing and invites one to read more of his books.

WATER-BLUE EYES (Police Proc-Leo Caldas-Vigo, Galicia, Spain-Contemp) – VG+

      Villar, Domingo – 1^st of series

      Arcadia Books, Ltd. – Apr 2009

Body in the Castle Well by Martin Walker

First Sentence:  Bruno was still glowing from his morning canter at Pamela's riding school as he sipped his first coffee of the day at Fauguet's café and scanned the headlines of Sud Ouest.

      The body of Claudia, an American art history student Claudia, is found at the bottom of a well.  Initially, drugs are suspected. Or is it related to Claudia's digging into the past of the art historian and scholar with whom she had been studying.  And what about the young falconer, recently released from jail, who had become friends with Claudia.  It's up to Bruno to find the answers.

      Walker creates characters one would want to know.  While Bruno is the central character, those around him are fully developed and interesting.  The victim's mother is a good example of that.  There does always seem to be someone floating around Bruno's romantic life. 

      Beginning the story with a search and discovery of a body determined to have been murdered is an interesting approach and provided some of the best suspense of the book.  There is good police work done, and a very nicely done plot twist. The actual mystery is very good. but one wishes there had been more focus on it.  Instead, the mystery becomes rather lost among all the information on the resistance, wine, art, falconry, jazz, and Josephine Baker.  It is interesting, but after a while, one begins to feel as though one were Clara from the old Wendy's commercials wondering "Where's the beef?".

      Bruno is such a strong character with an interesting background.  One hopes to see more of that in the next book.

      "The Body in the Castle Well" does have very good moments and a solid mystery at its heart, but the resolution was somewhat disappointing. This is not Walker's best book. Significant editing would have helped tighten the plot and made the story more effective.  

THE BODY IN THE CASTLE WELL (PolProc-Comm. Bruno Courregés-France-Contemp) - Good

      Walker, Martin – 14^th in series

      Knopf – June 2019

Traitor's Codes (A Crispin Guest Mystery) by Jeri Westerson

First Sentence:  Crispin Guest eyed the room.

      

Rather being hired to find a missing person or item as he usually is, Tracker of London, Crispin Guest, is given a package and told he'll know what to do with it. Inside is an ancient book written in a language he's never seen but learns is Coptic. It is an unpublished book of the Bible which could challenge the very doctrine of Christian faith.   The danger of possessing this book becomes real when people to whom Guest shows it are murdered. Someone very much wants the book, and all who know of it, destroyed.

      

It is always a pleasure to start a new Crispin novel.  Westerson excels at acquainting one with the characters, setting, the scene, and drawing one immediately into the story.  She creates a wonderful sense of place providing information and bits of history along the way, as well as establishing the mystery almost from the start. She creates a sense of normalcy and timelessness that supersedes the period.

      

Part of the joy of reading historical novels is in the things one learns, and there are numerous "who knew" moments included.  Special touches are the Glossary provided at the beginning and the Afterword at the end. One small criticism is that while the dialogue provides the feel of the period, there are times it seems to try too hard and ends up being awkward.

      

No matter what else, it's the characters which draw one into the book, and repeatedly back to the series.  Crispin is a character who has grown and, dare one say, mellowed over the years while still being someone on whom one can always depend.  The meetings with those Crispin loved and was loyal in the past, are real and touching, particularly that with King Richard II.  Jack, his "bagman" if one will, has undergone the most change; aging, growing and maturing while being ever loyal and dedicated.  The changes in his circumstances through the series have added dimension to all the characters and the stories.

      

Westerson makes one think—'You cannot stomp on an idea.  Excellency.  Once the idea is out in the world, it is like the bee that flits from flower to flower.  It cannot be stopped.  Ideas are what keep mankind from stagnating in a rotten pool.  It is not once nor twice but times without number that the same ideas make the appearance in the world.'  Some of those insights are particularly relevant today—'Character.  Character does not only belong to those with breeding, my lord. Good character is conferred on the lowliest of peasants.  God grants certain men and women this character and no trial of Job will see them change their minds on it.'
      

"Traitor's Codex" is a very good book.  There is much about the plot which can't be said without giving things away.  While there are several threads, each holds its own, and our attention without ever becoming confusing, yet coming together in a strong cloth.

       

TRAITOR'S CODEX (HistMys-Crispin Guest-England-1394) – VG+

      Westerson, Jeri

      Severn House – June 2019

Under the Cold Bright Lights by Garry Disher

First Sentence:  On a mild October morning near Pearcedale, southeast of Melbourne, a snake slid over the edge of a veranda on a shortcut to somewhere.

      

Alan Auhl lives in a huge house with his daughter Bec, occasionally his ex-wife with benefits, various random borders, and a young wife named Neve and her daughter Pia. Although Auhl retired after 10 years in homicide, he is now back on the force working cold cases.  It's a juggling act, but Auhl's goal is to achieve justice.

      

Disher has achieved a nice balance between Auhl's professional and personal life.  It creates a very good sense of realism, as does the fact that he works several cases at the same time.  His relationship with his boss, Sr. Sergeant Helen Colfax—"A wise boss is a revered boss."--and with his frequent partner Clare Pascal, works nicely.  But it's Auhl who is the real draw; learning about how he came to own the house, his attitude toward it and the people who take up residence, are nicely done and are reflected in his work.  He is one who takes care of others, although his relationship with his ex- is complicated and rather sad.

      

The individual cases are interesting and varied.  Each is handled in separate ways using various methods of police work.  A very unexpected resolution to a couple of cases come as a real surprise.

      

"Under the Cold Brights Lights" is an excellent blend of characters, police work, suspense, and bits of humor.  Disher is an author whose work is always a treat to read.

UNDER THE COLD BRIGHT LIGHTS (PolProc-Alan Auhl-Australia-Contemp) – VG+

      Disher, Garry – Standalone

      SOHO Crime – July 2019