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Mystery Book ReviewsDownsized to Death by Joyce ChristmasFawcett Books, November, 1997.ISBN: 0449148025 Mass Market Paperback. Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
The news in quiet East Moulton is not good. Frail Mr. Takahashi
is found murdered in his greenhouse filled with rare orchids
and Betty Trenka's former boss, Sid Senior, has had a stroke.
The ever-scheming Sid Junior calls upon Betty to clear out his father's old office
files: a job she accepts immediately. But an inordinate number
of people seem very interested in what might be hidden in the
office files, Betty is sure her every move is being followed
and the rest of Sid Senior's family seems unwilling to let
Betty be alone with her former boss for any length of time.
As Betty struggles to come to terms with her relationship with
Sid Senior and his illness and to discover the secret of the
missing files more bodies turn up and suspects lurk around
every corner. Will Betty find the secret of the files before
her unknown adversary silences her forever? Is there more to
Betty's relationship with Sid Senior than meets the eye?
You'll have to read this entertaining new mystery from
Joyce Christmas to find out.
Joyce Christmas has created a lovable sleuth in 60-something retired office manager Betty Trenka who, along with Sid Senior, was unwillingly put out to pasture to make way for the younger generation. This is the third book featuring Betty Trenka following This Business is Murder and Death at Face Value, and is the best yet in this wonderful series. The characters are well-drawn and we get more insight into Betty's past life and why she never married. Christmas has a witty, warm style that is unique, compelling and extremely entertaining. Once you've read one of her books you'll want to read all of the others, including those in her other series starring aristocratic sleuth Lady Margaret Priam. The Grilling Season by Diane Mott DavidsonBantam, October, 1997.352 pp. ISBN: 0553100009 Hardcover. Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
Caterer Goldy Schulz is back in another culinary mystery
adventure sure to please Davidson fans. While driving to
her despicable ex-husband's house to ensure that their son
won't come home to an empty house, Goldy finds more than
she bargained for when her ex's glamorous new girlfriend
Suz Craig shows up dead in a ditch and her ex is arrested
for the murder. Urged on by her 14-year-old son who begs her
to prove his dad is innocent, Goldy, with the help of cop
and husband Tom Schulz, wades into the mystery with both hands.
Secrets, lies and the inner workings of the HMO Suz Craig
worked for (which appears more interested in dollars than
patient care) lead Goldy into deadly danger while uncovering
the murderer's identity.
Of course Goldy whips up more delicious treats during the solving of the crime -- all recipes are provided. Very entertaining with a lovable sleuth and lots of humor, The Grilling Season is a tasty treat you'll want to devour in one sitting. No Remorse by James D. BrewerWalker, 1997.ISBN: 0802733026 Hardcover. Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
It's 1873 and riverboat Captain and reluctant part-owner of the
Big River Detective Agency Luke Williamson is not happy. What ever
made him decide to form a detective agency with former Confederate
soldier Masey Baldridge and former lady of the evening Sally Tyner?
Unsure whether or not he should just stick to what he knows best -
the river - and bail out on his much-inebriated partner Baldridge,
Williamson puts his doubts aside when a hated business rival turns up
dead, his son calmly confesses to the murder and his rival's widow
begs him to take the case to prove that her son is innocent. What
seems to be an open and shut cases quickly turns into an intriguing
puzzle as no one in the dead man's family appears to be what he or
she seems to be, the self-confessed murderer is suffering from a
mysterious illness and Voodoo-cursed objects begin showing up in
Williamson's cabin.
No Remorse is the fourth book in James Brewer's series featuring Williamson, Baldridge and Tyner in one of the most unusual detective teams in mystery fiction. The Reconstruction setting adds a fascinating flavor to this well-researched who-done-it. The pace is lively, the writing is crisp and entertaining, and the characters are well-rounded and appealing. A real find for both mystery lovers and history lovers alike. The Toyotomi Blades by Dale FurutaniSt. Martins, October, 1997.224 pp. ISBN: 0312170505 Hardcover. Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
Out of work computer programmer and amateur sleuth Ken Tanaka
gets invited to Japan to appear on television to discuss a murder
he solved. His excitement at appearing on TV quickly turns to
apprehension as Ken lands smack in the middle of a new mystery
involving an ancient samurai sword that he bought at a garage
sale in L.A, a hidden treasure and the Japanese Mafia. Speaking
no Japanese yet looking like a native, Ken feels out of place in
his ancestral homeland. When his actress girlfriend Mariko
joins him in
Tokyo Ken is thrilled - until it looks like she may also be drawn
into the danger surrounding the mystery of the ancient samurai
sword right along with him.
The Toyotomi Blades is the second book in this entertaining new series by Ken Furutani featuring the first Asian-American fictional amateur detective. Written with a clear prose style, this fast-paced story is a joy to read. As the story follows Ken through Tokyo and the surrounding environs in a search for a centuries-old treasure, you can't help but fall for this lovable amateur detective with his unassuming personality and wry sense of humor. This book is just as much fun as Furutani's first book, Death in Little Tokyo. The character of Ken Tanaka is a delight to get to know, the mystery is intriguing and the details of a Japanese American's first look at Japan are a fascinating part of the story. If you haven't been introduced to Dale Furutani's mysteries, you are missing a real treat. Return to Book Reviews Index ** To visit the archives of mystery books reviewed in The IWJ, please click here. |