Mystery/Thriller Book Reviews

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The Thai Amulet by Lyn Hamilton

Berkley Prime Crime, April, 2003
Hardcover, 304 pages
ISBN: 0425190064
Ordering information:
Amazon.com


The Thai Amulet
 by Lyn Hamilton Antiques dealer and amateur sleuth Lara McClintock reluctantly agrees to help look for a missing antiques dealer while she is on he vacation to Bangkok, Thailand. William Beauchamp left his Canadian wife and disabled daughter and set up shop in Bangkok, where he was apparently doing quite well. But one day he disappeared, and he hasn't been seen since. Now his wife needs to know if he is alive, so she can divorce him, or if he's dead so that she can get life insurance money to pay for her daughter's care. Lara's boyfriend's daughter, Jennifer is also in Bangkok to visit her boyfriend, Chat, who is a member of a very wealthy Thai family, the Chaiwongs. As Lara begins to immerse herself into the foreign culture, she learns more about Beauchamp's life and becomes involved with the Chaiwong family, which has quite a few secrets. Soon she becomes immersed in dual dramas: one that occurred in the past and one that is very much in the dangerous present.

Lyn Hamilton tells a gripping story of love, power, greed and murder in this mystery which tells two stories: one set in contemporary Bangkok and one set in 16th-century Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand. The atmosphere and flavor of Thailand are vividly portrayed. From the diverse and contradictory city that is Bangkok to the northern city of Chiang Mai, to the calmness of a temple, Lyn Hamilton creates a sense of mystery and the exotic, which is the perfect background for this interesting puzzle told with heartfelt emotion.


The Samurai's Daughter by Sujata Massey

HarperCollins, March, 2003
Hardcover, 304 pages
ISBN: 0066212901
Ordering information:
Amazon.com


The Samurai's Daughter
 by Sujata Massey American antiques dealer and amateur sleuth Rei Shimura enjoys her life in Tokyo. Over the Christmas holidays, Rei goes to San Francisco to stay with her parents and to continue a research project she has started about the history of the Shimura family (her father's Japanese family). Rei's on again-off again boyfriend, Scottish lawyer Hugh Glendinning is also in San Francisco, working on a reparations case for victims of the Japanese during World War II. Soon Hugh's case collides with Rei's research, when an elderly witness in Hugh's case is murdered. Now he and Rei are in the middle of a mystery that could leave one or both of them dead.

Agatha and Macavity award-winning author Sujata Massey raises the bar in this sixth entry in her popular mystery series starring Japanese-American antiques dealer, Rei Shimura. Rei has to confront some complex questions about her own family's past loyalties. Rei's relationship with Hugh grows more complex, which is interesting, and although much of the action does not take place in Japan (one of the series' many appeals), the interesting plot and well-rounded characters make for a fascinating read.


Mumbo Gumbo by Jerrilyn Farmer

Avon, February, 2003
Hardcover, 272 pages
ISBN: 038097889X
Ordering information:
Amazon.com


Mumbo Gumbo
 by Jerrilyn Farmer The bad economy is taking its toll on Tinseltown caterer to the stars, Madeleine Bean. When bookings dry up, producer Greta Greene comes to the rescue and offers Madeleine a temporary job as a writer for the wildly popular quiz show, Food Freak. The show's head writer, Tim Stock, is missing which is causing Greta quite a bit of annoyance. Madeleine is enjoying her stint in the wild world of game shows, with all its bizarre personalities, until someone bashes her over the head when she starts to look into the disappearance of the head writer. Now Madeleine is more determined than ever to find out what is going on behind the scenes at Food Freak -- before somebody gets killed.

Author Jerrilyn Farmer knows the game show business: she worked in the industry and actually created the hit Supermarket Sweep. She also knows how to craft a gripping mystery story. Madeleine Bean is an endearing heroine who solves puzzles by continually asking questions. She's a modern woman with a rapier wit and a brave, kindly heart. Jerrilyn Farmer keeps the plot moving along briskly; the characters are an interesting lot, and the dialogue is snappy and hilarious. The inside peek behind the scenes at the prodigious amount of work it takes to produce one episode of a game show is fascinating, as well.


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