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Women Sleuths

Review

No. 10 Doyers Street

by Henrietta Thornton

The hero of Vatsal’s (Kitty Weeks series) latest absorbing historical fiction is Archana (Archie) Morley, a woman braving two new worlds: 1910 New York, where she came for a short visit but stayed after her parents died in Bombay (the novel uses the era’s language), and journalism, working for the Observer newspaper. This charming, gutsy character is barely tolerated by the boss and looked upon with suspicion by her coworkers—perhaps for wearing pants as much as for her race and gender. At home, things are better: Archie is married to the loving and supportive Dr. Phillip Morley, a health department official whose job and tony background give her access to wealth and power. But she’s interested in intriguing stories from every part of town, and won’t let go when Chinese gangsters are killed and the city imposes stern measures on Chinatown. They specifically target tiny, crooked Doyers Street, home of Mock Duck, the steely leader of the Hip Sing Tong gang, whose calm demeanor is belied by the list of gruesome crimes he’s been accused of. The racism endured by New York’s Chinese inhabitants is on stark display as Archie works to report the tangled goings on among Tammany Hall, the city’s Board of Improvement, and the gang underworld. Adding wonderful flavor is the rich detail from Vatsal’s deep research on New York City social and political history, and the gulf between the city’s “more susceptible classes” and its well-off citizens. For fans of Vatsal’s previous works and of historical fiction by Mariah Fredricks and Anna Lee Huber.

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Molten Death

by Chris Kahn

Kristen and Valerie, long a couple, are in Hawaii on vacation, partly to help Valerie come to terms with her brother’s death. They are staying with Isaac, who’s a surfer buddy of Leslie’s, a high-school science teacher, and a lifelong resident of the islands. During an early morning excursion to see the glowing lava rolling down the landscape, Valerie sees a boot in the lava and realizes that there is a leg attached. It is quickly consumed by the lava, and as she is the only witness, all doubt the truth of what she has seen. The police report goes nowhere, so Valerie takes on the task of finding the identity of both the victim and the killer herself. With the luck and determination of the amateur, and the friendly and open nature of Hawaiians, allowing for a few glitches, she succeeds. This is a Hawaii we seldom see in TV police dramas. The locals speak a pidgin dialect, the importance of which is carefully explained by Isaac, and the customs and practices date back centuries. The landscape is of course dramatic and beautiful and the descriptions of food and produce mouthwatering. There are recipes for some of the dishes at the end, and a glossary of words and phrases. This is billed as the first in a series, so expect more to come from our interesting characters.

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Review

The Language of the Birds.

by Henrietta Thornton

Arizona’s beloved father, the only one besides her mother and precious dog, Mojo, who really got her, died recently in a motorcycle accident. He was on a solo ride while mom and Arizona stayed in the trailer they travel in while the 17-year-old is being homeschooled. Mom and Arizona—who seems to be on the autism spectrum—are back in Bodie Historic Park, the California ghost town near where the accident took place, planning to spread Dad’s ashes. Arizona is barely holding things together as it is, she misses her father so viscerally, but things spiral out of control even further when her mom goes missing. It’s hard for Arizona to trust others at the best of times. But when it’s clear that harm may have come to her mom, a realistic and touching new friendship is a chance for readers to watch the girl force herself to open up to another. This is an inwardly focused book, with debut novelist Merson taking us inside Arizona’s sharp mind and exploring her feelings at having to depend on others while pushing relentlessly to uncover what happened to her family. A sparkling debut; readers, including young adults, will definitely want more from this new author.

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Review

Abduction of a Slave

by Brian Kenney

What’s great about Stebenow’s Eye of Isis series—this is the fourth title–is its wonderful balance of history and mystery. The book is set during the reign of the all-powerful Cleopatra, seventh of her name, and we are treated to all the intrigue, gossip, and even fashion that one could wish for. At the same time, the ancient world is readying itself for war, with Caesar expanding troops in Sicily. Tetisheri, Cleopatra’s own Eye of Isis, gathers information both for herself and at the beck of her Queen, who surprisingly granted her leave from Alexandria to engage in some information seeking. In this novel, Tetisheri accompanies her uncle, an important trader, on a trip to the Kingdom of Cyrenaica, both to acquire more goods but also to be on the lookout for Cleopatra’s interests. Cyrenaica is awash in conflicting rumors, including those about Julius Caesar, his archenemy Mettelus Scipio, and King Juba I. Tetisheri must use all her skills to monitor what is happening in the Kingdom while also resolving a murder close to home. Mystery readers with a penchant for history will be delighted by this book.

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Review

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man)

by Brian Kenney

Many readers will be delighted at the return of Vera Wong, a great cozy hero if there ever was one. In Vera’s first book, we saw her discovering the body of a dead man in her San Francisco tea house. A tragedy, yes, but one that led to quite a transformation for Vera, who discovered a whole new world thanks to that one death. She has a growing social life, her tea shop is burgeoning, and there are plenty of friends to enjoy her cooking. Except that life is growing a tad dull, compared to a murder investigation. But lucky for her, Vera comes across a young woman outside the police station who appears quite upset. It turns out that the woman’s boyfriend has recently died, possibly by suicide, and she fears that she may have had a role in his death. Well, did this young woman come across the right person. Through her own research, Vera discovers that Xander, the young man who died, was a well-known influencer, with an extravagant lifestyle. So how did he end up in Mission Bay? That question pushes Vera into a story that’s quite a bit darker than the first book. Vera is still a fun and lovable character, but here she takes on some challenging social issues. In other words, Vera grows. And readers will be happy to follow her.

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Review

Deep Beneath Us

by Danise Hoover

Tabitha is compelled by the spiteful actions of her ex-husband to move back to her childhood home. This is not a cozy, safe space as one might hope. It is a sort of compound: two schoolhouses on different sides of a reservoir, one occupied by her family, the other by her uncle’s family. In the past, four cousins, Tabitha the youngest, ran and played like a pack. But her mother is an unstable artist, her father and uncle killed themselves, and her sister and cousin married each other at age 16. Now, cousin Davey purportedly dies by suicide as well, leaving his property to Tabitha. But is that what really happened? Davey’s two cronies, along with three smart teens, use skills learned from TV crime dramas and DNA analysis to get to the bottom of it all. The characters are captivating, the atmosphere is dark and dour, and the wretched weather contributes to the overall tone of the book. The novel is set in Scotland and the use of Scottish dialect and expressions is sometimes daunting, but never gets in the way of the telling. To say that the plot here is a tangled mess may be an understatement, but the untangling is a treat.

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Review

Deep Dark Blue

by Danise Hoover

The city of Zurich, surrounded by water, offers scenery, culture, scientific innovation, and activism to its citizenry. Rosa, a member of the maritime police, usually swims or rows daily, but takes a morning off to have her eggs harvested and frozen. The body found in a fisherman’s net days later turns out to be that of the doctor who performed the procedure. Despite her personal involvement, Rosa is assigned to work the case with the regular police department, awkwardly partnering with a former love interest. Multiple crimes, seemingly unconnected, ultimately come together. Cutting-edge genetics, not usually mystery fodder, is the key. Rosa and her friends and colleagues are engaging, and unlike her American counterparts, Rosa has time for an active social life. The translation is smooth but still carries a cadence and flavor that keeps its context. Intrigue, corporate greed, runaway science, and sexual infidelity come together in a complicated story that may send readers to a map of Zurich for the bigger picture.

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Review

Not Who We Expected

by Jeff Ayers

Black mixes her knowledge of crime-scene analysis with the terrifying world of cults in her latest thriller. Billy Diamond, a legend in the music business, approaches forensic analysts Rachael Davies and Ellie Carr, who run the prestigious Locard Institute, a research center. His daughter, Devon, went on a retreat with her boyfriend, Carlos, and neither came back. When Carlos’s body is found near the ranch, and his death does not appear to be accidental, Rachael and Ellie work out a plot to learn the truth. Ellie goes to the retreat as a recruit, while Rachael tries to understand how Carlos died. Ellie feels comfortable at first, but the more she learns, the more terrified she feels. And the person she’s supposed to find, Devon, appears to have no interest in leaving and might be the cult leader’s number two in the organization. Black handles suspense like a pro, and every element of the story is unpredictable, with misdirection, manipulation, and challenging of the reader’s expectations. The cult and everyone following Galen, the leader, come across as realistic and sympathetic. Readers will understand why these people are devoted and not questioning what’s really going on. Familiarity with the previous books is unnecessary, and be prepared to say after finishing this novel, “That was not what I expected.”

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Review

The Dark Hours

by Danise Hoover

Julia Harte, retired from the Irish police, has effectively hidden herself away from her infamous past in a sleepy village. As a young Garda, she was instrumental in solving the most notorious serial-killer case of the day, with both emotional and physical scars to show for it. After her successful police career, she writes what is intended to be a textbook for police training, only to have it become a bestseller for true-crime aficionados. Thirty years later and days after Cox, the serial killer, dies of natural causes, there is another frighteningly identical killing, drawing Julia and her former mentor into the case as consultants. The author artfully intertwines the stories from the past and present, creating a palpable sense of dread and foreboding. While we know Julia solved the past crime, we don’t know how. The gradual revelation of the past informs the solutions of the present, and while the situation is similar, Julia is not the raw beginner she once was. The characters are well drawn, the landscape is integral to the telling, and while this is a debut novel, it doesn’t read like a practice run.

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Review

Serial Killer Support Group

by Brian Kenney

One of the best—and most shocking—narratives of revenge I’ve ever encountered, and one that even saves room for a bit of humor. Cyra’s younger sister Mira has been murdered, apparently by a serial killer. It’s been over a month, and Cyra has grown increasingly frustrated at the tepid response from the New York Police Department: “Let us do our jobs.” Since Mira died, nearly everything—Cyra’s job, her relationship with her ex-girlfriend, the small group of friends she and Mira share, her apartment in Queens—is rapidly unraveling. Big sister Cyra has always taken care of Mira, and if she couldn’t stop Mira from being murdered, at least she can find her murderer. With some help from a friend, Cyra learns about a self-help group for serial killers—kind of funny, kind of not—and successfully infiltrates the group, creating a persona as a murderer. She claims to work in a nursing home, preying on the elderly, and manages to convince the guys (yes, it’s an all boy’s club) to let her join their group. Her goal? To learn if any of the members murdered Mira, or at least knows who did. But creating an identity as a serial killer has its own unanticipated consequences, and the more involved Cyra becomes in the support group, the more she finds her old self slipping away. Schaefer’s story is dark and twisted, unique, and totally engrossing. Readers who enjoy this book may also appreciate Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister, the Serial Killer and Peter Swanson’s A Talent for Murder.

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