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click on titles for buying info Jigsaw by Jerry Kennealy Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books ISBN: 978-0-312-35475-6 Reviewed by Robin Thomas, New Mystery Reader A rare ruby necklace created for Marie Antoinette is stolen from its current owner, Gineen Rosenberry, the “Satin Widow” of San Francisco. Carroll Quint, entertainment critic for the San Francisco Bulletin appears to be the police’s prime suspect. His troubles with the police mount when he begins to receive emails from someone using the alias of Thanatos, the Greek god of death, which contain cryptic clues from Alfred Hitchcock movies. Unfortunately each of the clues is quickly linked to real murders of people that all have ties to Quint. The police conclude that Carroll is the killer and that he is sending the emails to himself to confuse the police. He relies on his mother, a former actress and movie buff to unravel the clues. While the police build a case against Quint he realizes that he is being followed by a bumbling private investigator, who also winds up dead. Quint has no choice but to solve the crimes in order to clear his name. Joining him to solve the whodunit are a wide array of eccentric but funny characters, led by his sultry girlfriend, Terry Greco, restaurant reviewer for the Bulletin. Jerry Kennealy has written other mystery books under the pen name James Brant. Jigsaw is the first in the Carroll Quint mystery series. It is not only a fun read but a very well-crafted, intricate mystery laced with wonderful Hitchcock trivia. The secondary characters are just delightfully funny adding to the entertaining value of the novel. One of the more memorable characters is Quint’s father who is absent until the end of the book having taken a “gig” as a lounge singer/pianist on a cruise ship, but he is fondly mentioned and missed by a wide array of female companions. For those who have been longing for a more traditional mystery series with a nice touch of humor, Jigsaw is a must read.
The Naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin Publishers: Little, Brown & Co. ISBN: 0316057576 Reviewed by Narayan Radhakrishnan, New Mystery Reader There is a heavier dose of action, there is a heavier dose of suspense, and there is a heavier dose what Inspector Rebus does best in the latest Ian Rankin novel- THE NAMING OF THE DEAD. Following a two year hiatus, possibility because of the intense investigative drive he had to undergo in the search of the ‘Witch’ in WITCH HUNT, Inspector Rebus is back- in fine, scintillating form with THE NAMING OF THE DEAD. The blurb informs us that this is the 20th Inspector Rebus novel- for this many outings it's great to see that this veteran investigator has not lost his sheen. This time round, Rebus had decided to take it easy. He decides to stick with the station itself- and not go into ‘active’ duty. England is holding host to an international political conference- and the big political shots, be it Pres. Bush from US and Putin from Russia- all are there in Edinburgh. And although Rebus would have liked an “its not my job” kind of day, certain events literally drags him away from the station to the conference, mainly when it's discovered a foreign dignitary has apparently committed suicide by jumping out of a window. While Rebus would very much like to close the case as a suicide, the veteran cop instinct rises to the forefront and he begins probing into the incident- the classic case of Rebus poking his nose into an area which he shouldn’t have. And soon, Rebus is caught in an imbroglio, one from which he cannot easily cut loose from. What follows is traditional Rankin suspense – the one which we have come to associate with the previous 19 Rebus thrillers. With loads of suspense, this Rebus outing is a better one among the various Rebus works I have read. The wonderful mix of characters- real life ones with fictional ones, enhances the credibility of the suspense in the work. A good read with an exciting finish, this one is highly recommended.
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New Mystery Reader Magazine editor@newmysteryreader.com
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