This British legal mystery is a stand-alone which will be published in the USA in July. It is set in London.
"The dead woman smiled. So far, so good."
Nic Gabriel, the writer of a true crime story about Crippen, is somewhat surprised when he meets Ella Vinton at a party in a friend´s flat as ´a stone in a Sussex graveyard bore her name´.
The woman seems to be very much alive, though, and before the party is over, she has killed Dylan Rees, the host and the man who was supposed to be the reason that Ella committed suicide five years earlier. And Dylan´s last words are just as mysterious: "Why not jazz?"
Nic Gabriel feels he should have been able to prevent the woman from stabbing his friends right in front of him so he decides to look into the background of Dylan´s death. His search leads him to the high-profile human rights law firm Creed, and to their new paralegal Roxanne Wake. She is sure she has finally landed her dream job, but for some reason she has omitted to tell her bosses that Roxanne is not her real name.
Apparently, most characters in this story have skeletons in their closets which they are very keen to keep in place. As a reader you assume that Dylan´s death and Roxanne´s story will be connected at some point, but you do not know how or why. And do we really get the full truth of this finely plotted mystery?
A fine mystery with a very apt title which offers an insight into the life of lawyers, but hopefully they are not all as devious as the book makes you think.
I bought the book myself, and this cover is from my British edition of the book.
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12 kommentarer:
Dorte - Thanks for this terrific review. I'm going to have to wait until July to get my copy, but I am very eager to read it. And your review makes it seem even more intriguing :-).
Margot: His Lake District series is even better, but this was a very good story.
What determines how long before a book is published in another country? There are several series I read that are published in Britian first, but they're usually available here within a few months, or no longer than a year.
I love this writer. I have read a few of his books. Thanks for the review.
I was thinking of you last week when I tried to enter a web seminar called : Beyond Bestsellers. It was all about how popular mystery novels are in libraries. I had trouble getting the software to work, so am waiting for the link to watch the recording. Will send it along when it arrives.
I enjoyed this book too. I hope Martin will one day write another book about Nic.
Kelly: good question. I assume the USA had not really discovered Martin in 2002.
Clarissa: so do I, and I am looking forward to meeting him during CrimeFest in Bristol later this month!
Heather: thanks a lot!
Margaret: you have a good point there. There are definitely things we don´t know about Nic´s background yet.
Thanks very much, to you Dorte and your kind commenters.
TMBA is a book I've always been really proud of, and I took a lot of pains over it. It did less well commercially than all my other books, though I'm not really sure why, and to be honest I found the lack of reaction a bit disappointing (hence very grateful for this review!).
I had intended to write about Nic again, and I don't rule it out, but the fact the Lakes books have done so much better is making me focus on them at present!
Martin, it is a fine book, but even though Nic Gabriel is a character whom I am very curious to meet again, I must admit he (and London) cannot quite compete with Hannah, Daniel and the Lake District. But if you should feel like equipping Nic with a backstory at some point, I am sure I would also enjoy that one.
Psst, Dorte - visiting from Martin's own blog, where I noticed you (+ Margot) lamenting the fact you aren't able to access UK tv. I can (I live in France) via VPS/VPN. If you Google it, you'll find a free version you can use. It is not illegal to do so.
Hejså Dorte! Interesting review: hadn't seen this one; sounds worth a look.
In fact, I arrived here via Martin's own blog, where I noted you (+ Margot) lamenting lack of direct access to British tv. It is poss. to watch (live or in catch-up/i-player) via a VPS or VPN on your computer. I use a free shield program for expats (I'm in France), which you can easily find if you Google it.
Hej Minnie.
Thank you for the tip. I must try to find some of my favourite series then (and time to watch them which is ALSO an issue :D)
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