This early Richard Jury novel is more comic than most of the others in this series--the scenes in Littlebourne, despite the fact that this is a mystery, are quite funny, with stock characters who end up being likeable and affecting. However, the strength of this book is in the scenes in The Anodyne Necklace and its surrounding London slum neighborhood, which is full of eccentrics, odd as can be, but fully enjoying their sordid lives.

The murderer is a surprise here as well.

This is also the novel that introduces Jenny Kennington, who is as enigmatic at the beginning of this series as she is later on. I am not sure of her appeal for Richard Jury!

This is the book that began the Jury/Plant series, where all of the books are named after pubs. This is one of the very few books in my experience where I remember who the muderer was because it was a flawless mystery, perfectly logical, nothing held back, but still I couldn't guess the culprit! Definitely NOT the "had I but known" school. There are some wonderfully gory scenes, if you appreciate that in your mudrer mysteries, in adition to wonderful character moments and real humor. I found this book to be the best of all of M.Grimes's marvelous books. I hope they republish! I read this book for the first time when I was nine (child of a mystery reader)and it has not lost its charm with successive readings over the years. My old copy finally fell to bits!

I waited for what seemed like forever for this book to come out. I was, as usual, very pleased with the plot and the writing skills of Jaye Maiman. With each page, I found myself saying.... "just one more page". The characters in her series continue to develop and grow together and sometimes apart. I have to say that I sometimes am displeased at Robin Miller's reluctance to make a committment to anyone, but, hey... that's her character. In book 4 of the series, I was shocked that she and K.T. actually broke up.... I was extremely pleased to see that K.T. was back (though not completely) in book 5. I can't wait to read book 6 and see what happens next!

There is never a dull moment in any of Jaye Maiman's books, including this one. Fast-paced, accurate, blunt...too many adjectives to list here. I can't wait for the next adventure that Robin Miller has.

A rip-roaring good mystery set in the mid-nineteenth century. Gives a good picture of life then, a fair treatment of native Americans, and an eye-opening look at some of the absurd ways women were disrespected in those times.

This is NOT a book written for juveniles or young adults, but anyone in those age groups could read and enjoy it. I would highly recommend it for high school students as an adjunct to an American History course. They might also want to read Monfredo's other Glynis Tryon novels and Kenneth Roberts' "Rasbble in Arms", "Arundel," and others.

This one took a little longer to get into than the first two, but it turned out to be the best of the series so far. Monfredo has mastered the art of foreshadowing without giving away the whole story, and is skilled at throwing in a red herring or two, as well. Her treatment of the tensions between Native Americans serves to illuminate the complexity of Glynis' and Jacques' friendship, and imparts some interesting historical context as well. This is a book that's worth reading again and again.

A wild storm rocks Amsterdam and at the end of the storm the body of Elaine Carnet, successful businesswoman and former Paris torch singer, is found with a broken neck at the foot of her garden steps. Was she killed by a gust of wind? If so, who was smoking the cigarettes that they found in her house?

Grijpstra and de Gier are called in to figure out who was behind the murder.

Van De WeteringÂ's novels are always among the best mysteries around. His characters are meditative in a way that feels authentic. He manages to put a human face on brutality while still somehow underlying the brutality. Even sensational endings feel like inevitable parts of a story rather than a novelists trick. Well worth a read for people who donÂ't know them.

This is one of my favorites in this series. Terrific Amsterdam villians and weird introspective police abound, as always.

I would have started with the first of the series, but was unable to find it (since I was away from the Northwest at the time), so I settled with book three. This story is perfect - believable characters, interesting plotline, the best dialogue I think i've ever read - weaved flawlessly into one very funny book.

Best of all G. M. Ford knows his city well and taps into some of its eccentricities well, which is a special treat for Northwesterners. After reading "Skid Road" by Murray Morgen, I would say that Leo Waterman's father is based off of Vic Meyers, a historic Seattle politician whose real campaigns were outrageously funny in their own right, which is just one little tidbit that gives a sense of realism and authority to the surroundings.

If you haven't read the first two Leo Waterman mysteries, then you should. G.M. Ford has created a cast as confused and convoluted as his own name. He keeps you laughing without pushing it too far, creates great tension, and manages to get Leo through another crises once again (relatively) unscathed. Once you read this one, you'll want to go back and catch-up with the first two.

A few years ago when I was new to the mystery genre, I was introduced to Richard Barre's Wil Hardesty series through a book review in my newspaper. After reading the review of "Blackheart Highway", I decided to invest the time and money and "surf" my way through the series (4 books) from the beginning with "The Innocents". What an exhilirating ride! I have been hooked on mysteries ever since and appreciative of this author's talent. The character developments and story plots got better and better with each book. Barre delivers a perfect balance of suspense, action, and emotion in his books.

Wil Hardesty is a well-crafted, believable, interesting, and complex character. A middle-aged Vietnam vet and surfer P.I. with a lot of personal baggage - the loss of his son due to a surfing accident, subsequent drinking problem, and the crumbling of his twenty-plus year marriage. Wil is also a likable character as more and more about him and his background is revealed with each new book.

It was a bit of a wait for the latest installment, "Burning Moon", but again Barre does not disappoint. The story line is captivating and the writing is crisp and intelligent. This is a book about two Vietnamese brothers who made it good in America, but on different sides of the law, and also about a hierachy of rival Asian gangs fighting for control. A character from a previous book and Wil's past surfaces again, and at the end of "Burning Moon", the reader is hopeful about Hardesty's relationship with his ex-wife.

I am an avid reader of mysteries now and have read books by other excellent writers. If you enjoy Connelly, Lehane, Pelecanos, and Crais, to name a few, I highly recommend Barre. He definitely belongs in their league and deserves more kudos than he is getting. Hopefully, "Burning Moon" will not be the last time we get to read about Wil Hardesty, and I trust that the wait for the next book won't have to be as long.

Once again Richard Barre displays his mastery over words. He's always used them sparingly, never more so than in Burning Moon. The style makes his novels easy to pick up and hard to put down. It's been years since the last installment in the Wil Hardesty series, and it's a joy to see him again.
When Jimmy Tien and his pregnant fiance are killed in a boating accident, Jimmy's father suspects foul play. He hires Wil to investigate the incident. Wil follows the trail, which becomes more and more complicated. Every answer he finds leads to another question. As in all the Hardesty books, Wil's past both haunt and comfort him.
One of the reasons I enjoy Barre's books so much is his ability to handle intricate plots. He weaves subplots into the story, and somehow manages to tie up all the loose ends by the last page. If you like intriguing characters, complex plots, and a few surprises, you will love Burning Moon.

Smoke Jensen the fastest, toughest gun around decides to hang it up to get married and start a family. Now if you had lived in the same era as smoke would you even think of doing harm to Smokes wife or any off-spring? No!! But then you are not as dumb as Slater.

Outlaw Lee Slater is asking for trouble when he challenges Smoke Jensen's retired mentor, but when he shoots Smoke's wife, he gets more than he can handle.

Rett has done it again, given us a great little mystery to enjoy. I felt right at home with Tori and her family. Cousins, aunts and uncles crawling all over Tori's house for a family reunion and her reactions made me smile. Of course, Tori's reunion wouldn't be complete without the family skeltons and a murder. I love this series and can't wait to read Misty Mourning. I am hooked!

In New Kassel, Missouri, genealogist Torie O'Shea wonders why she agreed to host her family's annual Christmas Party. Seventy relatives will soon invade the small town to attend the festivities. However, Torie's troubles take a wicked twist when an unmarked package of newspaper articles arrives at her house. The clippings claim that her great- uncle Jed murdered her great-grandfather. This contradicts the family account that her ancestor died in a hunting accident.

Though the incident occurred in 1948, Torie feels compelled to learn the truth. Being an expert at shaking a family's tree, Torie investigates her own kin. The documented evidence points to her relative as being an abusive individual commonly hated by all. First hand accounts from her living relatives affirm that information and add even more grisly accounts to the growing facts in which anyone alive five decades ago wanted Torie's great- grandfather dead.

The third Torie O'Shea mystery is a fabulous tale in which the genealogist looks inside her family for answers to an old mystery. The story line lives up to the title, COMEDY OF HEIRS, as the support cast are an eccentric, often humorous bunch. However, the plot actually goes beyond just a simple comedy as Torie never loses sight that murder may have happened with a conspiracy by her beloved family to hide the facts. Rett MacPherson provides readers with an innovative and entertaining who-done-it that readers will fully enjoy.

Harriet Klausner 7/27/99

You'll be glad you read this--and now we wait for what McGaughey will come out with next.

Kyle Marchi is a household name since he is the heir to Holcomb billions. Kyle is also well known under the pseudonym of Stokes Moran, mystery reviewer and syndicated columnist. As a struggling writer, Kyle refuses to use either his real name or pseudonym to get his manuscript published. He has been rejected six times so far.

Disregarding his feelings, his agent-spouse submits the manuscript under the Moran name and it is immediately accepted. An angry Kyle reacts by calling the Times to announce that Moran died. The paper calls Moran's agent to verify the statement and his spouse reluctantly confirms the report. However, Kyle becomes the prime suspect when a murder victim bearing the identity of Moran is found on the lower West Side of Manhattan. Not trusting the police to dig deep enough when they have an easy target, Kyle investigates the case.

A CORPSE BY ANY OTHER NAME is fourth and apparently the final entry in the Moran series as writer Neil McGaughey plans to start a new series set in Natchez-Under-The-Hill. Readers will mourn the end of this wonderful collection of satirical melodramas because it is a delightful, humorous, and lively set of novels. This particular book pays homage to the great mystery writers of the past as well as the New York City book scene. Fans of mystery novels need to say their good-byes to a special amateur detective.

Harriet Klausner

I read through the first ten Mario Balzic novels by K.C. Constantine consecutively, not knowing that I had stopped short of the final book in the series, "Cranks and Shadows." The end of the road for Mario Balzic is a bittersweet conclusion, although over the course of the last few novels I had found myself in total agreement with his wife Ruth that he needs to pay more attention to her and learn to stop being totally consumed by his job as Police Chief of Rocksburg, Pennsylvania. For ten books Balzic has stubbornly avoided doing either and his Achilles heel has been that as good as he is at wearing people done through intense conversations, his wife can turn the tables on him in that particular arena. The question is whether Balzis is going to go out with a bang or with a whimper.

Rockburg is seeing hard times. Already the Sanitation Department, the city's vehicle mechanics, its plumber, and two carpenters have been replaced by private contractors. It has been eight years since Balzic has hired any new officers for the Police Department or that his men have seen a promotion. Now Mayor Kenny Strohn has told Balzic to layoff five officers, leaving him but twenty-five members to police an economically depressed city of 15,000. As if that was not bad enough, Balzic is stunned to discover a small group of heavily armed, camouflaged commandos rappelling out of a blue-and-white helicopter. The chief cannot get any answers out of these para-military figures, which means he is going to start asking hard questions. When he learns what is going on in his town and discovers that not everybody has the same idea of public service that has been the rock upon which Balzic has built his career, he realizes it is time to reconsider what is left of his life.

The first part of "Cranks and Shadows" was a bit of rough going for me because it seemed that Balzic was no longer raging against the injustice of the world around him but had been reduced to ranting. His conversations, always the strong point of these novels and the way by which he does his job, were becoming decidedly one sided and it was becoming commonplace for people to tell Balzic they were not telling him things he should probably know because they did not want to get into it with him. But then there is a point in the story where everything changes and Balzic does more listening to Ruth and engages in more introspective examinations of his life. Constantine is setting up not only his character for the end of the road, but his readers as well.

The ending to "Cranks and Shadows" is not particularly satisfying, but that presupposes that a "happy" ending is possible in Balzic's world of Rocksburg in the Reagan-Bush eighties where the end of revenue sharing changed everything for local governments. Constantine cannot be faulted for providing a realistic conclusion to Balzic's career and it is difficult not to agree that there is an appropriateness to the way the story ends given the rocky road the character has traveled. After all, to quote my old college professor, nobody promised fair. These eleven Mario Balzic novels, the first half of which are more traditional mystery books, remains a superb character study of irascible hero and the particular region he calls home. I realize this is not Constantine's last novel and I will be interesting to see what it is like to read one his novels that is not about Mario Balzic.

K.C. Constantine started his publishing career with The Rocksburg Railroad Murders, which was published by a small literary press in Boston. Over the years, Constantine's eye and skill have become so remarkable that he transcends both the mystery genre and the limitations of series character works.

Constantine has an ear for dialogue that rivals George V. Higgins, and his narrator, Police Chief Mario Balzic, is a proud, despairing, upstanding man in a town that's been falling apart for 20 years. Rocksburg is the mystery novel's answer to Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County, rendered with all the family intrigue and hardscrabble perseverance alive and intact. Often there's no murder, or mystery in a conventional sense in these novels -- the thing that is grand about them is that through Balzic's eyes we can see our everyday lives as a mystery, where we do the best we can with the clues we've got.