Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Lies and Deception by Laraine Stephens

I have Australian librarian Ward Saylor to thank for this week’s read. He has mentioned the adventures of crime reporter Reggie da Costa before and the latest title finally worked its way up the TBR stack. Lies and Deception by Laraine Stephens (Level Best, 2024) is set in 1925 Melbourne. The period detail has been carefully researched and woven into a convincingly authentic narrative of con men of all kinds in a booming metropolitan city.

Smooth-talking businessman Jasper Fitzalan Howard is found dead in his room at The Hotel Windsor with 10 stab wounds. He is holding the tarot card Ten of Swords. The city’s social elite had welcomed Howard, distant cousin of the Duke of Norfolk, into their circle. Many of the women had fallen prey to his charm and many of the men had leaped to invest in the property development scheme he said he was in Melbourne to finalize. His death set tongues wagging while the police hit one wall after another in trying to pin down the movements of his last days.

Reggie da Costa, ace crime reporter for the city’s largest newspaper, lost no time in delving into Howard’s background, only to find that nothing was as it had been presented. Even the name couldn’t be traced. Howard did not exist until he showed up in Melbourne. What could be established though was that Howard had left a trail of unpaid bills, a group of angry prospective investors who had been bilked out of thousands of pounds, and dozens of women who had been carefully set up for blackmail. Any number of people were candidates for the role of suspect in chief.

Secondary to the murder investigation was da Costa’s campaign to squelch the booming market in pseudo-medicines. Tonics, remedies, and dietary supplements that made outrageous claims were being sold without regulation of any kind. They often contained morphine, opium, and other dangerous drugs. Since the charlatans peddling these poisons were profiting immensely, they resisted any attempt at supervision or limitation. But da Costa sent the syrups and tablets off to a private laboratory for analysis and printed the results, much to the dismay of the medico swindlers.

Da Costa is an innovative character as is his police detective buddy Detective Sergeant Clary Blain and his conservative girlfriend Ruby Rhodes. The historical detail is pitch perfect with multiple references to the vehicles of the time and extensive mentions of the clothing. Since da Costa is something of a fashion aficionado, the reader is well informed as to what the up-and-coming young man was wearing then. A great addition to lists of 1920s historical mysteries. 

·       Publisher: ‎Level Best - Historia (July 2, 2024)

·       Language: ‎English

·       Paperback: ‎284 pages

·       ISBN-10: ‎1685126723

·       ISBN-13: ‎978-1685126728

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3SYFZLK

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024

 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.