Betty Webb is a former investigative
journalist who turned to mystery writing. She used her journalism background in
her first series about Lena Jones, an Arizona private investigator. Each story
conveys a great deal of information about a social issue wrapped into a
competently plotted and tightly written mystery. Desert Wives, the second in this often dark series, highlighted the
ongoing problem of child marriage and polygamy within more extreme sects of the
Church of Mormon. Webb’s journalism in this area helped lead to the arrest and
conviction of Warren Jeffs in 2011.
Her next series is a light-hearted set of
stories about a zookeeper in California and the animals in her care including a
red panda, an anteater, and a llama. Despite the fun setting, these books are
as soundly plotted as any mystery I have read.
Webb’s newest venture is set in Paris in
the 1920s, where artist Zoe Barlow has set up a studio and is settling into the
expatriate community. In this second book of the series Paris is especially
busy as it is hosting the 1924 Olympics immortalized by the award-winning film Chariots
of Fire (1981). Zoe supplements her meager income by hosting weekly poker
games, where she outplays nearly everyone who attends. At one of these
evenings, someone knocks over a fragile clock and breaks it. He has the grace
to offer to replace the piece so Zoe goes back to the flea market where she
found it. The sellers offer several attractive clocks, she selects one, and
then later decides she wants a second one.
She visits the flea market and finds the
seller with the clock she wanted is not working. She walks to the storage area
she knows the seller uses, only to discover the body of the seller. The police
are busy with the increased crime brought on by all the visitors and the
security needed for the dignitaries from participating countries. They don’t
intend to give the murder of a nonentity much time. So Zoe undertakes her own
investigation, to the dismay of her police officer lover.
Surprisingly the seller had made a number
of enemies, most of whom did not appreciate Zoe asking questions. Webb
skillfully employs misdirection right up to the last few pages where the killer
becomes clear. Great references to the Lost Generation, clothing of the time,
and the athletes participating in the games, including Johnny Weismuller, who
would later play Tarzan in a series of movies, and surfer Duke Kahanamoku. For
fans of historical mysteries.
·
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (April 9,
2024)
·
Language: English
·
Paperback: 320 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1728269938
·
ISBN-13: 978-1728269931
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Y2CgQb
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
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