Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Clock Struck Murder: A Lost in Paris Mystery by Betty Webb

 

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.