Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Nantucket Sawbuck by Steven Axelrod

Steven Axelrod’s police procedural series set on Nantucket surfaced recently on a list of Cape Cod mysteries. I’ve gobbled up Philip Craig’s books about J.W. Jackson and Cynthia Rigg’s books about Victoria Trumbull, both cited on the list. Since Axelrod’s series was mentioned more or less in the same breath as these two favorites, I made a point to find a copy of the first book, Nantucket Sawbuck (Poisoned Pen Press, 2014). Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist all agreed this series debut was worth reading, a rare editorial concurrence.

Preston Lomax was a wheeler-dealer, who earned a lot and spent a lot, especially on the mansion he was building on Nantucket Island. He did not hesitate to delay or forego altogether payments to the many tradesmen who made his renovations possible, earning a reputation among the island residents as someone to avoid if possible. Unfortunately with money tight, declining work from someone who should be and might eventually be a paying customer was just not an option for most of the folks trying to piece together enough jobs to exist. Lomax didn’t reserve his opprobrious behavior just for his contractors, all of his children hated him and his wife had cause to. When Lomax turns up dead, unquestionably murdered, new Chief of Police Hank Kennis couldn’t decide which direction to look first.

Lots of characters, maybe a little too many to easily keep track of, with corresponding multiple points of view and personal crises. Hank himself is an interesting guy, a published poet who left California to come to the East Coast and who is still finding his way in his new job and his new town. He definitely believes in the people aspect of policing; at one point one of his deputies refers to him as a “dinosaur” for failing to rely on computers for his collection and evaluation of evidence.

The book is divided into two parts, one setting the stage for the murder and the second for the investigation. The first was absorbing if a little long, but the real action starts in the investigation. Kennis is a careful, logical investigator, who encounters a few surprises on his way to an arrest. Well written, fully realized characters, satisfying resolution. Four more titles follow this one, creating an opportunity for a good summer reading binge.


 

·         Hardcover: 318 pages

·         Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; 1st edition (January 1, 2014)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 9781464200878

·         ISBN-13: 978-1464200878

Aubrey Hamilton ©2020

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

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: A Murder of Crows by Margaret Duffy

Looking for something new and different to read? By all means, consider Margaret Duffy’s books. Margaret Duffy has led an interesting life. She worked for the British Inland Revenue and for the British Ministry of Defense. She is also a garden designer. Somehow she has found the time to publish 29 novels, with the 30^th set for release in March 2021.

A Murder of Crows (St. Martins Press, 1988; Lume Books, 2015) introduces Ingrid Langley and Patrick Gillard in a difficult to categorize story. Romance, mystery, and espionage coalesce in a fast-moving tale with unusual, quite human characters.

Ingrid Langley is a successful novelist, happily married to her second husband Peter Clyde, a policeman. Her acrimonious marriage to her teenage sweetheart Patrick Gillard ended with her throwing him out of her house years before. But Peter is murdered in questionable circumstances and Patrick was present when he died. Patrick, who is recovering from injuries received in the Falklands War, has been recruited by one of the secret service agencies. He needs a female partner to serve as his cover on an assignment and asks Ingrid, knowing she has no romantic interest in him and will focus on the job. Ingrid’s immediate reaction is to decline but she realizes Patrick can help her find out what actually happened to Peter.

Patrick is trying to find a mole in the British government, Ingrid is trying to finish her next novel, and they both gradually realize they have unfinished business with each other. Patrick’s search throws them into danger more than once, and he ends up hospitalized with serious consequences. They take refuge with Patrick’s parents to hide from their pursuers and give Patrick time to recuperate. His mother is wonderful, every woman’s dream mother-in-law.

I am not sure how I missed this series, the March 2021 title is the twenty-second, but it never crossed my reading radar until the great Lume Books ebook giveaway in April. (Dear Lume Books, Thank you. thank you, thank you!) It’s interesting that neither Booklist, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, nor Kirkus have reviewed this first book, so they missed it too. The characters are marvelous, there is enough action to suit any thrill seeker, and the mystery is wrapped up with a satisfying thud while leaving the door open for the couple’s future adventures. Highly, highly recommended.

·         File Size: 1025 KB

·         Print Length: 288 pages

·         Publisher: Lume Books (October 6, 2015)

·         Publication Date: October 6, 2015

·         ASIN: B016AIIFGG

Aubrey Hamilton ©2020

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

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Wyatt by Garry Disher

The anti-hero always has a place in my crime fiction reading. I happily collected all of the Parker books, was tickled to discover Canada’s equivalent in Wilson, and now I find Wyatt. Wyatt by Garry Disher (Soho Crime, 2011) is the seventh book in this series about a professional thief in Melbourne but the first one published in the U.S. Wyatt is being driven out of his livelihood by technology. Few people carry enough cash these days to attract his attention, since they use their credit and debit cards instead. He lacks the skills to bypass the high-end security systems protecting large amounts worth the risk. Stealing art is not as easy as taking cash, and disposing of jewelry can be difficult. He’s begun taking on partners, which he really doesn’t like to do; they can be unreliable and create another item to be managed.

Eddie Oberin, a middleman in the underworld who passes information on for a fee, approaches Wyatt about the potential of a jewelry heist Eddie’s ex-wife Lydia told him about. A French courier visits a Melbourne jewelry designer periodically, bringing gems and watches he’s pinched in Europe. The Melbourne jeweler spreads the stolen goods among his many retail clients, who in turn market them as estate wares. The geographic distance between the theft site and the place the valuables re-appear almost guarantees they won’t be traced.

Wyatt is reluctant to work with Eddie and Lydia but really has no choice, it’s her score to begin with. They’ve included him because they need his experience and planning ability. He and Eddie smoothly steal the van the Melbourne jeweler uses to transport the stolen loot. They make their way to the park where they are supposed to remove the gems, leave the van, and meet Lydia, but the gig goes sideways at that point and Wyatt has to improvise madly.

The story is like a semi-tractor truck with failed brakes going downhill from there on. Wyatt struggles to escape capture, contain the fallout, and determine what went wrong. The plot is complicated, and Wyatt is a great character, smart, quick-witted, and decisive. The repeated references to how technology has changed the life of the ordinary thief are thought-provoking. I am adding the earlier books in the series to my TBR list.

2010 Ned Kelly Award for Crime Writing, Best Novel. Starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly.

·         Hardcover: 288 pages

·         Publisher: Soho Crime; 1 edition (August 9, 2011)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 1569479623

·         ISBN-13: 978-1569479629

Aubrey Hamilton ©2019

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

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal

Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal (Bantam Books, 2011) is the first of eight, so far, historical thrillers set during World War II featuring Margaret Hope, an English citizen raised in the United States. When Maggie’s parents were killed in a car accident, her aunt in Wellesley, Massachusetts, took her in, where Maggie was raised in an academic tradition. Excelling in mathematics, in the spring of 1940 Maggie is preparing to enter the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for doctoral work when her grandmother in London dies. Maggie goes to London to close out her estate and sell the huge Victorian house, which languishes on the market as war gets closer.

Maggie applies for work with the English Government and, despite her excellent research credentials, is relegated to the job of typist for Winston Churchill soon after he takes office as prime minister. She takes in a few boarders and prepares to wait out the war, to the great dismay of her aunt. Churchill is a demanding employer but Maggie finds the work is immensely rewarding. She also finds there are those who would exploit the knowledge she gains by typing the great man’s memos and letters.

This is a fast-moving story that is mostly faithful to the time and place of its setting, although there are a few historical discrepancies. The IRA and the pacifist movement are both represented, as are the brilliant denizens of Bletchley Park. I liked the sketches of the roommates. Some reviews complain that the book reads like a history text, and parts of it are overloaded with research. I have always been in awe of the English people’s spirit and courage during this bleak and frightening time so I can cut the book some slack. Coincidence plays a larger role than it should have perhaps as a plot to assassinate Churchill is foiled, and a couple of the enemy agents are remarkably unprepared to kill their victims, which I suspect was not the case in real life. Overall a pleasant read if not terribly realistic.

·         Paperback: 384 pages

·         Publisher: Bantam; 2011

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 9780553593617

·         ISBN-13: 978-0553593617

Aubrey Hamilton ©2019

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