Border Angels by Anthony Quinn

Open Road Integrated Media
MysteriousPress.com/Open Road   

At its core, Border Angels is not a particularly original story.  In fact, when I first started reading the book, I had this vague feeling that I had read the story before. A woman who has been held captive in a brothel, escapes her captors and is on the run to save her life and to reach a border that signifies safety. In this instance, the border is the one that separates Northern Ireland from the Republic.  The woman is Lena Novak.

Lena is a woman who has survived her captivity in a brothel by allowing a part of herself to die.  Despite this, throughout her months in captivity, she never loses the desire to return to her home and family in Croatia.  When hope arrives in the form of shady businessman Jack Fowler, a client at the brothel, Lena is ready to capitalize on the opportunity.  But before Fowler can rescue her, she is forced into a car ride with her pimp that ends in a fiery explosion and Lena escaping barefoot in the snow. 

Celcius Daly is assigned to investigate the violent death of the pimp, and later, Fowler's death as well.  Daly becomes obsessed with the footprints in the snow leading away from the burned-out car and to the riverbank.  Who do they belong to? Where did the person come from? Where did the person disappear to? etc.  From the moment he spots the footprints, Daly is trying to catch and catch up with Lena.  She is always steps ahead of him, even when she is standing right in front of him. There are others chasing Lena, in particular the prostitution ring owner Mikolajek.  But she is wily, she is fast, she is resourceful and she has nothing to lose. She has also had time to plot her revenge.

Aside from human trafficking, threaded through the story are other elements such as black market operations, empty housing developments and references to Northern Ireland today, after "The Troubles", that round out the story.  However, it is the tango between Lena and Daly that creates the tension that holds the story together.  Lena choreographs every move to make Daly think he is the lead dancer, but his every step is designed to distract from her own fancy footwork. 

I would have liked to have understood Daly better.  He is a sympathetic character, but a bit too easily deceived for a police inspector. I gather to know Daly better I need to read Quinn's previous book Disappeared, but Border Angels certainly stands alone.

Quinn is very adept at creating atmosphere and his descriptions of the border area left firmly implanted images in my head of a rugged, wind swept land with a cold dark river running through it. The overall feeling is that of grayness.  His characters are all very human, their weaknesses and strengths are neither hidden nor flaunted, they are just a natural part of each character's story.

The plot is well thought through with a twist at the end and the pace is quick but not rapid.  Definitely a worthwhile read.

Letters From a Murderer by John Matthews

 

Angry Robot Ltd.



Exhibit A

 

                                            

Google Jack the Ripper and you will literally be presented with thousands of hits and just as many unanswered questions.  The Ripper’s identity has never been confirmed and there have been many theories, but  no proof.  One theory is that he was a German sailor, who was eventually executed for murder in New York City.  So, did the Ripper cross the ocean and continue his murder spree in NYC?  This is the angle Matthews uses in the tale of Letters From a Murderer.

The story begins with the murder of a prostitute in NYC.  Since the crime scene appears identical to the original Ripper murders, it is deemed a smart move to involve one of the pathologists who had worked on the original Whitechapel victims, Finley Jameson, currently living in New York.  This seems to please the Ripper and he starts addressing letters to Jameson by sending them directly to The Times.  Then as now, the Press plays a significant role as the Ripper uses the press to manipulate the police and the police use press conferences to communicate with the Ripper.

Paired with Jameson is Joseph Argenti, a hardworking and reliable Inspector, handpicked by the Mayor to replace Inspector McCluskey, who has fallen from the Mayor’s good graces due to the rampant corruption in his department.  This does not go over well with the city’s head gangster, Michael Tierney, who has McCluskey on his payroll.  Jameson and Argenti are exposed to a two-pronged attack, the Ripper on one front, the Irish mob on the other. 

 

Matthews is deft at creating atmosphere and painting a picture of the Victorian era.  You can almost hear the clicking of the horses’ hooves as the hansoms go by, the bustling of the crowds in the busy city by day, feel the danger lurking in the dark shadows at night on streets meekly lit by lamplight, if there is any light at all.  He also conveys the stark reality of the social/economic differences between the haves and the have nots – very Dickensian in mood and tone.  His strong characterizations bring out the flaws, as well as the strengths of the characters, creating empathy and sympathy for many, and a sense of appallment for the behaviors of others.

 

The plot keeps you guessing at every turn and is well thought out.  Fact, fiction and theory are seamlessly blended and the tension builds at an even pace. 

Think of this book as a New York Cocktail - 1 part Ripper, 1 part Holmes & Watson, 1 part Gangs of New York - definitely shaken not stirred.

 

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/24/jack-the-ripper-solved-investigation-german-sailor_n_3981837.html

 

 

 

 

A Darkness Descending by Christobel Kent

Open Road Integrated Media

Pegasus Books

 

There is a new political movement in Florence Italy, the Frazione Verde.  The party's young members are mostly intellectuals, die-hard greens, communists and war protesters.  At the party's helm is Niccolo Rosselli, a humble, unassuming individual,  who once he is on the podium becomes a charismatic speaker with the innate ability to ignite a crowd and create a following. One evening while addressing his followers he mysteriously collapses.  Following this, it becomes known that his wife, Flavia, has disappeared, deserting Niccolo and their newborn son.  Then the attacks on the party start.

Soon it is discovered that Flavia has committed suicide at a small beachside resort.  Sandro Cellini, a private investigator, becomes involved in the case and he can't believe that someone with so much to live for could commit suicide. And so the investigation begins.  The investigation examines some of the ideals that are the basis of the Frazione Verde as well as basic human emotions and desire.  Power, control, manipulation and the many facets of love, including altruistic love, are examined through the lives of Niccollo, Flavia, Sandro, Luisa (Sandro's wife), Giuli (Sandro's assistant) and Enzo (Giuli's boyfriend) and a number of other secondary characters.

This story is not a breathtaking race to find out whodunit.  This is a mystery about human nature that requires observation, compassion, intellect and common sense to solve. Christobel Kent very skillfully unveils the story by peeling through the layers of human emotions to get at the vulnerable core of the human psyche.  The darkness that descends is one that can easily be imagined in today's world and I think that makes it all the more tragic.

I received my copy of this book from NetGalley and did not realize that this is the fourth book featuring the character Sandro Cellini.  It seems like it stands alone, but I think if I had been familiar with the characters, the first few chapters would have gone by faster.  Once I got to know the characters, however, I liked them, especially Sandro and his wife Luisa. 

This is a well-written story by an author who pays attention to the small details that make a person an individual.  There are just enough details in the telling to create interesting and believable characters without being a cumbersome read.

This one should be on your "want to read it" list.

A link to an interesting interview with Christobel Kent:
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Whats-on-leisure/Books/Some-people-write-for-therapy-but-I-always-wanted-an-audience-Christobel-Kent-20130402115749.htm

Ill-Gotten Gains by Ilsa Evans

A Nell Forrest Mystery

Momentum Books

In the second Nell Forrest mystery, the sleepy town of Majic is gearing up to celebrate its 150^th anniversary and preparations are in full swing to re-enact the sunset ride that led to the founding of the town.  Nell and her youngest daughter Quinn go to the local cemetery to do some research for Quinn’s school project related to the town founder, Petar Majic.  While examining the Majic crypt, Quinn inadvertently knocks down a plaque only to reveal another plaque that has lain hidden for years.  The two take the broken plaque to the historical society for repair and to report the newly discovered plaque.  This simple act of conscience sets into play a series of events that will question the town’s past, threaten its present and change the course for the future.  Two members of the historical society are murdered and a prominent family has its very roots questioned.

Nell is also looking at her own past, present and towards the future but not by choice.  Her ex is demanding his half of their house and Nell is having trouble letting go of the home and all the family memories it holds. Her personal life is complicated by her daughters trying to figure out their own futures, unwanted pregnancies, and the murder investigation, leaving Nell little time to contemplate her own future. Once Nell, her family and friends start asking questions pertaining to the murders and the town's past, her life is threatened and she is put under police protection and the ever watchful eye of the charming Detective Sergeant Ashley Armistead. 

Again each chapter begins with a funny note to Nell as the author of the Middle-Aged Spread column and Nell’s thoughts frequently appear as headlines.  Ilsa Evans’ witty Australian humour is a significant part of the pleasure of reading this book but so too is the well thought out and informative plot.

As an Aussie might say - a rip snorter of a read.

A Dangerous Fiction by Barbara Rogan

PENGUIN GROUP Viking

The description for A Dangerous Fiction states that this book “will delight fans of Janet Evanovich, Lisa Lutz, Alan Bradley, and ABC's Castle”.  Well I’m a big fan of both Evanovich and ABC's Castle and I wasn’t delighted.

The story centers on Jo Donovan who owns an influential literary agency in New York.  She worked her way up in the world from a meager childhood in Appalachia to marrying one of the world’s most successful authors.  For Jo, theirs was a fairy tale romance and she is devastated by his sudden death. 

 

After his death, she focuses on her life as the owner of one of the top literary agencies in New York and Jo is living a life she loves, surrounded by friends, co-workers and clients that adore her.  But one rejection slip too many is issued by her agency and a stalker enters her life.  The stalker’s threats don’t scare her until her clients and friends become entangled in the web and everything she has worked so hard for is suddenly at risk.  The police are called in and this is when Tommy Cullen, NYPD detective and an old flame, enters stage left.  At the same time as this threat to her is happening, a biographer is intent on writing a book about her former husband, and he starts to uncover parts of the past that Jo has been denying, especially to herself.

 

Most of the story takes place inside the agency or her apartment.  However, you do get a feel for the hustle and bustle of New York City.  A trip in rural New York State, the scenes in Santa Fe and the scenes in Central Park are all well depicted and a nice contrast to the pace of the city, you get a real sense of the surroundings.  However, for me the book just fell flat. 

 

Other reviewers have stressed how much they enjoyed learning about how a literary agency works, I didn’t.  There was just too much of this for my liking.  I also didn’t enjoy the name dropping and references to high fashion.  Yes I get it; this was all done to paint a picture of the type of individuals Jo mingled with and her lifestyle, but a little bit of this goes a long way with me. I would have preferred to have been reading deeper descriptions of some of the secondary characters.

 

This wasn’t a page turner for me.  I figured out “whodunnit” and why, less than half way through, so there wasn’t much mystery or thrill for me.  But if you enjoy a soft mystery and want to find out about literary agencies and how books get published then read on.