A complicated contemporary puzzler pays homage to tradition.
Classic elements of a cozy British murder mystery reappear in an updated and timely royal romp.
McGeorge jumps headfirst into an alternate-history mystery hinging on a different line of succession within the Windsor dynasty in which Edward VIII had not abdicated the throne for Wallis Simpson. Elderly King Eric, the fictional heir to that Edwardian line, is preparing for what should be a cozy Christmas at Balmoral Castle and is also preparing to share his plans for his own retirement and, apparently, the designation of a successor under new rules of succession. Gathered around King Eric for the holiday are his tipsy wife, semidisgraced brother, middle-aged twin daughters and one son-in-law (a commoner!), adolescent grandsons, a security officer, and his devoted longtime Bajan chef and confidant, Jonathan Alleyne. As luck would have it, a severe blizzard strikes Balmoral and the small group is stranded and isolated in what turns out to be a very large “locked room” when the king drops dead after a traditional British Christmas dinner, just as he is about to reveal his plans for the future. Oh, and everyone’s cellphones are locked away to minimize the risk of disclosing the family’s whereabouts! When it appears the sovereign was poisoned by someone within the group, Jon reluctantly takes charge of an ad hoc investigation until help can be summoned after the blizzard. That endeavor might actually be easier than managing the band of rival royals, most of whom hold secrets from and grudges toward each other. Revered classic mystery tropes, including power failure and communication breakdowns with the outside world, come into play alongside more modern concerns such as establishing who is leaking information to the writers of The Monarch (think The Crown) television series the family is quasi-obsessed with.
A complicated contemporary puzzler pays homage to tradition.Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-54413-6
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A smart and engaging literary thriller that bears down too hard on its themes.
At the home of an eccentric millionaire, a woman discovers out-of-the-ordinary events.
When her husband is invited to finish writing his book at the island home of a reclusive millionaire, Anna is relieved: If he sells it, they’ll be able to keep their Bronx apartment and she won’t have to go back to work at the laundry. It’s 1918, and Charles Fort—based on a real-life figure—is hard at work on a book about unexplained phenomena, such as objects falling from a clear sky: frogs, for example, or even bits of flesh, or blood. If Anna has doubts about the legitimacy of his research, she keeps them to herself. In any case, when the millionaire Claude Arkel offers the couple a place to stay for the winter, they eagerly accept. Almost immediately, though, things seem to be off. Arkel runs a school for wayward girls, and three students are missing. Meanwhile, there’s no sign of Arkel himself, and with the Spanish flu raging in the outside world, the Forts are stuck in quarantine. Bakis’ latest novel has the pacing and suspense of a smart literary thriller: It’s almost impossible to put down once you’ve started it. But Bakis can be heavy-handed in her treatment of the themes that undergird her story—in this case, women who support ambitious men. That’s not to say Bakis’ case doesn’t hold water, but she strikes the same note again and again in a way that is more repetitive than satisfying. So, for example, when the Forts first arrive on Arkel’s island, and Charles observes that the grand house is “modeled on the Château de Chambord in the Val de Loire” and Anna responds, “I know, I’m the one who showed you the article,” the mansplaining moment isn’t nearly as funny as it was apparently intended to be; it's just frustrating, in a teeth-grinding way.
A smart and engaging literary thriller that bears down too hard on its themes.Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9781324093534
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Liveright/Norton
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A compelling take on the classic whodunit.
The shocking murder of a public figure at a high-end hotel has everyone guessing who the culprit might be.
Twenty-five-year-old Molly Gray, an eccentric young woman who's obsessed with cleaning but doesn't quite have the same ability to navigate social cues as those around her, loves working as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. Raised by her old-fashioned grandmother, who loved nothing more than cleaning and watching Columbo reruns, Molly has an overly polite and straightforward manner that can make her seem odd and off-putting to her colleagues despite her being the hardest worker at the hotel. After her grandmother's death, Molly's rigid life begins to lose some of its long-held balance, and when the infamous Mr. Charles Black, a rich and powerful businessman suspected of various criminal enterprises, is found murdered in one of the rooms she cleans, her whole world gets turned upside down. Before Molly knows what's happening, her odd demeanor has the police convinced she's guilty of the crime, and certain people at the hotel are a little too pleased about it. With the help of a few new friends (and while fending off new foes), she must begin to untangle the mystery of who really killed Mr. Black to get herself off the hook once and for all. Though the unusual ending might frustrate some readers, this unique debut will keep them reading.
A compelling take on the classic whodunit.Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35615-9
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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