A clever, entertaining murder tale from a reliably engaging author.
In this ninth installment of a mystery series, nefarious doings are afoot at Merrill Manor, a boardinghouse on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution, western New York state’s unique summer artist community.
It is a tranquil Sunday in mid-July 2021, and Chautauquans are enjoying the freedom of in-person activities after last year’s Covid-19 restrictions. Then a cryptic invitation in the local e-zine, The Grapevine, causes a flurry of excitement: “A Murder Is Announced,” to be held at Merrill Manor that very evening. Not even the manor’s new owner, former Wall Streeter Betsy Kowalski, knows who placed the ad or what it refers to. Nonetheless, she prudently makes the appropriate preparations to welcome a larger than usual crowd for evening refreshments. As night falls, the manor’s eclectic residents—Kitty Nowak, Betsy’s childhood friend; Matilda Willoughby and her older mother, Evelyn, Betsy’s cousins; Frank Paddington and his sister, Amanda; and Sandy Bianchi, the Chautauqua gardener—gather. They are joined by neighbors Bridget Gallagher; her 20-something son, Eric; and retired Judge Jeremiah Hammerle and his third wife, Agnes. Last to arrive is Mimi Goldman, Chautauqua’s own amateur supersleuth. As the guests chat and sip their drinks, the lights go out. The front door opens, and a man steps into the pitch darkness yelling, “Stick ’em up.” Three gunshots follow, and Betsy’s ear is grazed by a bullet. But it is the mysterious intruder who lies dead in the entranceway. He is just the first victim in Pines’ low-action yet intriguingly complicated, twisty tale of greed and deception. The shadow of ever present danger is lightened by skillful, frequently witty dialogue and a couple of charming love stories. The challenge of finding the killer among a trove of suspects is only part of the enjoyment of the author’s crime dramas. She has filled these pages with an assortment of quirky characters of all ages. And the narrative is peppered with pieces of Chautauqua history, evocative descriptions of the serene (and manicured) landscape, and samples of the institution’s annual philosophical/religious/scientific lecture series. This year, the series is focusing on the nature and development of individual identities, a subject conveniently connected to the ultimate reveal of the killer.
A clever, entertaining murder tale from a reliably engaging author.Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 979-8832962368
Page Count: 370
Publisher: Independently Published
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A fresh and clever whodunit with an engaging twist.
A 16-year-old savant uses his Groundhog Day gift to solve his grandfather’s murder.
Nishizawa’s compulsively readable puzzle opens with the discovery of the victim, patriarch Reijiro Fuchigami, sprawled on a futon in the attic of his elegant mansion, where his family has gathered for a consequential announcement about his estate. The weapon seems to be a copper vase lying nearby. Given this setup, the novel might have proceeded as a traditional whodunit but for two delightful features. The first is the ebullient narration of Fuchigami’s youngest grandson, Hisataro, thrust into the role of an investigator with more dedication than finesse. The second is Nishizawa’s clever premise: The 16-year-old Hisataro has lived ever since birth with a condition that occasionally has him falling into a time loop that he calls "the Trap," replaying the same 24 hours of his life exactly nine times before moving on. And, of course, the murder takes place on the first day of one of these loops. Can he solve the murder before the cycle is played out? His initial strategies—never leaving his grandfather’s side, focusing on specific suspects, hiding in order to observe them all—fall frustratingly short. Hisataro’s comical anxiety rises with every failed attempt to identify the culprit. It’s only when he steps back and examines all the evidence that he discovers the solution. First published in 1995, this is the first of Nishizawa’s novels to be translated into English. As for Hisataro, he ultimately concludes that his condition is not a burden but a gift: “Time’s spiral never ends.”
A fresh and clever whodunit with an engaging twist.Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781805335436
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
A top-class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please.
Four residents of Coopers Chase, a British retirement village, compete with the police to solve a murder in this debut novel.
The Thursday Murder Club started out with a group of septuagenarians working on old murder cases culled from the files of club founder Elizabeth Best’s friend Penny Gray, a former police officer who's now comatose in the village's nursing home. Elizabeth used to have an unspecified job, possibly as a spy, that has left her with a large network of helpful sources. Joyce Meadowcroft is a former nurse who chronicles their deeds. Psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif and well-known political firebrand Ron Ritchie complete the group. They charm Police Constable Donna De Freitas, who, visiting to give a talk on safety at Coopers Chase, finds the residents sharp as tacks. Built with drug money on the grounds of a convent, Coopers Chase is a high-end development conceived by loathsome Ian Ventham and maintained by dangerous crook Tony Curran, who’s about to be fired and replaced with wary but willing Bogdan Jankowski. Ventham has big plans for the future—as soon as he’s removed the nuns' bodies from the cemetery. When Curran is murdered, DCI Chris Hudson gets the case, but Elizabeth uses her influence to get the ambitious De Freitas included, giving the Thursday Club a police source. What follows is a fascinating primer in detection as British TV personality Osman allows the members to use their diverse skills to solve a series of interconnected crimes.
A top-class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please.Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-98-488096-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Pamela Dorman/Viking
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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