A MURDER FOR MISS HORTENSE

A suspicious death resurfaces a series of decades-old crimes centered on the Afro-Caribbean community of Bigglesweigh, England.

Four decades after Miss Hortense left Jamaica for the U.K., she finds herself almost as lonely as when she arrived. Pushed aside from a central role in her community in the 1970s, Hortense has long since accepted her fate. Now, in the year 2000, Hortense’s loyal friend Blossom—more like a thorn in her side—insists she attend a meeting at the home of Constance Brown, the woman responsible for her status as an outsider. Constance took over Hortense’s role as “Pardner Lady,” head of the group formed in the ’60s to invest in the community during a time when help wasn’t coming from anywhere else. The subject of Hortense’s meeting with the “black geriatric mafia” is whether she’s suited to rejoin the Pardner—but Hortense wants none of it. Unluckily for her, the past won’t stay in the past. The next morning, Constance is found dead at home. When another body follows soon after, Hortense has no choice but to reopen the Pardner’s “Looking Into Bones” business—the very detective business that got her in trouble—and revisit painful details of past unsolved crimes. Hortense has quite the reputation for digging around where she shouldn’t, but who else will do the dirty work if not her? “Is we seek justice for those who can’t seek it for themselves,” she says. Pennant’s debut mystery is written with a playwright’s deft pen; the scenes are neat, the action direct. What stands out most is the care with which characters are written, in how they move, dress, and—most notably—speak. As a bonus, traditional recipes are peppered throughout with great effect. Surrounded by the smells of turmeric and cinnamon, Hortense does her best thinking while in the kitchen.

A memorable cozy with lots of depth.