Craft sprinkles clues of every sort so generously, in fact, that most readers will find his latest outing a hundred pages...
Even though gay reporter Mark Manning’s left Chicago behind, the editor/publisher of Wisconsin’s Dumont Daily Register finds life in the slow lane more eventful than he could have expected. Not only has local shopkeeper Grace Lord succeeded in attracting miniatures-king Carrol Cantrell, “a very big man in a very small world,” to Dumont to judge the exhibits in the Midwest Miniatures Society’s annual convention, but Mark and his close-knit allies are nervously watching the progress of an anti-porn bill spearheaded by opportunistic D.A. Harley Kaiser and that gay-baiting harpy Miriam Westerman, who almost wrecked Mark’s plan to adopt his orphaned cousin, Thad Quatrain, in Body Language (1999). The incongruous worlds of miniatures and pornography collide with a crash of tiny furniture when Cantrell is murdered—and soon after unmasked as the founding owner of Hot Head Video productions. Determined to shield barely uncloseted sheriff Douglas Pierce, who’d spent the preceding three nights with Cantrell, from suspicion as his killer, Mark keeps returning obsessively to the same short list of suspects—County Commissioner Dr. Benjamin Tenelli, who’s just warned that the local porn shop will frighten off tourists; Lt. Dan Kerr, the underling who wants Doug’s job; Miriam Westerman; and Grace Lord—and ignoring the obvious tip-offs: his steamy dreams and the school play Thad’s tried out for.
Craft sprinkles clues of every sort so generously, in fact, that most readers will find his latest outing a hundred pages too long.Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-312-24552-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Minotaur
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2000
An appealing, three-dimensional heroine and some clever plot twists make this an enjoyable, quick read.
In this mystery novel, somebody’s been killing the proprietors of a prestigious inn, and the newest innkeeper is determined to find out why before she becomes the next victim.
Doyle (The Infidelity Pact, 2008, etc.) is a self-described “foodie” and an avid cheerleader for the quaint village of East Hampton, New York, and she indulges both of these passions in this first installment of her new Hamptons Murder Mysteries series. Recently transplanted from California following a nasty divorce, 35-year-old protagonist Antonia Bingham has bought the Windmill Inn from the estate of Gordon Haslett, who died suddenly, apparently from a heart attack. An inventive, passionate chef, Antonia has just reopened the inn’s restaurant when she learns from two of her regulars, Len and Sylvia Powers, that the circumstances surrounding Gordon’s death were suspicious. Worse, he wasn’t the first owner of the inn to experience an untimely death. Now, strange things are happening to Antonia—someone removes a stepladder while she’s installing a light bulb, someone locks her in a supply closet, and more. Her new buddy, Joseph Fowler, a 60-something widower, joins in the amateur sleuthing as they try to sort out the possible motives of a multitude of suspects; Gordon, they discover, was universally disliked. Doyle is an enthusiastic guide for Long Island’s East End village; she details each street and shop, the spectacular beaches, and the unique play of sunlight that has been a siren call to artists for more than a century. She also gives readers plenty of opportunities to vicariously indulge in every mouthwatering bite that Antonia and her restaurant patrons consume—especially if the item is loaded with butter, sugar, or some other comforting dietary no-no. Doyle also pays careful attention to housing décor, wardrobe selections, and the hairstyles of every character, which perhaps stems from her experience as a screenwriter (Intern, 2009). The generally smooth prose maintains a gentle pace, although there are one or two unnecessarily awkward lead-ins, such as “an odd incident occurred that unnerved Antonia and once again gave her pause about her own mortality.” The dinner-table gathering of suspects isn’t an original device, but it’s fun and satisfying nonetheless.
An appealing, three-dimensional heroine and some clever plot twists make this an enjoyable, quick read.Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9972701-4-3
Page Count: 410
Publisher: Dunemere Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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A good one in the tough school, in which private detective Marlowe is hired to investigate a blackmailing and finds himself bucking a well-run gang, several murders, and the D A's office. Hard-boiled, fast paced, plenty of action, some sensationalism. Not for conservatives.
Pub Date: Feb. 5, 1938
ISBN: 0394758285
Page Count: 244
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1938
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