A poky but genial and atmospheric whodunit.
Two Greek private eyes fit some sleuthing around their dining and socializing in this relaxed, convivial mystery.
When the strangled body of a young punk is found sprawled beneath the spray-painted slogan “FOAK YOU” at a shuttered archaeology museum, the murder becomes an emblem of community decay in the once glorious, now decrepit town of Sparta. Or so it seems to Geró Peerooney and his nephew Pidalios, private eyes called in to consult on the crime. They associate spray paint with the hooliganism of communists and anarchists and with the broader deficit of public-spiritedness in Greek society. They also have to contend with Greece’s slothful, all-encumbering bureaucracy, epitomized by the police captain in charge of the case—a depressed, inept man who never follows up on leads. But even as they deplore Hellenic fecklessness, Geró and Pidalios enjoy its consolations. While they sniff up likely suspects—a glum clerk who hates the graffiti artists who deface his kiosk, two choleric paint-store owners who hate everyone—they are never so pressed for time that they can’t knock off for leisurely lunches. And there are lavish restaurant dinners and family feasts, long conversations over coffee, cocktail parties, weekends at the beach or on a yacht with friends. During these interludes, which take up much of the book, the detectives and the narrative unwind and forget about the case. Instead, they are captivated by Geró’s feisty American-born wife Irini, whose run-ins with everything from a cockroach to a flasher provide an endless supply of amusing anecdotes. Fortunately, there’s little reason for the heroes to work up a sweat, since a perfunctory minimum of legwork, supported by the crime lab—a rare bastion of competence and punctiliousness—and random tips from colleagues, suffices to generate breaks in the case. Soumakis doesn’t give readers much suspense, but she does serve up sumptuous meals, contented banter and Greek-style dolce vita.
A poky but genial and atmospheric whodunit.Pub Date: Feb. 22, 2011
ISBN: 978-1456468972
Page Count: 312
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The parts with Nero Wolfe, the only character Goldsborough brings to life, are almost worth waiting for.
In Archie Goodwin's 15th adventure since the death of his creator, Rex Stout, his gossipy Aunt Edna Wainwright lures him from 34th Street to his carefully unnamed hometown in Ohio to investigate the death of a well-hated bank president.
Tom Blankenship, the local police chief, thinks there’s no case since Logan Mulgrew shot himself. But Archie’s mother, Marjorie Goodwin, and Aunt Edna know lots of people with reason to have killed him. Mulgrew drove rival banker Charles Purcell out of business, forcing Purcell to get work as an auto mechanic, and foreclosed on dairy farmer Harold Mapes’ spread. Lester Newman is convinced that Mulgrew murdered his ailing wife, Lester’s sister, so that he could romance her nurse, Carrie Yeager. And Donna Newman, Lester’s granddaughter, might have had an eye on her great-uncle’s substantial estate. Nor is Archie limited to mulling over his relatives’ gossip, for Trumpet reporter Verna Kay Padgett, whose apartment window was shot out the night her column raised questions about the alleged suicide, is perfectly willing to publish a floridly actionable summary of the leading suspects that delights her editor, shocks Archie, and infuriates everyone else. The one person missing is Archie’s boss, Nero Wolfe (Death of an Art Collector, 2019, etc.), and fans will breathe a sigh of relief when he appears at Marjorie’s door, debriefs Archie, notices a telltale clue, prepares dinner for everyone, sleeps on his discovery, and arranges a meeting of all parties in Marjorie’s living room in which he names the killer.
The parts with Nero Wolfe, the only character Goldsborough brings to life, are almost worth waiting for.Pub Date: May 19, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5040-5988-6
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Mysterious Press
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
You can’t help but chuckle over all the disasters, but in the end the heroine catches her prey.
An Arizona accountant with a penchant for solving murders lands a fishy case.
Sophie "Phee" Kimball might lead a dull life if it weren’t for her mother, Harriet Plunkett, and Harriet’s neurotic Chiweenie, Streetman. As it is, Harriet lives near her daughter in Sun City West and has a wide circle of zany friends who’ve helped Phee solve several mysteries (Molded 4 Murder, 2019, etc.) while she’s been working for Williams Investigations along with her boyfriend, Marshall, a former police officer. While Phee’s visiting Harriet one day, Streetman dashes over to the neighbors’ barbecue grill and unearths a dead body under a tarp. As usual, the overwhelmed local police ask Williams Investigations to help—er, consult. Harriet’s main concern is getting costumes made for the reluctant Streetman, whom she’s entered in a series of contests starting with Halloween and progressing through Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hannukah, and St. Patrick’s Day. One of her friends is an accomplished seamstress who goes all out making gorgeous costumes that will beat an obnoxious lady who looks down on mutts. The dead man is identified as Cameron Tully, a seafood distributor, who was poisoned by the locally ubiquitous sago pine. At the first dog contest, Elaine Meschow has to be rushed to the hospital after she gets a dose of the same thing. The owner of a gourmet dog food company, Elaine is lucky enough to recover. After Streetman takes second place, Harriet’s team redoubles its efforts for the next contest while Phee and Marshall, who are moving into a new place together, continue to hunt for clues. A restaurant holdup and a scheme to use empty houses for hookups for high school kids add to the confusion.
You can’t help but chuckle over all the disasters, but in the end the heroine catches her prey.Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4967-2455-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Kensington
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
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