Modestly but genuinely amusing.
Seven adventures, first collected in 1923, of the world’s most unprepossessing detective.
As Leslie S. Klinger’s introduction makes clear, Cohen (1891-1957) doesn’t present much more mystery in his stories than the long-running TV series Columbo does, for the criminals are known from the beginning in every instance. In fact, Jim Hanvey—a homely, sleepy-eyed hick—isn’t so much a crime solver as a crime preventer whose caseload minimizes violent crimes against persons in favor of crimes against property: confidence games, fraud, grand larceny. The formula is consistent: Hanvey is set against some thief or trickster who instantly recognizes him as the country’s greatest detective but is convinced he can be outwitted this time. “I never lie to a crook,” Hanvey guilelessly tells one client. “It ain’t fair.” Oftentimes, the crooks don’t lie to him either—at least not in private. The results of their slow-motion mental duels are less whodunits than cat-and-cat tales in which the predators circle each other with placid self-assurance. Although Hanvey drolly underplots the bank robbers in “Fish Eyes,” he’s a step ahead of the jewel thief in “Homespun Silk,” the securities thief in “Common Stock,” and the swindling suitors in “Caveat Emptor” and “The Knight’s Gambit.” When the gang of robbers in “Helen of Troy N.Y.” and the fence passing himself off as a wealthy socialite in “Pink Bait” try their hands at more elaborate plots, the stories are more complicated but no more entertaining, for their enduring appeal lies in the simple pleasures of watching the underdog outwit a succession of mostly veteran thieves who should really know better.
Modestly but genuinely amusing.Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4642-1503-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
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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