Historical Burns references add spice to a complex series of intertwined mysteries.
An American expatriate learns to love Robert Burns.
Delaney Nichols took a job organizing a warehouse full of treasures for the owner of the Cracked Spine bookstore in Edinburgh, Scotland, married a Scot, and became involved in solving a series of crimes. But none has cut closer to home than the mystery associated with a birth certificate she’s found. The certificate might be that of her friend and fellow worker Hamlet, who was found wandering the streets as a young child and, years later, unofficially adopted by her boss, Edwin, and bookstore doyenne Rosie. When Delaney’s invited to a special Burns dinner, she asks Hamlet to join her, knowing he’s a passionate fan, though Edwin warns her there may be an ulterior motive to the invitation. Partway through the traditional dinner, after attorney Clarinda Creston has introduced Delaney and Hamlet to Charles Lexon, Malcolm Campbell, and Neil Watterton, Edwin is mentioned as the group’s founder, and Malcolm calls him a scoundrel. Telling the others that she and Hamlet work for Edwin, Delaney asks why she was invited and then leaves. Later that night, the club building burns to the ground, and Watterton’s body is found in the rubble. Delaney’s old friend Inspector Winters questions Hamlet, who was seen that night in the company of Watterton. When Hamlet vanishes, she resolves to explore his antecedents and his possible connections to the club members in order to clear his name.
Historical Burns references add spice to a complex series of intertwined mysteries.Pub Date: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-2507-8948-8
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Minotaur
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
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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