John Moss has written a cracker of a police procedural mystery,
Grave Doubts; it can be found as an ebook at
kobobooks and
amazon. This is one of several "Castle Street Mystery" titles from Canadian publisher Dundurn Press. At under $8, it's a bargain.
Late on a wintry night, Toronto homocide detectives Miranda Quin and David Morgan are called to a Hoggs Hollow home in a ritzy suburb, with pioneer roots, where two decapitated mumified bodies have been found dressed in 1850s period clothing. Greeted by fellow police officer Rachel Naismith already on the scene, they are quickly joined by Royal Ontario Museum expert Shelagh Hubbard who, with a colleague, examine the remains for authenticity. In short order, the heads themselves are retrieved from a laundry chute. The bodies were found in a lovers embrace; the heads apparently kissing in the other "room". But all is not as it appears to be: the murders are, in fact, recent and the whole grisy scene has been staged. Enter Alexander Pope, an Ontario pioneer era reconstruction expert, and, as the scene changes to a small community north of Toronto, local turban wearing constabularly Peter Singh enters the drama as well.
Author Moss knows his art history, and displays a fine love of Toronto and local cottage country -- Georgian Bay and environs -- where a good deal of the action takes place. He creates strong characters and delivers motivation, and empathy, for the good guys and the villains, as well as delivering some fine twists and terrific episodes of suspense. This is the second of two Quin and Morgan tales; the first is
Still Waters. Plus: Moss apparently has three more titles in the pipe including the upcoming
Dead Reckoning.
Highly recommended.