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SensualPoet · 09-09-2011, 05:30 PM

Since 1981. American author Martha Grimes has written a successful series of detective novels which feature Scotland Yard Inspector Richard Jury and his friendship with aristocrat Melrose Plant (aka Lord Ardy). Her third novel won her a Nero Wolfe Award; she's recently completed the 22nd book in the series, The Black Cat, in 2010. In The Lamorna Wink, the 16th Jury novel published in 1999, it is Melrose Plant who is the star. In fact, Jury does not turn up till the third act leaving his "Watson" to do much of the sleuthing.

Melrose Plant has decided to take a three month break from his home and the hectic buzz of his London life by renting Seabourne, a house perched on a seaside cliff in Cornwall owned by American transplant Chick'nKing fast food magnate Moe Bletchley. As Plant discovers, the house has a history: including the death of Bletchley's two grandchildren at the base of the cliff four years earlier. When a local co-owner of bakery cafe suddenly disappears, and another woman's body turns up, murdered, Plant quickly finds himself in the middle of current and past deaths and the charming (and some less charming) entanglements of the locals, not least of which include 17 y/o Johnny, the missing bakery owner's nephew (and amateur magician). Coincidences or interconnections? As a second death takes place, Jury joins Plant to try to outwit a murderer before he or she kills again and gets away scot free.

This is a nice balance between witty storytelling, cozy mystery and police procedural, with winning, believe characters and dialogue. Grimes likes to provide multiple perspectives for the reader while staying grounded, in this case, largely with what one character -- Melrose Plant -- knows. The secondary characters, like young Johnny, are affectionately drawn; but the tragic parts of the tale strongly register, delivered in unvarnished starkness. Given this novel focusses heavily on Plant, not Jury, it's probably not the best introduction to the series, yet it is an enjoyable read on its own.

Available at Kindle (US only), Nook and Kobo for under $9.

09-09-2011, 05:30 PM	#454
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	Martha Grimes - The Lamorna Wink Since 1981. American author Martha Grimes has written a successful series of detective novels which feature Scotland Yard Inspector Richard Jury and his friendship with aristocrat Melrose Plant (aka Lord Ardy). Her third novel won her a Nero Wolfe Award; she's recently completed the 22nd book in the series, The Black Cat, in 2010. In The Lamorna Wink, the 16th Jury novel published in 1999, it is Melrose Plant who is the star. In fact, Jury does not turn up till the third act leaving his "Watson" to do much of the sleuthing. Melrose Plant has decided to take a three month break from his home and the hectic buzz of his London life by renting Seabourne, a house perched on a seaside cliff in Cornwall owned by American transplant Chick'nKing fast food magnate Moe Bletchley. As Plant discovers, the house has a history: including the death of Bletchley's two grandchildren at the base of the cliff four years earlier. When a local co-owner of bakery cafe suddenly disappears, and another woman's body turns up, murdered, Plant quickly finds himself in the middle of current and past deaths and the charming (and some less charming) entanglements of the locals, not least of which include 17 y/o Johnny, the missing bakery owner's nephew (and amateur magician). Coincidences or interconnections? As a second death takes place, Jury joins Plant to try to outwit a murderer before he or she kills again and gets away scot free. This is a nice balance between witty storytelling, cozy mystery and police procedural, with winning, believe characters and dialogue. Grimes likes to provide multiple perspectives for the reader while staying grounded, in this case, largely with what one character -- Melrose Plant -- knows. The secondary characters, like young Johnny, are affectionately drawn; but the tragic parts of the tale strongly register, delivered in unvarnished starkness. Given this novel focusses heavily on Plant, not Jury, it's probably not the best introduction to the series, yet it is an enjoyable read on its own. Available at Kindle (US only), Nook and Kobo for under $9.