by
Jane Haddam
ISBN: 0-312-20929-0 Order from: Amazon.com
Reviewed by David on November 10, 2001
Genre: Mystery (Amateur Sleuth)
Synopsis: Gregor Demarkian, a retired FBI investigator, is called to investigate two murders which cause considerable distress to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. While more murders take place, Gregor and the police have to navigate the tense world of religious suspicion, anti-gay violence, and hints of embezzlement.
Full Review: This is another novel in the series about Gregor, his wealthy, talented and beautiful, and perpetually overstressed lover Bennis, and a cast of friends from the Armenian neighborhood in Philadelphia.
The beginning of the book is rather slow, taking a long time to describe the lives of a number of people, some of whom are uninteresting or are destined to become only bit-players. It is only when Gregor and other familar characters such as acerbic and common-sensical Sister Scholastica come on the scene that the action picks up and the narrative involves the reader.
Many old plots come into the book, including the fate of Bennis Hannaford's sister, continuing a thread from the very first book of the series. Bennis' and Gregor's relationship is progressing satisfactorily, if not without occasional stress and frustration.
As Gregor's perceptive investigation centers on greed as the motive, the body count nicreases, and a number of minor characters continue to influence the events. Some of these characters are fleshed out and become likable and three-dimensional, possibly to be featured in future books.
Much of the charm of this series comes from the continuing characters, not only the detective but his friends and neighbors. This compensates for the unexceptional, and sometimes superficial exploration of the crimes and the people involved in them.
The mystery investigation itself has a few gaps, but in the end the surprising but plausible resolution forms a generally satisfying conclusion to this pleasant mystery.
Overall: 6; Plot: 5.5; Characters: 5.5; Style: 6; World-building: 6; Originality: 5.5;
Copyright date 2001, St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Minotaur), May 2001, Cloth, 276 pages
ISBN: 0-312-20929-0 Order from: Amazon.com