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Broken Bones by Angela Marsons

Broken Bones - Angela Marsons

D.I.Kim Stone is a rather well known character(especially to crime (book)lovers) and this is the seventh in the series. The book consist of several storylines that do relate (more or less)to each other. There is a serial killer targeting sex workers, an abandoned baby,a frozen unknown man, illegal workers and a missing young girl. And although it works,it is also the main problem.Four policepeople (including D.I.Stone)take on this whole load of misery.

It just doesn’t feel right. There is just too much going on.

Mind you, the outcome of one of the cases is surprising and very interesting.

 

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The Gate Keeper by Charles Todd

The Gate Keeper - Charles Todd

Set in the early twenties,this book just breathes golden age with a very modern twist. A very perturbed inspector, suffering from post-war trauma, finds himself involved in a mysterious murder(a man stops a car in the middle of the night and shoots the chauffeur ). Not only does he needs to solve the case,he is also confronted with a certain animosity from the villagers and the local constabulary. This is a perfect read for lovers of the British detective story (villages,gentry, murder…)but this is definitely not a soppy read. Good story,right atmosphere and good characterisation. Very good.

 

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Lament for a Maker by Michael Innes

A Scottish castle,an isolated village,quirky villagers and an eccentric Lord. All the right ingredients for a classic mystery. The story is made up of different parts told by different characters. And it works were it not for the first character who writes as he speaks with plenty of Scottish words and expressions. Not always evident…Still the storyline is good and the outcome of the mystery is not obvious. 3,5 stars

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A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee

A Necessary Evil - Abir Mukherjee

Calcutta, 1920.India is going trough an agitated period. The Congress Party is having more and more supporters and even non-followers believe that the British Rule is past its use by date.In these confusing times,Prince Adhir,crown prince of Sambalpore is murdered after an official ceremony with the Viceroy. Soon after this,the killer takes his own life. Captain Wyndham and his Indian sergeant Surendranath(a Harrow and Cambridge man no less and a friend of the murdered prince)find that all tracks lead to Sambalpore, a small kingdom with the added benefit of fabulous diamond mines.There is definitely no lack of suspects,reasons or intrigues and the investigation is not as obvious as expected.

The outcome is surprising and interesting. But what makes this an absolute wonderful book is the atmosphere. The colonial house of the British Resident,of course the palace of the Maharaja,the temples,the religious festivals,the lifestyle of this royal family,eunuchs and the zenana, the monsoon period,a golden locomotive loaded with bottles of champagne that runs the length of the dinner table,the gossip and the decline of both the British Raj and these small kingdoms. A wonderful Indian mystery story!