Saturday, May 31, 2008

Mystery Book Review: Reconstruction by Mick Herron

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Reconstruction by Mick Herron. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Reconstruction by Mick HerronBuy from Amazon.com

Reconstruction by
Non-series

Soho Constable (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-504-0 (1569475040)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-504-1 (9781569475041)
Publication Date: April 2008
List Price: $24.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): When a man with a gun breaks into her school, nursery teacher Louise Kennedy knows there’s not likely to be a happy ending ... But Jaime isn’t there on a homicidal whim, and is as scared as the hostages he’s taken. When an armed police presence builds up outside, he’ll only talk to Ben Whistler an MI6 accountant who worked with his lover, Miro.

Miro’s apparently gone on the run, along with a huge sum of money. Jaime doesn’t believe Miro’s a thief – though he certainly had secrets. But then, so does Louise, so do the other hostages; and so do some of those on the outside, who’d much rather Jamie was silenced ...

Review: British author Mick Herron’s sterling fourth novel, Reconstruction, is a chilling recounting of every detail of every parent’s worst nightmare – the seizure of a nursery school by an apparently crazed, gun-wielding terrorist. The story’s an often frightening look at the lives of the protagonists, from the teen-aged gunman, to the courageous teacher, to the father with the twin tots struggling to make sense of it all, to the misanthropic cleaning lady, to the MI6 accountant turned field agent, negotiating with the kidnapper and fending off a troubled, itchy-fingered sniper, an apparently ruthless colleague and several nervous cops caught in jurisdictional scrambles. As much a rear-view-mirror analysis of the psyches of the players as a recollected presentation of the facts of the case, the novel turns into a galloping action-packed, psyche-probing read with a surprisingly mind-blowing ending about who is guilty and of what.

In Herron’s complex story everyone is a reconstructionist, either of their own baggage or of other people’s lives or of the events around them. Herron, of course, is the master of the reconstruction, retelling the specifics of the day long siege, getting inside the skins and brains of his characters, and having them compare and contrast their recollections of the current “flap” or of past “incidents” so as to tighten the tension or muddy the memories of the mysteries. There’s the mystery, for example, of who the teenaged gunman, Jaime Segura, is, why he was running from his two cop-like pursuers, how he “slipped their digital leash,” and why he ran to the South Oxford Nursery School in search of “the Lady.” And who is “the Lady,” and why did he think she could help him? Then there’s the mystery of why Eliot Pedlar with his “Memory” and his twin boys, Gordon and Timmy are at the school early when only its second-in-command, Louise Kennedy, is there regretfully musing over “the incident?” And why is the school’s cleaning lady, Judy Ainsworth, “in her daily mist of complaint,” and rummaging through Louise’s office desk when Jaime traps them all in the nursery’s windowless Annexe? Then, there’s Jaime’s plea to the assembled police for help from a secret services department accountant, Ben Whistler – why an accountant instead of a police officer? And what is Louise’s reason for returning so quickly to the Annexe after warning incoming parents and children away from the danger? Just as importantly, there’s the mystery of Whistler’s gay accountant colleague, Miro Weiss, and his disappearance, allegedly with a ”missing quarter of a billion pounds” from the Iraqi Reconstruction funds overseas.

Mysteries and secrets surround other characters as well, and their lives are also intriguingly reconstructed. A sniper’s recollected earlier experiences, for instance, add to the uncertainty of the possible outcomes for the current “flap.” So do the past circumstances of the British secret service spook and “Head Dog” known as Bad Sam Chapman whose partner died trying to apprehend Jaime in a “collect-and-comfort” operation gone terribly wrong. Bad Sam has been doggedly pursuing the teenager ever since, interviewing all kinds of people, trying to reconstruct Jamie’s hidden connections to his lover Miro, to Whistler, even to Louise. And as some people cross paths and others cross swords, there’s a heart-pounding fluctuation between hope and despair for the safety of the hostages and the capture of their kidnapper. But that’s a final resolution to the long day’s reconstruction best left to be read in Mick Herron’s spellbinding novel.

Special thanks to M. Wayne Cunningham (mw_cunningham@telus.net) for contributing his review of Reconstruction and to Soho Press for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — M. Wayne Cunningham — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission

For more visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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Friday, May 30, 2008

Mystery Book Review: Waterloo Sunset by Martin Edwards

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Waterloo Sunset by Martin Edwards. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Waterloo Sunset by Martin EdwardsBuy from Amazon.com

Waterloo Sunset by
A Harry Devlin Mystery

Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-441-4 (1590584414)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-441-5 (9781590584415)
Publication Date: April 2008
List Price: $24.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): A notice announcing that Harry Devlin died suddenly on Midsummer’s Eve arrives at the office of his law firm one June day. Harry isn’t happy to read it – especially as Midsummer’s Eve is less than a week away. His partner Jim Crusoe treats the message as a joke, but Harry isn’t so sure. From that moment on, his world starts to fall apart. Who is his unknown enemy? The list of people who might want rid of him lengthens, and soon someone close to him is savagely attacked and left for dead.

Meanwhile, young women are being murdered in Harry’s home city of Liverpool. When a friend who has asked to meet him becomes the latest victim, Harry is dragged into the investigation and becomes a suspect. He finds himself fighting for survival on two fronts. But even as he unravels the shocking secret behind the murders, the clock keeps ticking. Harry must discover and confront the enemy who wants him dead - if he is to live to see Midsummer’s Day.

Review: Liverpool attorney Harry Devlin attempts to prevent the published announcement of his death from becoming reality in Waterloo Sunset, the eighth mystery in this series by Martin Edwards.

One day in mid-June Harry notices a blank envelope on his desk with no name or return address. He opens the envelope to find his own death notice, declaring that he is to die on Midsummer’s Eve. At first, he and his law partner, Jim Crusoe, think this to be someone’s idea of a practical joke. After all, who would want to see Harry dead? And why on Midsummer’s Eve? Shortly thereafter Jim is savagely beaten and left for dead. After the meaningless attack on Jim had set in, Harry’s thoughts turn to the subject of his own death. The notice of his death was not a prank. Someone was setting out to kill him. In the meantime, three women have been killed. They were all strangled, their tongues cut out. Was this the work of a single person, or was there a copycat involved? Or was this the work of the person who wanted Harry dead, practicing for the final kill?

Although he is not a criminal lawyer, Harry starts making a list of past clients who may have not received satisfactory verdicts in their cases and may have blamed him. And then he finds himself a suspect in the murders of the women. He had an appointment to meet one the women at the place and time she was killed. He claimed he was there, but she didn’t show up. To save himself (both literally and figuratively), Harry starts an investigation to find who hurt Jim and who killed the women. All the while, he must keep himself vigilant and aware that there is still someone out there who wants him dead.

Waterloo Sunset is a winning whodunit. There are many suspects, and many more who probably should be but aren't. The intricately plotted storyline keeps the reader guessing as to how the seemingly unconnected crimes could be related. The stunning conclusion that brings a climatic closure to Midsummer's Eve is completely unexpected and justifies how terrific this book really is.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of for contributing her review of Waterloo Sunset and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

For more visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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New Hardcover Mysteries for June 2008

New Hardcover Mystery Books

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has updated its list of with books scheduled for publication in June 2008.

For our series fans, we've listed those titles with their series character(s) separately below:

Losing Ground by Catherine Aird. Inspector Sloan (21st).

A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander. Emily Ashton (3rd).

Dead in Red by L. L. Bartlett. Jeff Resnick (2nd).

The Deceived by Brett Battles. Jonathan Quinn (2nd).

Shadow Command by Dale Brown. Patrick McLanahan (14th).

Singularity by Kathryn Casey. Sarah Armstrong (1st).

Blackman's Coffin by Mark de Castrique. Sam Blackman (1st). Scheduled to be reviewed by .

Nothing to Lose by Lee Child. Jack Reacher (12th).

Obsessions by Marshall Cook. Monona Quinn (4th).

A Poisoned Mind by Natasha Cooper. Trish Maguire (9th).

TailSpin by Catherine Coulter. FBI Suspense (12th).

Vineyard Chill by Philip R. Craig. J. W. Jackson, Martha's Vineyard (19th).

Every Secret Crime by Doug M. Cummings. Reno McCarthy (2nd).

Still Waters by Judith Cutler. Frances Harman (3rd).

The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver. Lincoln Rhyme (8th).

The Drifter's Wheel by Phillip DePoy. Fever Devilin (5th).

Hungry Ghosts by Susan Dunlap. Darcy Lott (2nd).

Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich. Stephanie Plum (14th, 16th).

Buried Too Deep by Jane Finnis. Aurelia Marcella (3rd). Scheduled to be reviewed by .

Black Seconds by Karin Fossum. Inspector Sejer (5th).

Next Door to Murder by Anthea Fraser. Rona Parish (6th).

The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner. Jo Beckett (1st).

A Patent Lie by Paul Goldstein. Michael Seeley (2nd).

Heavenly Pleasures by Kerry Greenwood. Corinna Chapman (2nd). Scheduled to be reviewed by .

Wishbones by Carolyn Haines. Sarah Booth Delaney, Southern Belle (8th).

Game Over by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. Bill Slider (11th).

Dead Hot Shot by Victoria Houston. Loon Lake (9th).

The Chorister at the Abbey by Lis Howell. Norbridge Chronicles (2nd).

Rules, Regs and Rotten Eggs by H. R. F. Keating. Harriet Martens (7th).

The Manor of Death by Bernard Knight. Crowner John (12th).

House Rules by Mike Lawson. Joe DeMarco (3rd).

Killing Bridezilla by Laura Levine. Jaine Austen (7th).

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot by Jackie Lynn. Rose Franklin, Shady Grove (3rd).

Shadow of Power by Steve Martini. Paul Madriana (9th). Scheduled to be reviewed by .

Shimura Trouble by Sujata Massey. Rei Shimura (10th).

Dead Silver by Neil McMahon. Hugh Davoren (2nd).

A Vengeful Longing by R. N. Morris. Porfiry Petrovich (2nd).

Vita Nuova by Magdalen Nabb. Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia (14th). Scheduled to be reviewed by .

The Mind's Eye by Hakan Nesser. Van Veeteren (1st).

Exile Trust by Vincent H. O'Neil. Frank Cole (3rd).

The Dark of Day by Barbara Parker. C. J. Dunn (1st).

Old School Bones by Randall Peffer. Michael DeCastro (2nd).

Not in the Flesh by Ruth Rendell. Inspector Wexford (22nd).

King of the Holly Hop by Les Roberts. Milan Jacovich (14th). Scheduled to be reviewed by .

Fixation by Mark Schorr. Brian Hanson (2nd).

The Green Man by Kate Sedley. Roger the Chapman (17th).

Dyer Consequences by Maggie Sefton. Kelly Flynn, Knitting (5th).

Judgment Day by Sheldon Siegel. Mike Daley (6th).

Cool Cache by Patricia Smiley. Tucker Sinclair (4th).

Breaking Point by Frank Smith. Neil Paget (6th).

A Dying Fall by Sally Spencer. Charlie Woodend (19th).

I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming. Clare Fergusson (6th).

Murder on Bank Street by Victoria Thompson. Sarah Brandt and Frank Malloy, Gaslight (10th).

An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson. Josephine Tey (1st).

In the Heat by Ian Vasquez. Miles Young (1st).

The Blood Detective by Dan Waddell. Nigel Barnes (1st).

A Darker Side by Shirley Wells. Jill Kennedy and DCI Max Trentham (2nd). Scheduled to be reviewed by .

Second Sitting by Stella Whitelaw. Casey Jones (1st).

Illegally Dead by David Wishart. Marcus Corvinus (12th).

For more information on any of these titles, please visit the page on our website. If you're interested in new paperbacks, visit where you can discover a library of new mysteries.

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

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