A Mysterious Review of Swann's Lake of Despair by Charles Salzberg. A Henry Swann Mystery.
Review summary: It's a little slow going at first, as each of three subplots requires its own setup and there is nothing to connect them. But it's quite intriguing as an end game is negotiated for all three. There's a nuanced complexity here that makes this all very appealing in the end. A solid mystery and one that is recommended. (Click here for text of full review.)
Our rating:
Swann's Lake of Despair
Charles Salzberg
A Henry Swann Mystery
Five Star (October 2014)
Publisher synopsis: When rare photos, a scandalous diary, and a beautiful woman all go missing at once, the stage is set for three challenging cases for Henry Swann. It begins with an offer to partner up with his slovenly, unreliable frenemy, Goldblatt. The disbarred lawyer-turned-"facilitator" would provide the leads and muscle, while Swann would do all the fancy footwork. A lost diary by a free-loving Jazz Age flapper is worth enough to someone that Swann takes a beat down on an abandoned boardwalk. Pilfered photos of Marilyn Monroe propel him deep into the past of an alcoholic shutterbug, his wife; and he's hired to search for a lonely writer's runaway girlfriend. The cases converge and collide in a finale that lifts the curtain on crucial, deadly facts of life for everyone — including Swann himself.
0 comments:
Post a Comment