K is for Jim Kelly

I am featuring the author Jim Kelly for the Crime Fiction Alphabet meme this week. Kelly is the author of two mystery series. One is set in the Cambridgeshire Fens and features a journalist, Philip Dryden. The second series is a police procedural series. In both series, the landscape and its effect on people is very evident. Please visit the post at Mysteries in Paradise to check out other entries for the letter K.

The book I am featuring is Death Wore White. This is a police procedural set on the north Norfolk coast. Detective Inspector Peter Shaw and Detective Sergeant George Valentine are investigators for the West Norfolk Constabulary.

George Valentine formerly was a DI who was booted down a grade for mishandling a case. The partners resent and distrust each other, not an original storyline. This time, the reason for the strain in their relationship is that Valentine was Shaw's father's partner, and they were working on a case that went wrong when Shaw's father was forced to retire and Valentine was demoted and sent out to postings in undesirable areas.

Some joker in admin, thought Shaw, some old lag who knew the past and didn’t care about the future. They needed a new partner for Shaw, who at thirty‐three years of age was the force’s youngest DI, the whiz‐kid with the fancy degree and a father once tipped to be the next chief constable. And they’d come up with George Valentine – a living relic of a different world, where cynical coppers waged a losing war against low life on the street. A man who’d been the best detective of his generation until one mistake had put him on a blacklist from which he was struggling to escape. A man whose career trajectory looked like a brick falling to earth.

It was their first week as partners; already – for both of them – it seemed like a lifetime.

There are three murders that take place in a small area. The detectives make an assumption that the cases are related. As they discover relationships between persons involved in each crime, the more they feel that they are following the right track. One of the murders takes place on coastal road, in a car, trapped by a fallen tree, with a line of cars behind it. This could be described as an "impossible crime", with a body surrounded by snow, and the only set of footprints accounted for. There was a witness who saw a person walk up to the car and leave when the victim was still alive.

This story includes all the typical elements in a true modern police procedural. The detectives make good and frequent use of forensics, and they follow up leads and interview many suspects. The younger detective has education but less experience, and is more interested in forensics. The veteran detective is more of a maverick, more willing to bend the rules.

In the background are the questions surrounding the last case that Valentine worked on with Shaw's father. Peter Shaw's boss is very sensitive at any mention of the case because he feels like it reflected on the whole department and left them with a bad reputation.

I enjoyed reading this novel, although I enjoyed the last half more than the first half. I guess it is better to end well, than to start with a bang and then fizzle. I have seen that happen in many novels.

At 390 pages, I think the novel could have been shorter. The first half sets up the crimes and gives us all the witnesses, bystanders (so to speak), interested parties. With a crime scene that involves a line of vehicles isolated on a rarely used road, we have a relatively large set of people involved, and theoretically any could have committed the crime. And then there are the two other crimes, one at a nearby beach. This first half is somewhat dry and I did not get involved much with any of the characters.

At the midpoint of the book, we start getting some information from the point of view of the various persons who have been touched by these events, and at that point I began to get more invested in the outcome. The resolution was complex and satisfying.

Jim Kelly won the CWA Dagger in the Library 2006, awarded by the Crime Writers’ Association in the UK. It "is awarded to 'the author of crime fiction whose work is currently giving the greatest enjoyment to readers'; authors are nominated by UK libraries and Readers' Groups and judged by a panel of librarians." Other authors who have gotten this award are: Robert Barnard, Stephen Booth, Colin Cotterill, Ariana Franklin, and Mo Hayder. At the time of winning this award, Kelly had only published three books in the Philip Dryden series and the fourth was coming out soon.

Kelly now has written seven novels in the Philip Dryden series and four in the Shaw / Valentine series. Kelly is a journalist and his father was a police detective, so his main characters feel very authentic in their jobs. I have read the first book in the Philip Dryden series, a few years ago. I will read more books in both series when I have the chance.

Rivers of London: Ben Aaronovitch

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch is the third fantasy book that I read for the Once Upon a Time Challenge at Stainless Steel Droppings. I enjoyed this book very much. It was only the second book I read this month, but I suspect it will be my favorite for the month.

It is cross-genre fiction, blending fantasy and crime fiction. Most often I have seen it categorized as Urban Fantasy. The main character is a policeman and is actively investigating crimes so it also fits the definition of a police procedural.

Late last year, my husband, son, and I were discussing what constitutes an urban fantasy novel. "Urban" says set in a city. "Fantasy" says unreal, abnormal, supernatural. But the urban setting cannot be new to fantasy. So why do we now have a new sub-genre?

When I looked it up on the internet, it seems I am not the only one confused about this topic. Some said urban fantasies should have thriller elements.  Some said an element of romance is required. One definition that made sense to me indicated that situations in urban fantasy novels take place in the real world we are used to, but fantastical or supernatural elements come into play, and possibly need to be controlled.

And, actually the term "urban fantasy" has been used since the 1980's to describe types of fiction. I guess it has just become more popular now. And yet, not easily defined.

I was first attracted to this series by the book covers... the UK covers, specifically. The first review I read had a great and very succinct description, so I am going to use it. This description is from Simon's Book Blog:

...a police procedural with a difference: Peter Grant is a trainee PC in the Metropolitan Police who discovers that he can see ghosts, and is immediately seconded to a tiny division of the force (tiny, as in - Peter brings the staff total up to two) which deals with crimes which have a supernatural element.

I was intrigued by the police procedural element and had to give the book a try. Peter Grant is a probationary constable in the Metropolitan Police Service in London. He wants to be assigned to the CID, but it looks like he is headed for the dreaded Case Progression Unit, where he will be stuck doing paperwork. But right before this happens, he meets a ghost who witnessed a murder. And that leads to working with Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, in a specialist unit that deals with ghosts, spirits, vampires, you name it, when they are disrupting the peace in London.

This book was published with the title, Midnight Riot, in the US. The author has published two more books in the series, and a fourth, Broken Homes, is due to be published in the UK in July of this year and in the US in February 2014.

J is for J. Robert Janes

Kaleidoscope by J. Robert Janes is my submission for the Crime Fiction Alphabet at Mysteries in Paradise this week. Please visit the post at Mysteries in Paradise to check out other entries for the letter J.

Janes is a Canadian writer of crime fiction and children's books. Per MysteriousPress.com, publisher of his latest books:

J. Robert Janes (b. 1935) is a mystery author best known for writing historical thrillers. Born in Toronto, he holds degrees in mining and geology, and worked as an engineer, university professor, and textbook author before he began writing fiction. ... In 1992, Janes published Mayhem, the first in the long-running St-Cyr and Kohler series for which he is best known. These police procedurals set in Nazi-occupied France have been praised for the author’s attention to historical detail, as well as their swift-moving plots. Bellringer is the thirteenth in the series.

The Story

The  book is set in Occupied France, in December of 1942. It is the story of two men who are on opposite sides but must work together. Gestapo Haupsturmführer Hermann Kohler and  his partner, Sûreté Chief Inspector Jean-Louis St-Cyr have been thrown together by circumstances to investigate crimes.  They have developed a trusting relationship, but know that due to the realities of war, it will probably not end well. One side or the other will be the victor, and then where will their loyalties lie?

The two detectives are sent from Paris to a small village in Provence to investigate the death of a woman who is still lying on the hillside when they arrive. She has been shot with an arrow from a crossbow, thus limiting the suspects to those who can shoot with that weapon accurately. The victim turns out to be Anne-Marie Buemondi, who lives in Cannes but has come to the area to visit her daughter, who has health problems. The plot gets complicated very quickly, with suspicions that the death is related in some way to the activities of the maquis, the French Resistance.

My Take

I enjoyed the book, but I was confused by the narrative and the jerkiness of the plot as I read at least the first half of the book. There were references to past events and other characters that I did not understand. It turns out that Jean-Louis is having trouble remembering the details of a traumatic event that occurred several years earlier, which explains the choppiness of the segments, but reading it was still confusing.

Having read the first two books in the series (several years ago), I had some knowledge of the background of the story, yet this did not help too much. The relationships the detectives have with others (family, superiors) are covered pretty sketchily in this book, compared to the previous two, to give more time to the story, which was fine with me but might seem strange if you haven't read any earlier books. This is not spy fiction, but in some ways it reads like spy fiction. With the French authorities working with the occupiers, there is always distrust and no one ever knows who is on what side.

I have read reviews by others who had similar concerns re the complexity of the plot and narrative, yet most seem to find the series rewarding. It has a lot to offer. If you read this series, I suggest starting with the first book, which does explain the setup. Hopping around to different books in the series after that may not make that much difference.

In summary, this is an interesting and informative book about a time in history that I keep coming back to in my mystery (and non-fiction) reading. I have four more in the series in my TBR stacks, and plan to keep reading through the series. I hope to read the next one soon in order to be able to make comparisons.

What Others Say:

Mayhem, the first book in the series, was featured at The Rap Sheet as a "Book You Have to Read." Here is is what Cara Black, author of the Aimée Leduc series set in modern-day Paris, France, says in that post:

It’s impossible to praise too highly the subtle ways in which author Janes shows the twisted times of World War II in Europe through the stories of his two policemen, both of whom are suffering in their private lives.

J. Kingston Pierce comments at The Rap Sheet on Salamander, the fourth book in the series:

Amazingly, those onetime enemies had not only been getting along since their first adventure in Mayhem (aka Mirage), published in 1992, but had become a rather crack team of crime solvers--often to the disgruntlement of their Gestapo superiors in Paris, who see them as far too independent. While war storms across the face of Europe, it’s up to St-Cyr and Kohler to solve the more everyday but nonetheless disturbing crimes--the assaults, the thefts, the occasional cross-bow killings. Misdeeds outside the scope of state-sanctioned battle.

Additional Tidbits:

Carousel, the second book in the series, is another complex story of three connected murders that St-Cyr and Kohler are charged with solving. I am including an image of the cover for the Soho edition. I like this style of Soho covers in general, and this one is particularly nice.

A fourteenth St-Cyr and Kohler Investigation, Tapestry, has just been published on June 4th, 2013. It and Bellringer are available as eBooks or in paperback.

Janes also recently published a non-series novel, The Hunting Ground, set in Europe in the years immediately after World War II.

This is my thirteenth and final book for the Canadian Book Challenge 6.

Funk Zone

A few months ago, we were walking through the Funk Zone of Santa Barbara to take photos of the art on the walls of buildings. The art is changed every few months.

This door was one of my favorites on this visit.

Because of the detail shown in the next photo. You can click on any picture to see a larger version.

A closer look at some of the murals.

Almost all of Santa Barbara is beautiful, and offers lots of tourist attractions and scenic views. The Funk Zone is an unofficial area near to the beach that has retained its original charm. There are surf shops, a quirky surf museum, and lots of wine tasting spots. But we go for the murals.

There were three of us on this outing, so I don't know who took each photo, but all photos were processed by my husband.

I is for Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson

House of Evidence by Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson is my submission for the Crime Fiction Alphabet at Mysteries in Paradise this week. Please visit the post at Mysteries in Paradise to check out other entries for the letter I.

Ingólfsson is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction. This book was translated by Andrew Cauthery and Björg Árnadóttir.

The book is set in 1973 in Reykjavik, Iceland. The death being investigated is that of a middle-aged man who has been shot in his home, a very fine home which was built in the early twentieth century. There are several very unusual things about this murder that hinder the police investigation. This novel tells the story of the dead man, Jacob Kieler Junior, but we also learn of his father's life, which is told to us partly through diary entries. I found this to be a very interesting approach. I like that the story of both men is revealed gradually.


The police crew is Johann Palsson, a member of the detective division who has forensic training; Halldór Benjaminsson, a senior officer in the detective division; Erlendur Haraldsson, a business-school graduate who has expertise in financial matters; Hrefna Hilmarsdóttir, a female detective who often interviews people; Egill Ingólfsson, a member of the team who is often too rough with people; Marteinn Karlsson, an inexperienced new recruit who primarily assists Johann in the forensic work.

What did I like about House of Evidence?

I enjoyed the way the story was told. The story is relayed partially through excerpts from a diary which was written between the years of 1910 and 1945. The remainder is the story of the investigation of a murder, and it follows the members of the detective division as they perform their duties. I enjoyed the details of the investigation related to forensics especially.

Through Jacob Kieler Senior's diaries, we get a look at the Danish-Icelandic relationship and the movements toward separation from Denmark. It also covers the years of World War II. Jacob Senior spent much time in other countries, giving him a good command of both English and German. In fact, he marries an English woman. I liked the picture of Germany's rise to power from his limited point of view.

At the beginning of the book there is an excerpt from The Icelandic Encyclopedia.

Iceland's first and only railway was built in Reykjavik in 1913, with two locomotives running between Öskjuhlíð and the shore (a distance of two miles), conveying materials for construction projects at Reykjavik harbor from 1913 through 1917. It was decommissioned in 1928, and the last tracks were removed during the Second World War.

There are currently no railways in Iceland. Jacob Senior was a man very interested in bringing railways to Iceland. It affects many of his decisions he makes in his life. The author has a B.Sc. degree in civil engineering and this may be why all the information about Jacob Senior's education and his plans for building a railway seem very authentic.

The book has a map of Iceland with proposed railroad routes connecting cities. It was not that easy to read in the eBook format of the book, but if you are familiar with Iceland you can follow it. If you click on either of the maps, you can see more detail.

The second map was available on the Wikipedia page for Iceland.

Needless to say, I learned more about Iceland than I already knew, which was not much. Another reason to read more books set in other countries, written by authors from those countries.

It is unusual for me to read standalone crime novels; usually I read books in series. Consequently I was wishing that this book would be followed by further books featuring the various police staff. There were times when I felt that the author's writing was a bit bland and dry, but since I was enjoying reading the story throughout, it wasn't much of a detraction.

Some other reviews of this book:

• At this site, I'd Rather be in Iceland. A very interesting site if you are interested in Iceland in general.
• Another review at the blog of Lois Elsden, Writer.

Reading in May and Crime Fiction Pick of the Month

In May I read a total of nine books. This month, I read one non-fiction book. All the other books I read were crime fiction. A very good reading month.

The non-fiction book I read this month was Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and hope to write a book review of it sometime soon. So you can get a taste of what it is like...I am including an excerpt from the book description at Goodreads:

In Origins of the Specious, word mavens Patricia T. O’Conner and Stewart Kellerman reveal why some of grammar’s best-known “rules” aren’t—and never were—rules at all. This playfully witty, rigorously researched book sets the record straight about bogus word origins, politically correct fictions, phony français, fake acronyms, and more.

Of the eight mysteries I read in May, none were vintage mysteries, which is unusual. I usually aim for at least one vintage mystery a month. I did read the first three chapters in A Talent to Deceive by Robert Barnard, which is an appreciation of Agatha Christie and her works. I posted some comments on that book here.

Three of the mystery authors I read this month were new to me: Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson, Maureen Jennings, and Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza. One author was an old favorite, that I had not read for several years: Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. I read two books that were translated from another language, and one e-book.

Several authors I read this month are Canadian writers, as I was working on finishing up the Canadian Book Challenge 6. That challenge ends in June, and a new challenge begins July 1, 2014. If you are interested, check out the 7th Annual Canadian Book Challenge HERE.

I have been meaning to read more books by female authors, and this month I got closer to that goal. Half of the mysteries I read were by female authors, and one of the authors of my non-fiction book was female. I have a goal to have a month where I read only books by female authors, but don't know if I can accomplish that anytime soon. Several of my favorite, comfort authors are female, and I could at least do a post featuring those authors sometime.

So, to get to the point of this post. I will start by choosing my favorite crime fiction read of the month. My top read this month was The Silence of the Rain by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza. This is the first of a police procedural series that stars Inspector Espinosa of the First Precinct in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This detective is a book lover and a philosopher. His apartment is stacked with books. He stops by used bookstores several times during the story.

The book also has an unusual format. The first section, which makes up about half of the book, is told in third person and sets up the basic story. The middle section is written in first person from the point of view of the detective, so at that point we are just getting what he knows about the event. The smallest section, at the end, returns to third person to tie up all the events, in a sense. I found this to be a compelling read and am eager to continue the series. My review is here.

The mysteries I read this month are:

1. A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
2. Except the Dying by Maureen Jennings
3. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
4. Ten Second Staircase by Christopher Fowler
5. Silence of the Rain by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza
6. Fell Purpose by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
7. Murder at the Mendel by Gail Bowen
8. House of Evidence by Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson

All of the books I read were interesting and enjoyable. In addition to Silence of the Rain, Murder at the Mendel by Gail Bowen (set in Canada) and House of Evidence by Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson (set in Iceland) were especially memorable. Both of those were a little different from the normal mystery story, so I guess I am leaning in that direction right now.

The Crime Fiction Pick of the Month meme is hosted at Mysteries in Paradise. Bloggers link to summary posts for the month, and identify a crime fiction best read of the month. Check out the link here to see the other bloggers picks.