Unlike the rest of the country, here in San Francisco it’s been foggy, grey and chilly for days on end. I decided it was perfect weather to settle in with a mystery, so I picked out three from my shelves. Two of which were DNF’s and one a hit.
Edwin of the Iron Shoes by Marcia Muller
Published in 1977, this is the very first in the Sharon McCone series. McCone works alone as a staff investigator for a low income legal service called All Souls Legal Cooperative in San Francisco.
Ms. Muller’s books get many good reviews, and I was looking forward to a new series based in San Francisco. My paperback copy is old — with yellowed pages that cracked as I turned them — and just like this copy the story line was old and tired.
The plot plodded along, with completely forgettable and shallow characters. Sharon was somewhat developed, but I lost interest after just a few chapters. Not bad, but just not great – maybe because it was one of the author’s earliest books? I think I have later one in this series on my shelves and will try it sometime.
Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge
I actually bought this book, full price and brand new…based on the book’s blurb (at least I was supporting my local independent bookstore):
Set in midcentury Paris and starring Julia Child’s fictional best friend, this magnifique reimagining of the iconic chef’s years at Le Cordon Bleu blends a delicious murder mystery with a unique culinary twist.
I mean how could I resist? Even the cover looks like Julia Child’s masterpiece cookbook(s).
Tabitha is a spunky ex-pat American living in post WWII Paris, and a friend of Julia Child’s. She becomes involved in a murder which takes place at one of Julia’s parties. Tabitha stumbles around, haplessly looking for clues and seeking answers, which I found very annoying.
I kept reading (almost half way through) merely because the descriptions of Paris, the food, and shopping in the markets were just wonderful. Not to mention, the author did a great job capturing Julia Child’s cuisine and her preparation of the same. But (and you knew there would be a But) the friendship between Tabitha, Julia and Julia’s sister Dort seemed not only contrived but forced.
As a fan of Julia Child, I really wanted to like this book but I could not carry on as the mystery finally became obvious (again only halfway through the book) and once again – contrived.
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James
Finally, I decided to try this one. I know and trust P. D. James and read all of P.D. James’ Dalgliesh series, but somehow never got around to this – which introduces Cordelia Gray.
Cordelia inherits the detective agency where she’s worked for only a brief period, when her more experienced partner commits suicide after learning that he has cancer. She’s young and inexperienced but decides to goes out on her own.
She is hired by a wealthy Cambridge scientist to look into why his son apparently committed suicide. This is the framework for an exciting and dangerous case. Soon Cordelia suspects that Mark Callender didn’t actually kill himself but rather was murdered. There are lots of family secrets, strained parent-child relationships, and some interesting wealthy Cambridge friends of Mark.
She questions a number of these friends and integrates herself into their circle. She goes to parties and outings with them as her investigation proceeds. And before long, she finds herself in serious danger.
It’s unwise to become to too personally involved with a human being. When that human being is dead, it can be dangerous as well as unwise.
Cordelia is a sharp detective, and as fully-rounded a character as Dalgleish, but a different personality. Unlike the cerebral approach of Dalgliesh, she is more of a survivor, but is also a very human, human being.
I let myself sink into this book and really enjoyed the literary references, the Cambridge setting, and very English writing. This well-written, austerely beautiful novel, was written in 1972, but feels like it could be set in the 1940’s. There are no gadgets, it isn’t action-packed or sexy, but here is a young female detective, without her mentor, who takes charge, talks to people and gets to the heart of things – despite having An Unsuitable Job for a Woman. But the memories of male mentors, and their advice are always in the background (including a cameo appearance by Dalgliesh).
It turns out P.D. James only wrote one other in the Cordelia Gray series and I am now on the hunt – turns out it’s available at my local library – naturally…
