WHODUNIT?

REVIEWS BY BRUCE TIERNEY

Something for every mystery fan

It is always a bit of a conundrum when choosing books to review whether to include the old stand-by authors, who will get critiqued by everyone in possession of a sharpened nib, or feature newcomers, who could most likely use a word or two of encouragement. A second consideration is whether to review foreign books, which by their very nature are a bit alien to the middle-American reader, or just stick with tried-and-true U.S. settings. This month, I waffled, and managed to include all of the above: a dark tale of ill-gotten gains and murder in Sweden; a bizarre police procedural set in Boston, with overtones of the occult; a macabre Atlanta mystery with an odd trio of protagonists; and a hip and insightful tale of shenanigans in the volatile world of pop music.

First up, a hearty welcome to musician-turned-novelist Don Bruns, whose South Beach Shakedown offers readers a high-energy romp through the uncomfortably parallel worlds of the pop music industry and the criminal underbelly of Miami. Entertainment journalist Mick Sever owes his career to pop star Gideon Pike. Pike allowed Sever into his inner circle back when Sever was a fledgling reporter, and that entrée put Sever on the map. Fame went to Sever's head (not to mention his liver and his neural synapses) as he lived in the shadow of the pop idol; his excesses cost him his marriage, and very nearly his career as well. Now Gideon Pike is in a jam, and through a mutual acquaintance (Sever's ex-wife, for whom Sever still carries an Olympic-size torch) he has summoned the writer to help bail him out. It will not be easy, though, for when Sever arrives in Miami, he finds that Gideon Pike has disappeared, and that Pike's compadres are dropping like flies. A Korean mobster adds a bit of Asian spice to the dish, and Sever's ex, Ginny, supplies the sizzling heat. The banter, particularly between Sever and Ginny, is relaxed and believable, just what you'd expect from old lovers who are still friends. With the relentlessly action-packed South Beach Shakedown, Bruns has crafted what may be this season's quintessential suspense read.


The power of three

The award for strangest protagonists of the month goes to Karin Slaughter for her diabolically clever Triptych. The three main characters are Atlanta detective Michael Ormewood, a family man with a deep (and, of course, dark) secret; Will Trent, a GBI guy (that's Georgia Bureau of Investigation for those not acquainted with the acronyms of the Peach State); and John Shelley, a recently released ex-con who confessed to one of the most heinous murders in Atlanta history. But did he really do it? Despite his confession, there seems to be some conflicting evidence. Problem is, now that he's out, there has been a rash of crimes that echo the one for which he was incarcerated. The similarities have not been lost on the investigators, nor, for that matter, on Shelley's astute parole officer. There is a good possibility that Shelley is being framed (although we're never quite sure), and he must establish his innocence before the other two protagonists can prove his guilt. Triptych is Slaughter's first stand-alone novel, and it's a crackerjack. She plants seeds of doubt both in her characters and in her readers, and believe this: they bear fruit in the strangest ways as the book progresses!


Where evil waits

Boston Medical Examiner Laura Isles and police detective Jane Rizzoli are back once again in Tess Gerritsen's adrenaline-infused The Mephisto Club. The title refers to a loosely knit organization of wealthy do-gooders (or are they?) who claim to seek out evil and try to destroy it. They truly believe that evil has a face, and that modern-day demons are in our midst. When a corpse is found at the Beacon Hill mansion the club calls home, Rizzoli and Isles are brought in to investigate. It will not be the last death connected with the Mephisto Club, and indeed Isles and Rizzoli will soon wonder if they are to be next. The villain DOis as amoral as any in recent memory, a product of a complicated childhood, but with that special extra quality that cannot be attributed simply to abandonment issues. Flawlessly melding the forensic work of, say, "CSI," with the religious iconography of The Da Vinci Code, Gerritsen has crafted an eerie and compelling mystery, with a chilling and thought-provoking denouement. P.S.: this book demands a sequel!


MYSTERY OF THE MONTH

In my estimation, some of the finest suspense novels in recent memory hail (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) from the lands of ice and snow—Scandinavia. I suppose it all started, in modern times at least, with Peter Hoeg's Smilla's Sense of Snow. Recent entries by Hakan Nesser (Borkmann's Point) and Karin Fossum (Don't Look Back) feature atmospheric settings, complex and thoughtful protagonists and brilliant storylines. Swedish author Henning Mankell does nothing to let his side down with the latest installment in the Kurt Wallander series, The Man Who Smiled. First published in Sweden in 1994, this fourth novel featuring the troubled detective is just now reaching our shores.

As the book opens, Wallander is on sick leave, racked both physically and mentally from having taken the life of a criminal in the line of duty. A friend enlists Wallander's aid in the investigation of a parent's death, then quite suddenly thereafter the friend is murdered as well. Wallander reneges on his tendered resignation, and plunges full force into the investigation of what he now regards as two murders. There will be more murders before the investigation draws to a close, and a near miss for Wallander as well. Clues seem to point to a wealthy and reclusive businessman, but the sums don't quite add up. At every turn, the police are stymied by their bosses, local political figures and the layers of security that blanket the enigmatic tycoon. Then the rumors begin to get really creepy, with suggestions of a network of third-world human organ harvesting, and sales to the highest bidder.

The Man Who Smiled is a first-rate detective story, no doubt, but more than that, it manages the "border crossing" into superlative mainstream fiction, not unlike the aforementioned Smilla's Sense of Snow. On a happy note, there are another five Kurt Wallander novels awaiting the estimable skills of Mankell translator Laurie Thompson. Laurie, don't make us wait too long!


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