3.0 out of 5 stars
a worthwhile series, September 12, 2011
The third of the Lake District mysteries is an enjoyable read, but not quite up to the level of the second book in terms of character development and the coherence of the plot. Still recommended reading for those who enjoy the style of "classic" British police procedurals in a current-day setting.
Many thanks to the author and publishers for making e-book versions available - it makes it easier (and cheaper!) to try new authors and genres.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
The third entry in a consistently excellent mystery series, February 21, 2011
First Line: You'd never believe it to look at me now, but once upon a time I killed a man.
When a grifter returns to Coniston in England's Lake District and tips off a local newspaperman that he knows what happened to a woman who went missing ten years before, DCI Hannah Scarlett and her Cold Case Review Team re-opens the case.
Hannah's investigation takes her to the Museum of Myth and Legend and on to the remote and eerie Arsenic Labyrinth (a series of tunnels constructed to remove arsenic from ore). While Hannah is involved with her cold case, historian Daniel Kind is doing research for a new book on John Ruskin, whose neighbors built the Arsenic Labyrinth. It doesn't take Hannah long to discover that there are two mysteries to solve, and she enlists Daniel's aid. They have to hurry because someone out there has proven that they will kill to keep their secrets.
Edwards brings the Lake District to life in this series of crime novels, along with a sense of the small villages and the people who live in them. In places like this, history still matters although it may not seem so to much of the rest of the country, as one character laments:
"Perhaps it doesn't matter," he murmured. "These tales of the past, handed down through the generations. The sophisticates who live in our towns and cities have no truck with the tales and traditions of the countryside. Why should they, when they have broad minds and broadband?"
Even more than the story, the setting and the sense of history, the characters of Hannah Scarlett and Daniel Kind are the glue that holds everything together. They are so well-drawn, so obviously attracted to each other, that I'm sure I'm not the only reader who would like to shake some sense into each of them and push them together. The fact that they're both first-class investigators is icing on the cake.
If you're in the mood for an atmospheric mystery with a haunting setting, a touch of history, an involving mystery, and two excellent characters, by all means find yourself one of Martin Edwards' Lake District mysteries. Do you have to start at the very beginning? No, not at all. But with characters like Hannah and Daniel and a setting like England's Lake District, why deprive yourself?
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5.0 out of 5 stars
The plot is well implemented and the narration is outstanding., January 16, 2007
This review is from: The Arsenic Labyrinth (Hardcover)
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (01/07)
Martin Edwards in "The Arsenic Labyrinth" has integrated a unique cast of characters with an intriguing plot. The story is centered on unraveling intricate relationships and secrets from the past. A drifter, a journalist, a historian, and a police inspector, all play significant roles in uncovering this unsolved mystery from the cold case file. The setting for the story is Coniston, a small community in England's Lake District.
Edwards has created a group of characters with distinctive personalities, many of whom were in his earlier Lake District Novels. The carefully developed plot is moved along through the medium of dialog. Edwards's use of astute interrogations and his elaborate detail of police investigation procedures match the classic writers of this genre.
Ten years after the disappearance of Emma Bestwick, a newspaper article and an anonymous phone call stir up interest in the unsolved case. The police reopen the cold case file and begin revisiting family members, relatives, and those even remotely involved at the time of Emma's disappearance. The inquiry takes DCI Hannah Scarlett and her team to the Museum of Myth and Legend and to the ominous Arsenic Labyrinth, a succession of stone tunnels previously used in removing arsenic from tin ore.
There are numerous unexpected and complex plot twists. A second body, buried in the mine for 50 years, is discovered near Emma's corpse. New clues and multiple speculations turn up during the new investigation. Suddenly the reader is faced with another unexpected turn of events that leads to a suspenseful surprise ending.
The plot is well implemented and the narration is outstanding. I found "The Arsenic Labyrinth" an enjoyable read and am eager to read more of the works of Martin Edwards.
Book received free of charge.
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