Cold Smoked [Mass Market Paperback]

K. K. Beck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1996

Under the terms of eccentric Uncle Harold's will, Jane da Silva can only access her trust fund if she investigates "hopeless cases" for the Bureau for Righting Wrongs. Low on cash and waiting for a hopeless case, Jane is singing the blues in a Seattle hotel lounge during a seafood convention. When a young woman is shot to death, Jane agrees to help the woman's family find the murderer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As readers familiar with her first three appearances know, Seattle's Jane da Silva (A Hopeless Case) is the beneficiary of a loopy trust: she gets money from her uncle's estate as long as she solves crimes for people who can't afford to hire a PI. Once through the slow opening chapters, readers will hook onto a sharp-witted puzzler with an abundance of red herrings (and salmon and cod) that will keep them guessing to the last page. Having taken a gig as a lounge singer in a tacky local hotel, Jane is entertaining a group from the salmon industry, in town for the international seafood show, when the earnest young reporter for Seafood Now bursts into the room screaming that there's a dead woman in her bathtub. Jane's subsequent investigation takes her to Norway and the Shetland Islands. Throughout, Jane remains good-natured while enjoying the absurdity around her as Beck offers a worldly tour of the fishing industry and environmental shenanigans before concluding this solid work with an unexpected, gleefully cynical climax.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Jane da Silva, the Seattle private eye whose inheritance limits her investigations to desperate, "unsolvable" cases only, looks into the death of a young seafood convention hostess. Roving from northern cod-fishing grounds to the Shetland Islands and back, Jane learns of sabotage, deceptive business practices, and further murder.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Press (July 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446403512
• ISBN-13: 978-0446403511
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.7 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,770,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

K.K. Beck (also known as Kathrine K. Beck) lives in Seattle, Washington, and is the author of 17 crime novels and one work of nonfiction, "Opal: A Life of Enchantment, Mystery and Madness." Beck is an Edgar award nominee and an Agatha award nominee.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars There Must Be Easier Ways for a Heroine to Earn a Living, May 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cold Smoked (Mass Market Paperback)

I haven't read any of the previous books, so I don't know how this one compares to them. The author's skill with descriptions was enough to make me share the heroine's emotions (after listening to all those salmon pushers -- and thank goodness we have only a hint of their burblings -- I'd be wanting to sink my teeth into some beef, too). Beck does as good job with the minor characters as with the main. I admire the way the obnoxious or boring characters were brought to sufficient life that I wanted to sneak away from them. The comments about Americans who try to force their own views on the rest of the world were appreciated.

Too bad the woman whose boyfriend dumped her before she got around to dumping him allowed herself to feel depressed. There's no need for that. I've had one of those calls. When the guy asked me if I minded, I referred to his new girlfriend as my savior. (No, that didn't start a feud. They've been married for years and we're all friends.)

Sampling an author's work for the first time is always a risk. It's good to be able to say that I didn't waste my money. Ann E. Nichols

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good writing, good plot, unbelievable heroine, December 19, 2002

By 

J. Rosenberg "reggieroy" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cold Smoked (Hardcover)

I just couldn't warm up to Jane da Silva. I missed the descriptions of her home and habits that are sometimes TOO detailed in other mysteries of this type. I have no idea what her house is like, what kinds of clothes she wears, etc. Also, I just did not believe what she was able to accomplish and how much wool she pulled over how many eyes. Also, I prefer when these types of books are in first person. I could then really be in Jane's head and hear her thoughts. Also, a bit too much scenery description. So overall, despite the entertaining and clever plot and the strong, unusual setting, I don't think I'll be reading another da Silva mystery.