Dark Mirror: A Brock and Kolla Mystery (Brock and Kolla Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Barry Maitland (Author)

Book Description

Series: Brock and Kolla Mysteries | Publication Date: September 29, 2009

Newly promoted to Detective Inspector, Kathy Kolla of the Serious Crimes Unit is called in by the forensic pathologist regarding the recent sudden death of a London student from what he’s determined to be arsenic poisoning. Marion Summers had no reason to be in contact with arsenic and, though once common, arsenic is now very hard to get hold of. The more Kolla investigates, the more she discovers that certain other things about Summers are also unusual. She moved three octobers ago without leaving a forwarding address or informing her relatives. And her step-father has a disquieting past and, after attacking a constable in a pub, a not-so-savory present. With each turn in the investigation, it becomes increasingly clear that behind what really happened—and why—lies the most difficult-to-crack case the team has ever faced.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. When Ph.D. student Marion Summers collapses and dies in the London Library in the excellent ninth entry in Maitland's series featuring Kathy Kolla, newly promoted to detective inspector, and Det. Chief Insp. David Brock (Spider Trap, etc.), everyone assumes her diabetes is to blame. But when arsenic is discovered in Summers's system, Kolla takes charge of her first investigation. As part of her thesis, Summers was researching the 19th-century avant-garde painters and poets known as the Pre-Raphaelites. Summers had recently become obsessed with poisons, particularly arsenic, and her theories concerning its role in the lives of the Pre-Raphaelites had caused tensions among her academic peers. With Brock's help, Kolla digs deeper into the young woman's life and uncovers an unsettling past and numerous suspects who may have wished her harm. Maitland crafts a suspenseful whodunit with enough twists and turns to keep even the sharpest readers on their toes. (Oct.)
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About the Author

BARRY MAITLAND is the author of several novels in the Brock and Kolla series. Raised in London, Maitland lives in Australia. He was a finalist for the Barry Award, the John Creasey Award, and the winner of the Ned Kelley Award.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (September 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312383991
• ISBN-13: 978-0312383992
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #960,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "I'm almost sure that she died of arsenic poisoning.", October 4, 2009

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dark Mirror: A Brock and Kolla Mystery (Brock and Kolla Mysteries) (Hardcover)

In Barry Maitland's "Dark Mirror," DI Kathy Kolla, newly promoted and eager to make her mark, has a very messy murder case on her hands that has elements of academic rivalry, infidelity, and blackmail. Kolla and her superior, DCI David Brock, are drawn into a web of intrigue that leads them down one false trail after another. No one's word can be taken at face value, and there is little forensic evidence pointing to an obvious suspect. The first victim is Marion Summers, a twenty-six year old PhD student at London University, whose specialty is the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. She has conducted what she considers to be groundbreaking and shocking research that she believes will change the way academia looks at Dante Gabriel Rossetti and his followers. However, would someone do away with her in order to keep her work from becoming public? Kolla interviews Marion's acquaintances, her sleazy family, and her tutor. Unfortunately, since Marion guarded her privacy fiercely, DI Kolla has a difficult time uncovering the confidential aspects of Marion's life that she took great pains to hide.

Those who have admired Kolla and Brock over the years will be delighted to be back in their company. Kathy is an aggressive and dedicated detective who regularly puts her job before her personal life. Brock is trying to make a go of a long-distant relationship with his girlfriend, Suzanne, but there never seems to be enough time for them to get together as often as they would like. Brock and Kolla make a formidable team, and they are ably assisted by an eager young Detective Constable named Philippa (Pip) Gallagher. Maitland expertly depicts the long and frustrating hours that it takes to interview and re-interview witnesses, suspects, and anyone who has information to share. It is always challenging to separate fact from fiction, and at times, it seems to Kathy that everyone lies for one reason or another. When she meets an attractive young man on a weekend trip, Kathy has a rare opportunity to relax and enjoy some time away from the pressures of work.

Unfortunately, during the final portion of "Dark Mirror," Maitland loses control of his material. There are too many red herrings, too many long-winded explanations, and too many unbelievable plot developments that are designed to surprise the reader. Although Kolla and Brock eventually put the pieces together, the solution to this intricate puzzle is depressing, overly complicated, and ridiculously far-fetched. Fewer twists and turns would have made for a more believable, coherent, and entertaining mystery.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I normally love British series procedurals..., January 9, 2010

By 

Jill Meyer (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dark Mirror: A Brock and Kolla Mystery (Brock and Kolla Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I've read all of Barry Maitland's Brock and Kathy British police proceduals and have found them all to be well-written and well-researched with good character deliniations. This book, his latest, just doesn't seem quite up to speed. It's a good read, but is slightly too long and could have used some judicious editing. The front story, which takes place today with Brock and Kathy Kolla investigating two poisonings with arsenic, is too overshadowed by the back story, about the pre-Raphaelites and their activities. The plot is almost too much of a "stretch" to be convincing, as are some of the secondary characters.

If you're a Brock/Kolla fan, you'll enjoy the book because he continues the character time line of his main characters and that's always important in a "series" book.

If you haven't read Maitland, I'd start on one of his earlier books.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Arsenic and . . ., November 4, 2009

By 

Ted Feit (Long Beach, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dark Mirror: A Brock and Kolla Mystery (Brock and Kolla Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The latest Brock and Kolla procedural provides a mystifying case involving arsenic poisoning, a relative rarity in the crimes of the day. Kathy Kolla, newly promoted to inspector, is presented with a challenging, if not enigmatic, crime. Marion Summers, a young, brilliant PhD student collapses in the British Library after having just eaten lunch in St. James Park. The pathologist intuitively believes that it is a case of arsenic poisoning [later confirmed] and murder.

Unfortunately, as the investigation proceeds, it soon appears that the victim committed suicide. But Kathy is obsessed and continues to look into Marion's background. Then the latter's friend, another student, is found poisoned, and the case takes yet another turn.

The plot revolves around Marion's research into the Victorian pre-Raphaelite period, in which arsenic was widely available and used for a variety of purposes [unlike today, when it is rare and largely unobtainable]. There are a number of suspects, and the reader is kept on the brink of discovery until the real culprit is unveiled. Maitland is a master in creating suspense, and smoothly moving the story ahead without revealing clues to the reader as he or she twists and turns until a most unexpected conclusion. Recommended.