Customer Reviews

Smoke and Whispers

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In Newcastle, England, a corpse is fished out of the River Tyne. Freelance publisher and Ostrich farmer Sarah Tucker identifies the corpse as her friend private investigator Zoe Boehm.

The police assume Zoe committed suicide, but Sarah takes exception to that conclusion as the woman had a zest for life. Instead she believes Zoe was murdered in a way to make it look like she took her life. With the police seemingly contented with their conclusion, Sarah considers her late friend's inquiry into Alan Talmadge, who murdered middle-aged women but made their death appear to be an accident or a suicide. With the premise too coincidental, Sarah investigates who Talmadge is and if he killed ZoeThis probe makes her a target for suicide.

The key to this superb investigative thriller is the ostrich farmer who comes across as a rare legitimate amateur sleuth as Mick Herron "sells" Sarah as a detective with a motive. The story line is fast-paced from the moment that Sarah identifies the corpse and never slows down as she makes inquiries into her late buddy's last case, which puts a bulls-eye on her head. Although the climax can be seen clear across the Channel, SMOKE & WHISPERS is a fantastic English amateur sleuth.

Harriet Klausner

Sarah Tucker is devastated to read about her friend's death on the web. Zoe Boehm didn't keep normal contact with her close friend Sarah. She'd occasionally pick up the phone and call, or more times than not, send a postcard to let Sarah know she was doing ok. Sarah knows Zoe leads a dangerous life, so from time to time, she googles Zoe on the internet to see if anything bad has happened. But the day it does appear, Sarah denies it is Zoe until she identifies the body herself.

After Sarah confirms that the body is indeed her friend Zoe, Sarah starts a little investigation of her own. There is no way that Zoe would commit suicide and jump into the River Tyne, a conclusion the police have come to. Zoe loved life too much to throw it all away. Zoe was a private investigator, and Sarah feels it may have something to do with the case Zoe had been working on. Alan Talmadge made the deaths of middle-aged women appear as an accident or self-inflicted, when he himself murdered them. Sarah believes its too much to be coincidence and investigates further. But when Sarah gets too close to the truth, the target paints a big bull-eye on her.

Mick Herron draws the reader in from page one and does not let go until the final clue in the mystery unfolds. Set in England, he paints a backdrop worthy of a museum. So real, you can almost touch it. Sarah is a worthy opponent in any setting, being an argument, fancy dinner, or the morgue. A very versatile heroine that you just can't help but like. The plot in this mystery was well-spun. Just when I thought I knew the answer to one question, another arrived. Very well done!

His writing shows great improvement. The style is tighter. His story is more direct without losing its subtleties. His characters are more likable. It is a more seamless read than his first novel, Down Cemetery Road. Smoke and Mirrors has made me a fan. Lady J of CA

It just got boring at times. I found myself wanting to skip entire pages just to get to something interesting.

I can't go into detail about one of the big problems I had with the book because it would give a major spoiler. Suffice it to say that I felt like the author 'copied' some of the plot from his last book, Cemetary Road, which wasn't all that great to begin with.