18 May 2023.
ISBN: 978-0-7490-3994-4 (HB)
Johnstone is a very experienced and excellent writer. He has built a strong following with his former novels and other work. However, this is the start of a completely different side to his writing. And I hope, there are many more in this series, as it presses all the right buttons of a first class, cosy crime.
I believe Johnstone knows and loves dogs. The characters and quirks of the two featured Russian Saluki canines are so well observed.
The story features Gwinny, a middle-aged actress who is down on her luck after giving up her career to care for her sick father. When her father dies, she inherits his house, only to find she has inherited the debts too. Personally, she is already struggling financially as her time was given to caring for her father, and, having no acting work to get her out of her scrape, her future looks bleak. Enter her best friend Tina, another successful actress who helps Gwinny by passing her name around in the hope of getting her auditions to get her back into work. Next, she is told that Tina, (also middle-aged), is marrying for the third or fourth time, and Gwinny’s life goes on hold to help her friend with wedding preparations.
However, when the scene is set for the wedding in a marquis in the beautiful grounds of Tina’s mansion, all doesn’t go to plan. Five minutes before the wedding vows are to be taken, the groom is found dead in the library, and Tina, our bride to be, is arrested and charged with the wealthy man’s murder.
The two Saluki hounds that were a wedding guest for Tina from the groom’s sister, are now left in the hands of Gwinny, who decides to take care of them and get on with the business of finding the right killer. Having known her best friend for as long, and well, as she does, there is no way she believes Tina is capable of murder. However, it seems she is alone. Everyone else seemingly disagrees. Some say a pre-nuptial was never signed and Tina was after his money.
Gwinny is a clever sleuth, and gradually, along with people she meets along the way, she unravels the puzzle, and just manages to avoid getting arrested herself.
Meanwhile her acting career is not doing too well and her efforts to resurrect herself as a leading west end player seems a long way from happening.
The story
moves at a great pace. Gwinny comes across as fun, intelligent, and has us
rooting for her all the way along, with the dogs as an added delight. The story
contains all the ingredients of an excellent cosy crime, who-dunnit, and my
recommendation is, if you are a cosy crime reader, rush out and buy it. I loved
it, and I very much look forward to the next.
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Reviewer:
Linda Regan
http://www.lindareganonline.co.uk
Antony Johnston is a New York Times bestselling graphic novelist, author, and games writer with more than fifty published titles. The Charlize Theron movie Atomic Blonde is based on his graphic novel The Coldest City. His epic series Wasteland is one of only a handful of such longform achievements in comics. His first video game, Dead Space, redefined a genre. Antony’s other books and graphic novels include The Exphoria Code, The Fuse, Daredevil, Julius, the Alex Rider graphic novels, Dead Space transmedia comics, and the adaptation of Alan Moore's 'lost screenplay' Fashion Beast. His video games include Shadow of Mordor, Blackwood Crossing, The Assembly, Dead Space Extraction, Zombiu, and more. He lives and works in England.
Linda Regan is the author of nine crime novels. She is also an actor. She holds a Masters degree in critical writing and journalism, and writes a regular column, including book reviews, for three magazines. She also presents the book-club spot on BBC Radio Kent. She is an avid reader and welcomes the chance to read new writers.
To read a review of
Linda's most recent book
The Burning Question
click on the title.
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