I actually started writing this review before I finished reading the book as it is the most riveting crime novel I have read in a long time. I have read all of Gentill’s Roland Sinclair novels — rollicking murder mysteries set in 1920s and 1930s Australia (with side trips to Europe and China) — and I enjoyed them immensely. But this latest offering takes Gentill’s writing to a whole new level. All her books are written beautifully, however this one stands apart because of the novel’s construction. It is full of surprises, and it is difficult to summarise without giving some of these away, but I will try. Basically, the novel is about a writer, writing a murder novel, who gets caught up in a murder while working in the Boston Library on that novel. Very quickly the focus of the investigation is on the writer and the three people who were sharing her table in the library at the apparent time of the murder, and who quickly become her close friends. While this story is unfolding, a second meta-level mystery appears and adds an entirely new layer to the tension. Gentill manages to produce a story that is far from formulaic. There are several moments in the story which catch your breath at the unexpected, but plausible, turn that the narrative has taken. The novelist is Australian and her navigation of the idiosyncrasies of American English and expressions adds a delightful touch to the story. Highly recommended!
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