The
Arsenic Labyrinth
A
Lake District Mystery
Martin
Edwards
Poisoned
Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-328-0 (1590583280)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-328-9 (9781590583289)
Publication Date: January 2007
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): After 10 years, Guy--a drifter with a taste for
deception--has returned to Coniston in England's Lake District. A local
journalist, Tony di Venuto, is campaigning to revive interest in the
disappearance of Emma Bestwick, and Guy knows what happened to her.
When he tips off the newspaperman that Emma will not be coming home,
DCI Hannah Scarlett, head of Cumbria's Cold Case Review Team, re-opens
the old investigation. Her enquiries take her to the Museum of Myth and
Legend and to the remote and eerie Arsenic Labyrinth--a series of stone
tunnels used to remove arsenic from tin ore.
Meanwhile, historian Daniel Kind is immersing himself in the work of
John Ruskin, whose neighbors created The
Arsenic Labyrinth.
A shocking discovery makes it clear to Hannah that there is not one
mystery to solve, but two, and she turns to Daniel for help in
untangling the secrets of the past. As Hannah and Daniel struggle to
resist a growing but dangerous attraction, Guy's plan to make a quick
buck runs into trouble, and he has to resort to desperate measures.
Someone is determined to kill to keep their secrets safe.
Review:
Martin Edward's third mystery set in the Lake District of England, The Arsenic Labyrinth,
is at its best in the beautiful descriptions of the region and for
creating a moody atmosphere for the characters. The plot, however, is a
bit convoluted and the overlapping storylines make it at times
difficult to follow.
After reading an article about the 10-year anniversary of the
disappearance of Emma Bestwick, Guy Koenig, a man who knows better than
to divulge too many secrets, makes an anonymous call to the reporter
who wrote the story, stating simply, "Emma Bestwick won't be coming
back." This phone call sets into motion a series of events that
includes reopening the case by Detective Chief Inspector Hannah
Scarlett, who was originally assigned to investigate the missing girl.
Independently, historian Daniel Kind is researching the life of John
Ruskin, the influential 19th century author, poet, and artist who spent
much of his later life in the Lake District. Daniel's reasearch and
Hannah's investigation intersect at a series of tunnels beneath the
landscape known locally as The
Arsenic Labyrinth,
culminating in the resolution to the mystery of a young woman's
disappearance a decade ago.
Following an intriguing opening chapter, The Arsenic Labyrinth
quickly loses its momentum as Edwards sets up the various subplots
through alternating points of view. The most interesting of these is
that of Guy Koenig, a petty criminal and con man, who plays a pivotal
role in the investigation, and, as Hannah considers him, "never had an
unselfish impulse in his life". Somewhat ironically, it isn't until
after his murder about halfway through that the story regains the
traction of its original premise. The startling conclusion, with its
disclosure of Guy's true involvement in the disappearance of Emma
Bestwick 10 years ago, more than compensates for a slow start to this
reflective mystery.
Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of The Arsenic Labyrinth for this review.
Review Copyright © 2007 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read The Arsenic Labyrinth? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
The
Coffin Trail
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), October 2004
ISBN-10: 1-59058-129-6 (1590581296)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-129-2 (9781590581292)
The
Cipher Garden
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), November 2005
ISBN-10: 1-59058-206-3 (1590582063)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-206-0 (9781590582060)
The Arsenic Labyrinth
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), January 2007
ISBN-10: 1-59058-328-0 (1590583280)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-328-9 (9781590583289)
Omnimystery
keywords for The Arsenic Labyrinth
...
Location(s) referenced: England's
Lake District.
