Synopsis (from
the publisher):
When a body is hauled from the River Tyne, Sarah Tucker heads to
Newcastle for a closer look. She identifies the dead woman as private
detective Zoe Boehm, but putting a name to the corpse only raises
further questions. Did Zoe kill herself, or did one of her old cases
come back to haunt her? Why was she wearing a jacket a murderer had
stolen years before? And what's brought Sarah's sparring partner Gerard
Inchon to the same broken down hotel? Coincidence is an excuse that
soon looks pretty unconvincing. Sarah can't leave until she's found the
answers to her questions, however dangerous that might turn out to be.
— ◊ —
— ◊ —
Smoke and Whispers
Non-series
Mick
Herron
Soho Constable (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-564-4 (1569475644)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-564-5 (9781569475645)
Publication Date: April 2009
List Price: $25.00
— ◊ —
Review: Mick
Herron crafts a tense mystery with a complex plot and
attention-grabbing characters in Smoke
and Whispers, his fifth novel of suspense.
The body of a middle-aged woman has been found in the River Tyne in
Newcastle. Was it a suicide, an accident, murder? According to the
possessions found on her by the police, the victim was a private
investigator named Zoe Boehm. But is it Zoe Boehm? Sarah Tucker, who
identifies the body, agrees it looked a lot like Zoe, but the body had
been in the water for some time. But she feels there is something just
not right.
Sarah knew Zoe was working for a mutual friend, Gerard Inchon. She knew
also that Zoe had plans to continue her pursuit of a killer who went by
the name of Alan Talmadge. Zoe had told Sarah that she had no idea of
just how many women Talmadge had murdered but she was aware of the last
two. Talmadge lured middle aged women with talk of love, and then
tiring of them he would kill them and move on to the next. Had Zoe been
his last victim? Not sure how to proceed, Sarah stays in Newcastle.
Sarah believes Alan Talmadge is in Newcastle but not using that name.
And there are other anomalies that pique her interest. The
hotel’s bartender is posing as an Australian but clearly
isn’t. Her friend Gerald is publicly supporting, even drumming up
potential investors for, a medical researcher she knows he had a
falling out with years ago. From cops to gangsters, Sarah winds her way
through dilapidated shipyards and to Newcastle’s newest and
swankiest areas. Although Sarah does not know who to trust she decides
she can not leave until she discovers the truth -- no matter how
perilous her journey.
Smoke and Whispers is an
electrifying story that doesn’t let up from start to finish. The
atmospheric setting, the intricately detailed, at times startling and
unexpected, plot, and the compelling characters all come together to
form a most original, satisfying suspense thriller.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Smoke and Whispers and to Soho Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Smoke and Whispers? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Down
Cemetery Road
Carroll & Graf (Hardcover), September 2007
ISBN-10: 0-7867-2068-9 (0786720689)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-2068-2 (9780786720682)
The
Last Voice You Hear
Carroll & Graf (Hardcover), September 2004
ISBN-10: 0-7867-1467-0 (0786714670)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-1467-4 (9780786714674)
Why
We Die
Carroll & Graf (Hardcover), September 2006
ISBN-10: 0-7867-1827-7 (0786718277)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-1827-6 (9780786718276)
Reconstruction
Soho Constable (Hardcover), April 2008
ISBN-10: 1-56947-504-0 (1569475040)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-504-1 (9781569475041)
Smoke and Whispers
Soho Constable (Hardcover), April 2009
ISBN-10: 1-56947-564-4 (1569475644)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-564-5 (9781569475645)
Omnimystery keywords for Smoke and Whispers ...
Location(s) referenced: Newcastle, England.
