Chelsea Mansions by Barry Maitland, a Mysterious Review.

Review: The detective team of DCI David Brock and DI Kathy Kolla investigate the circumstances surrounding two murder victims found within days of each other — one who lived in the area, the other staying at a nearby hotel — in Chelsea Mansions, the eleventh mystery in this series by Barry Maitland.

The first is a 70-year-old American female tourist, who was witnessed by several people as a man threw her in front of a bus on a busy street as she and her companion left the annual Chelsea Flower Show. A few days later a wealthy Russian man was stabbed in his garden at night while enjoying a Cuban cigar. At first there is nothing obvious to connect the two victims to each other, but — call it police instinct — the crimes are too well planned and executed that Brock and Kolla know there must be something. Before they can do much more, though, Brock falls ill and is hospitalized. Kolla can't seem to do anything right in their Superintendent's eyes, and is quickly sidelined, a new team assigned to the case. Though Kolla is warned to stay away from the investigation, she flies to Boston, the home of the murdered woman, to see if she can pin down the connection between the victims, where secrets from the past are brought to light.

Chelsea Mansions is an outstanding entry in this series. The characters, both the "good guys" and the "bad guys" deserve mention, as the strengths of the latter bring out the best in the former. The settings are vividly described and the interwoven plotlines — though rather complicated and at times tricky to follow — create a suspenseful atmosphere for the investigation. Highly recommended.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Chelsea Mansions.

Acknowledgment: Minotaur Books provided a copy of Chelsea Mansions for this review.

Dark Mirror
Minotaur Books (Hardcover), September 2009
ISBN-13: 9780312383992; ISBN-10: 0312383991

The Raven's Eye
Minotaur Books (Hardcover), October 2011
ISBN-13: 9781250028969; ISBN-10: 1250028965

Chelsea Mansions

A Brock and Kolla Mystery by Barry Maitland