Peter Lovesey, The Circle

The Circle By Peter Lovesey

The police investigate the fiery murder of unpopular publisher Edgar Blacker, who died following a talk he gave to the Chichester Writers' Circle, an unpublished writers' group. The motive seems obvious as Blacker conned the wannabes into investing in a doomed vanity press con making one of the group most likely the arsonist-killer. The prime suspect is the group's chair Maurice McDade as Blacker shammed the true crime author of the unpublished Unsolved into a hefty investment and gave nothing back.

Meanwhile two more fatal fires occur and the newest member Bob Naylor barely survives an attempt to fry him. As the group investigates one another; Inspector Henrietta "Hen" Mallin takes over the official investigation that has been fumbled while a serial arsonists-murderer has escaped identification.

Cigar smoking Hen is a diamond of a cop who turns Peter Lovesey's latest police procedural into a fabulous reading experience. The story line is typical of the grandmaster as the cast seems real especially the wannabe writers turned amateur sleuths and the who-done-it complex yet interesting. As usual the plot contains plenty of red herrings and twists as well as humor as Hen, who played a secondary role in THE HOUSE SITTER, takes the starring role carrying a terrific investigative tale on her pint sized back.

Harriet Klausner