Souvenirs of Murder

October 5, 2009
Two cases—one engrossing, the other less so—figure in Duffy’s 13th mystery to feature Patrick Gillard and his wife, Ingrid Langley (after 2008’s Blood Substitute
). When Patrick’s latest undercover assignment for SOCA, the Serious Organized Crime Agency, results in the shooting deaths of criminal Andrea Pangborne, members of her gang and her innocent daughter, the former MI5 agent looks guilty of their murders. The problem is, he doesn’t recall what happened because he was drugged. Ingrid, though she’s recently given birth to their son, rushes to clear Patrick. Complicating matters is the “Case of the Man Who Tried to Take Over a Village and Ended up Dead,” involving a rectory being renovated for Patrick’s parents, but this serves mainly as filler. Of far more interest is the investigation into the Pangborne slayings, especially after Ingrid discovers a vital clue at the crime scene that others missed.

October 15, 2009
Partners in life and crime-solving, Ingrid Langley and Patrick Gillard take on what may be the toughest case of their lives.

When you've just had a baby, you're not best pleased to see your man whisked away on an undercover assignment. So it's easy to imagine Ingrid's feelings when the Serious and Organized Crime Agency sends Patrick off to capture the very dangerous Andrea Pangborne. In his absence, Ingrid is living in a rented house while the old rectory is being done up to accommodate both their family and Patrick's parents. His father, the rector, has been very worried indeed by stories of a black-magic cult in the village. When a bossy newcomer is found dead in the church, Ingrid noses around to help their friend DCI Carrick. But the worst is yet to come. Patrick, who's been doped with a potent mix of drugs, becomes the chief suspect in the murder of a whole group of people in the sordid hideout of Pangborne and her boyfriend. The police seem sure that Patrick did the deed in a drugged state; SOCA withholds judgment. As Patrick, still recovering from his overdose, struggles to remember what happened, a furious Ingrid goes to London to find evidence to clear him. It takes all their skills to solve both cases.

Ingrid's turn in the starring role of Duffy's Bond-esque series (Blood Substitute, 2008, etc.) produces a pleasing hybrid of mystery and thriller.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

November 15, 2009
Patrick Gillard and Ingrid Langley return in an action-packed mystery thats part British cozy, part 007 thriller. Patrick goes undercover to nab a female Eastern European criminal mastermind, but it all goes horribly wrong when the woman, her gang, and her young daughter are shot dead, and Patrick is accused of the killings. Patrick was drugged at some point that night with a near-lethal combination of mind-altering drugs, so while hes pretty sure he didnt kill the gang, theres a niggling doubt not only in his mind but also in the minds of his superiors. Hes ordered to take a leave of absence while the Serious Crime Unit investigates, but he wont rest until hes proven his own innocence. Meanwhile, there are ugly rumors in the village where the Gillards live that a coven of witches is practicing black magic. Patrick and Ingrid are drawn into the case when Patricks father, the local minister, is attacked, and theres a murder at his church. Duffy provides her usual solid writing and inventive plotting for this entertaining cross-genre crime tale.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)