Whiskey Sour

Starred review from April 26, 2004
Rough dialogue, intricate plotting and cascading suspense mark British author Lawrence's excellent debut, in which four bodies are found sitting almost casually in a circle in a nondescript London flat: three are suicides, the fourth is stabbed through the heart. Det. Sgt. Stella Mooney, an intense, troubled and dogged investigator, learns that small-time crook Jimmy Stone, the murder victim, was an active trader in "murderabilia," such as a scene-of-crime photo of the Manson killings and O.J. Simpson's autograph. Jimmy's story is one of many subplots that lend depth to this absorbing police procedural. The trail leads Stella into contact with a crime family and into delicate turf wars and accommodations within her own organization as well as with other agencies whose aims are not always the same. The enslavement and prostitution of East European women is yet another element the author uses to telling effect, as is the crisis in Stella's relations with her housemate provoked by a persistent journalist. Lawrence smoothly shifts focus, allowing the reader to follow Stella, a prostitute, the journalist and a chillingly efficient and ruthless Serbian assassin, among other distinctive characters. Readers are sure to want to see more of the memorable Stella in further adventures. Agent, Jonathan Clowes Ltd.

May 1, 2004
When the body of a young woman is found in a trash can, Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels, head of the Violent Crimes Unit, is called to the scene. Soon, it is deduced that the Chicago Police Department is dealing with a serial killer who takes great pleasure in slowly torturing and killing young women and then leaving a gingerbread cookie in his wake. As the female officer heading the investigation and a worthy opponent at that Jack becomes an obsession of the Gingerbread Man; her private life takes center stage as he tracks her down. Meanwhile, FBI officials provide some comic relief when they profile the killer as someone fascinated with horses and request Jack's unit to stake out a particular equine. This debut mystery is hard to characterize: the killings are brutal, yet the story is full of humor. In addition, the characters are engaging and human, and there are a lot of details about Jack's miserable love life. Fans of Janet Evanovich will like this, but readers of police procedurals will find fault with the lack of authentic detail (we know more about the serial killer than we do about how the police do their work). For most mystery collections. [Previewed in Mystery Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/04.] Jo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., OH

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