A Question of Identity

July 2, 2012
In Fraser’s engrossing eighth Rona Parish mystery (after 2010’s Unfinished Portrait), biographer Rona must delay her latest project, a book about painter Elspeth Wilding, to delve into a pair of mysteries. Her twin sister, Lindsey, has sought out her sleuthing expertise on behalf of a fellow book club member, William Stirling. Shortly before the death of William’s mother-in-law, Trish Cowley, she was inexplicably upset by a photo taken of students and teachers at the private school she was attending in 1951. The meaning of Trish’s reaction may lie in the identity of a mysterious figure blacked out in the photo. Meanwhile, Rona attempts to unravel the meaning of the disturbing dreams her friend Magda Ridgeway has suffered from ever since a hypnotism session. Solid plotting complements the author’s in-depth examinations of the varied relationships among her characters, in particular the bond between Rona and Lindsey.