Assassins

August 8, 2016
YA author Eldridge (The Lethal Target) makes his adult debut, a historical mystery launch, with mixed results. In October 1921, Winston Churchill, at the time secretary of states for the Colonies, asks Det. Chief Insp. Paul Stark of Scotland Yard to investigate the murder of Lord Amersham, a cabinet minister, who was gunned down in front of his London home. Churchill is certain that Bolsheviks were behind the assassination. Meanwhile, Special Branch inspectors Burns and Rogers would like Stark to look into Amersham’s involvement with the Irish delegation negotiating for home rule. The skeptical Stark, aided by Det. Sgt. Robert Danvers, pursues other leads as well, one of which ends up having a personal connection. Danvers’s sister, Lettie, reveals to her brother that their father, jealous of Amersham’s attentions to their mother, may have wanted the man dead. Other murders follow, building up to a dramatic, if not fully plausible, denouement. A romantic subplot feels forced.

Against a backdrop of political unrest, a multiple murderer wreaks havoc in post-World War I Britain.October 1921. Shots are fired outside the residence of Lord Amersham's home in Regent's Park. When Scotland Yard DCI Paul Stark arrives with his sergeant, Robert Danvers, he's confronted by a furious Winston Churchill, Secretary of State for the Colonies. Three bullets found their mark, indicating that the killer was an experienced gunman. Amersham's vocal opposition to both the British Communist Party and the fight for Irish independence made him the target of many. Suspicion naturally falls on charismatic Irish Republican Army leader Michael Collins, who at first bristles under Stark's questions but ultimately offers his assistance. As Danvers tangles with Lady Amelia Fairfax, a childhood friend who's now a Communist sympathizer and sponsor, Stark shakes loose the name of a suspect, hotheaded Daniel Harker, whose gun doesn't match the murder weapon. The contentious relationship Amersham had with Danvers' parents provides awkward complications. Should the sergeant protect his family or come clean with his boss? A second, equally efficient murder intensifies the urgency of the investigation. Kind, gentle MP Tobias Smith, shot in his home, was very different from Amersham, reportedly having no enemies. A group calling itself "The Hand of Justice" takes credit for the murders in a threatening letter to the press. Who could they be? Besides providing interesting nuggets of history, Eldridge depicts his lead characters with complexity and compassion, auguring well for this series kickoff. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2016
The assassination of a nobleman in broad daylight in front of his London house in 1921 upsets the ruling class. DCI Paul Stark of Scotland Yard, who heads the case, soon hears about probable suspects: Secretary of State for the Colonies Winston Churchill fingers the Bolsheviks, while Special Branch detectives look to the Irish, as talks about the Irish Free State are going on. Stark's boss is just ordering him to find a scapegoat when more assassinations occur, soon enabling Stark to find a connection between victims and identify the killer, even as a greater threat is posed. Eldridge presents an appealing cast: Stark, a decorated veteran who came home from the war to find his wife dead of influenza, now lives with his parents, who help care for his eight-year-old son; and his able assistant, DS Robert Danvers, who's estranged from his upper-class father for his choice of occupation. A smart start to a proposed series, with politics threaded through procedure, plus a hint of romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)