Requiem Mass

Starred review from March 4, 2013
Early in Corley’s compelling first mystery featuring Det. Chief Insp. Andrew Fenwick, a young mother disappears from her comfortable suburban home outside London, lured to the city by a scheming psychopath. What becomes a cold case turns out to have a significant link to the gruesome killing of a teacher: the two women had been classmates at Downside, a local school nationally known for its strong music curriculum. Fenwick and his team meticulously work their way through countless interviews and endless cups of tea to come up with a profile of the killer. They further discover that more women from Downside are at grave risk, particularly a world-renowned soprano coming home to celebrate Downside’s 75th anniversary. Meanwhile, Fenwick grapples with domestic concerns, police politics, and an unwise liaison. The finale, reminiscent of The Day of the Jackal, ratchets up the suspense and brings new meaning to the word stalking. Agent: Sonia Land, Sheil Land Associates (U.K.).

May 15, 2013
If you receive three dozen roses, should you be charmed or alarmed? DCI Andrew Fenwick's first case after returning to the Hardlen CID from compassionate leave--his suicidal wife lies in an irreversible coma--doesn't seem like a case really, just an old file about a wife gone missing. She left one morning for a modeling session, and that's the last her husband and kids ever saw of her. Run off with a lover? Run off out of boredom? Only her husband is convinced of foul play. But then another woman of the same age is found butchered, and when the missing wife's body turns up, intensive work by Fenwick's officers reveals a link between the two. The two women were schoolmates 20 years back at Downland Comprehensive, which is now planning a youth choir performance of Verdi's "Requiem Mass" at which famed soprano Octavia Anderson, another old girl, has agreed to appear. Further investigation reveals that all three women were part of the "Famous Foursome," inseparable chums followed everywhere by a younger groupie until a terrible holiday accident left one of them dead at the bottom of a cliff. Was it an accident, or is someone out to avenge a murder after all these years? Another of the gals dies on Fenwick's watch, apparently leaving Octavia squarely in the killer's sights. The perp sends her masses of roses. The perp sets a bomb. The perp evades surveillance. There's an all too transparent plot twist yet to come, revealing the guilty party behind the schoolgirl mishap so many years ago. An interminable slog with pauses for Fenwick (Innocent Blood, 2008, etc.) to reconnect with his kids, lust over Octavia and bicker with police superiors.

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Starred review from May 1, 2013
Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Fenwick is just returning to work after burying his wife when he becomes involved in what looks at first like a missing-persons case but turns into something very different, the ruthless retaliation for a 20-year-old mystery. Five schoolgirls went off for a walk, but only four returned; one of the girls accidentally fell to her death, or at least that was their story. Now they are grown up and ignoring the past as best as they can. One of the women is the missing housewife, two more are her neighbors, and the fourth is a world-famous soprano, due to come home for a fund-raiser at the school they all attended. When one of the women is murdered, Fenwick finds the connection between the two cases and sets out to stop the killer from exacting more revenge. He also has to deal with his very troubled son, office politics, and an affair that may be clouding his judgment. Fortunately, he has some good help on his team, including the veteran Cooper and a young rookie who is sharp beyond her years. These characters are well drawn, especially Fenwick, and even the killer avoids clich'. Boasting a very tense, superb ending, this second in a gritty new series (following Fatal Legacy, 2001) shows tremendous promise and is sure to appeal to fans of Tana French, Benjamin Black, and Tess Gerritsen.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)