The Steam Pig
James McClure
Soho Crime, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-56947-652-9
Trade Paperback
Before his death four years ago, the author wrote eight novels in this series, featuring a white CID lieutenant, Tromp Kramer, and his black assistant, Sgt. Zondi. The setting for The Steam Pig was apartheid South Africa, and the descriptions of that society are poignant and overwhelming, while the plot follows the unraveling of a murder investigation. Thanks to Soho Press, it is now back in print, along with one other in the series.
An attractive blonde is murdered in an unusual way: a bicycle spoke through to the heart, a signature method of the Bantus. Little by little Kramer and Zondi follow a mixed trail to find out shy she was killed and by whom. Along the way the reader is treated to subtle and not so subtle elements of the horrid aspects of apartheid in South Africa.
The interplay between Kramer and Zondi, stressing the advantages of each (the Bantu obviously is able to obtain information from his black counterparts more easily than his white superior), quietly demonstrates the inadequacies of apartheid, while the fact that the victim, who was reclassified “colored” from “white,” points up just one unfortunate aspect of the system.
The whole, of course, is more than the sum of its parts. A good, well-written mystery, interesting characters and a very different style makes for an excellent read, which brings this reviewer next to the second book made available by the publisher, The Caterpillar Cop.
Recommended.
Reviewed by Ted Feit, October 2010.
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The Caterpillar Cop
James McClure
Soho Crime, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-56947-653-6
Trade Paperback
This Kramer and Zondi novel, one of eight in the series written before the author’s death in 2006, was first published in Great Britain in 1972. It is now reprinted for our enjoyment. Unlike The Steam Pig, which focused on the horrors of apartheid, “Caterpillar” centers its attention on the repressive sexual attitudes of the South African regime of that time.
The case begins when a 12-year-old boy is found strangled and with multiple stab wounds, with the area around his genitals virtually destroyed. Initially it is believed to be an act by a pedophile. It was known that the boy was spying on someone. As Lt. Kramer and his sidekick, Bantu Sgt. Zondi, investigate, a link develops to what is termed an accidental death of a visiting American teenager.
This novel is more akin to a traditional murder mystery, as the police procedural progresses, as opposed to the initial entry in the series, The Steam Pig. A new twist to complement the by-play between Kramer and Zondi is the introduction of a young would-be detective, Pembroke, as a foil for the Boer detective. McClure’s ability to offset grim
details with amusing interplay between the characters is truly remarkable, as is the smoothness with which he develops the plot, especially with the twist at the end.
Recommended.
Reviewed by Ted Feit, October 2010.
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Midnight Fugue
Reginald Hill
Harper, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-06-145197-3
Mass Market Paperback
Andy Dalziel (the “Fat Man”) is still recovering from the after-effects of injuries (and a coma) resulting from an explosion two novels ago. But he ignores medical advice and returns to his duties as Detective Superintendent, albeit a little shakily. Is it time to turn over the reins to his protégé, Pascoe? Or does he still have that flair and intuition?
This novel takes place in a 24-hour period in which, at the beginning. Dalziel is contacted by a woman, Gina Wolfe, whose London policeman husband disappeared seven years ago. About to be remarried after he has been declared legally dead, she receives a newspaper clipping with a picture in which her husband appears. She wants proof one way or another that he is dead and seeks Andy’s help.
The plot broadens from this point in several ways, introducing all manner of characters from a couple of thugs to a possible future Prime Minister. The interaction between Andy and his colleagues (not to mention the rest of the world) remains humorous and still tickles the reader’s funny bone. Tight plotting, with twists and turns, keeps one turning pages to see what comes next. “Fugue” is on the same high plane of the other books in this series, and is highly recommended.
Reviewed by Ted Feit, October 2010.
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Hangman
Faye Kellerman
William Morrow & Company, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-06-170256-3
Hardcover
As Lt. Peter Decker and his wife Rina Lazarus grow older (“the Loo” celebrates his 60th birthday in this latest entry in the series), their lives certainly don’t get simpler. Peter agrees to attend a meeting between an old friend, Terry McLaughlin, and her psycho husband, Chris Donatti, from whom she has sort of run away, with their 14- year-old son, Gabe, after Chris had struck her “to give her some space.” The meeting seems to go well and Peter returns home.
Several hours later, Gabe calls informing Peter that his mother is not in the hotel room and he has not heard from her. Did Chris kill her? Or has she secretly run away? Peter reluctantly takes the boy home as a temporary measure and reports Terry as a missing person and begins to search for her.
Meanwhile a nurse at a local hospital is found hanging at a nearby construction site. Soon another murder victim is found, who turns out to be a close friend of the nurse. Are the crimes related? Will this turn out to be one of the few serial killer cases in Peter’s career?
The two themes move forward with the new characters in the series, especially Chris and Gabe, adding some spice to the dialog. While Rina plays a relatively minor role, she remains the interesting character she has always been, and the interplay between Hannah (the Deckers’ daughter) and Gabe is touching. Once again, the author has provided an excellent look into police procedures to solve a crime.
Recommended.
Reviewed by Ted Feit, October 2010.
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