Whodunits from across the pond

A Fatal Lie

Charles Todd

When 6-year-old Roddy MacNabb steals away to go fishing in the river, instead of a fish, he reels in the body of an unknown man. Scotland Yard dispatches war-veteran Inspector Ian Rutledge to uncover the man’s identity and cause of death. Crisscrossing the Welsh countryside, Rutledge must investigate a child’s disappearance and wring out the truth from a fatal lie told years earlier to expose the murderer and the motive. Penned by the mother-son duo, Charles and Caroline Todd, this is Book 23 in the duo’s enjoyable Inspector Rutledge series—set in the years following WWI. Haunted by his time in the Great War, his inner voice is portrayed as the ghost of a Scottish soldier who served with him. Caroline Todd died in August 2021.

The London House

Katherine Reay

Caroline Payne is blindsided by a revelation from her old college friend and historian, Mat Hammond: Her British great-aunt and namesake was a WWII traitor who fled with her German lover. When Caroline goes to her father for answers, he refuses to discuss the shameful family scandal. Determined to uncover the real story, she rushes to the family’s London home, inviting Mat along. The letters and diaries of her grandmother and great-aunt reveal identical twins whose secrets created a legacy of pain that only the truth can heal. Katherine Reay weaves a compelling story, part mystery and part historical fiction with a captivating and unique view of one of the great Paris fashion houses during a time of war.

The Thursday Murder Club 

Richard Osman

In the English retirement community of Coopers Chase, four of the residents come together every Thursday to review cold case murder files: Elizabeth, the canny and enigmatic leader; Ron, a former famous trade union leader; Ibrahim, a retired psychiatrist; and Joyce, a retired nurse and widow who bakes. The death of a local real estate developer provides them the opportunity to investigate their first real case. This colorful and unique cast of characters brings a nuanced ensemble of amateur sleuths to the mystery genre. Joyce acts as a part-time narrator for the tale. Through her diary entries, the author moves the story forward and gives insight into each of the characters in a personal and entertaining voice.

Diamond and the eye

Peter Lovesey

Peter Diamond, head of the Bath Criminal Investigative Division, has his dinner interrupted by private eye Johnny Getz. Hired by an antiques dealer’s daughter to locate her missing father, Getz enlists the unwilling help of Diamond. What begins as a simple missing person’s case quickly turns into a murder investigation when a stranger’s body is discovered in the dealer’s shop. Though Diamond and Getz trade barbs and banter, the chemistry between them doesn’t quite solidify. However, Getz turns out to be an enjoyable narrator. Crime fiction fans will enjoy Lovesey’s numerous references to other well-known mystery writers and their fictional detectives. Unfortunately, Diamond’s character seems less likable and capable than in previous books of this series. Book includes mild profanity and a nonexplicit extramarital sexual encounter.