The Edge [ペーパーバック]

On the night of a bad storm, farmer Ned Barton goes outside to investigate a banging barn door. What he finds horrifies him: the naked body of a woman lying on hay bales in a sacrificial pose. She is the wife of the owner of the farm. Police go to the house to break the dreadful news and discover the bodies of her husband and two little girls. At first it's believed that the family of four is wiped out, but one of the girls isn't a family member. Their sixteen-year old son Daniel is missing.

Superintendent Mike Yeadings has to piece together what has happened. The first question that needs answering is the whereabouts of Daniel. Is he responsible for this carnage? Or is he out there somewhere, perhaps dead or injured. They make contact with the only relative, Daniel's maternal grandmother, Anna Plumley.

Anna is a retired air-force officer, a practical, no-nonsense woman. Naturally she is one of the suspects but Detective Sergeant Rosemary Zynzynski (known as "Z" - it's easier than buying a vowel!) finds it difficult to believe she can be responsible. Anna is estranged from her murdered daughter. Jennifer always was a wild child and Anna has long since despaired of her.

THE EDGE has all the hallmarks of a police procedural. We have a ranking officer who co-ordinates the investigation and assigns officers to follow leads. The team, consisting of "Z", Detective Sergeant Beaumont and the dyspeptic acting Detective Chief Inspector Salmon all have their own distinct personalities. Where it does differ from most novels of this genre is the involvement of one of the suspects, Anna Plumley. Anna's career has equipped her well for a police investigation and she is able to provide history and insights into the family that may assist in finding the identity of the killer or killers. Of course there is the ever-present question. Is Anna all she appears to be and is her apparent desire to help hiding a darker motive?

An author doesn't successfully write twenty books in a series without getting a few things right. THE EDGE presents the crime, lines up some suspects and then adds red-herrings and dead ends to the mix. Along the way suspects are eliminated and new ones emerge as the police try to fathom out exactly what has happened. In short, THE EDGE is in many ways classic crime fiction. I hadn't read anything written by Clare Curzon before and I won't hesitate to read more.

As well as the twenty Mike Yeadings books, Clare Curzon has also written about twenty other novels, some under pseudonyms.

Reviewed by Sharon Broom

After Connie Barton heard a sound during a stormy night, she couldn't get back to sleep. She convinced her husband, Ned (farm manager for the Hoad family) to investigate. The sound was from a banging barn door. Inside the dark barn, Ned discovered the naked body of Mrs. Hoad, spread-eagle over some bales of hay.

Superintendent Mike Yeadings is called out on the case. The disturbing news is that the woman is not the only one killed. Inside the house are the bodies of Mr. Hoad, his daughter and the daughter's friend. The Hoad's teenage son is not to be found.

Mike Yeadings and the police must find the killer. Is it the son? Or could he have been a victim? As Superintendent Yeadings, helped by DS Rosemary Zyczynski, follows the clues, they learn that there are many hidden secrets and the people involved with the Hoad family are not always what the seem to be.

If you enjoy British mysteries, The Edge is a disturbing yet interesting novel that will keep you turning the pages. As an American, I experienced some confusion as I wasn't familiar with some of the British police terms.

This is my first book by Clare Curzon, but I'd gladly pick up another Superintendent Yeadings story.

Armchair Interviews says: The Edge is a fast read with clues and red herrings that will keep you guessing to the end.

In spite of the fury and noise of the horrific gale, farmer's wife Connie Barton hears what she assumes is something blown loose by the storm. She wakes up her husband Ned who grumpily listens and says it is Mr. Frederick Hoad's stable door. Knowing she will not allow him to go back to sleep, he grumblingly steps out into the torrent to simply shut the door tight. Instead of finding a bar to shut the door, he finds the naked body of Jennifer Hoad. The Bartons call the police who also find Frederick, their ten years old daughter Angela and an unknown school friend dead in the manor house. Their sixteen years old son Daniel is missing.

Superintendent Mike Yeadings of Thames Valley leads the investigation. The police contact the only known living relative the teen's maternal grandmother, retired air force officer Anna Plumley, who was estranged from her daughter Jennifer. Although Anna is a suspect, she offers much insight into the Hoad and Plumley families. Her forthright responses leads Detective Sergeant Rosemary "Z" Zynzynski to believe the veteran is not involved in the killings, but Detective Sergeant Beaumont and Detective Chief Inspector Salmon refuse to rule her out as no one except perhaps the missing adolescent or the away housekeeper seem likely.

THE EDGE is a fabulous Thames Valley police procedural as the prime police players are fully developed so that newcomers will understand what makes each tick while veterans will nod as each remains consistent. The extra strength to the whodunit is brought by an excellent key cast member, Anna who understands official investigations from her military days; readers will wonder if she is killer or a grieving relative seeking justice as her cooperation may be to throw the police off the trail or help them hone in on the culprit. Clare Curzon provides a terrific entry in her long running series with the freshness caused by Anna.

Harriet Klausner