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British Mysteries

Mark Billingham § Sleepy Head	Steven Booth § Dancing with the Virgins	Rhys Bowen § Her Royal Spyness	Tony Broadbent § The Smoke
Ken Bruen § The Guards	Deborah Crombie § In a Dark House § Water Like a Stone	Clare Curzon § Don’t Leave Me	Anthony Eglin § The Blue Rose
Geraldine Evans § Dead Before Morning	Christopher Fowler § Full Dark House § White Corridor	Elizabeth George § Careless in Red § With No One As Witness	Caroline Graham § A Ghost in the Machine
Ann Granger § The Companion	Cynthia Harrod-Eagles § Dear Departed § Game Over § Gone Tomorrow	Erin Hart § Haunted Ground	Patricia Harwin § Arson & Old Lace
Reginald Hill § The Stranger House	Elizabeth Ironside § The Accomplice § Death in the Garden	P.D. James § The Murder Room	M.G. Kincaid § Last Seen in Aberdeen § The Last Victim in Glen Ross
Peter Lovesey § The Reaper	Stuart McBride § Bloodshot § Cold Granite § Dying Light	Val McDermid § The Distant Echo	Jill McGown § Death in the Family § A Tribute to Jill McGown
Denise Mina § The Dead Hour § Field of Blood	Ann Purser § Murder on Monday	Ian Rankin § Dead Souls § Fleshmarket Alley	Danuta Reah § Listen to the Shadows
Ruth Rendell § The Rottweiler	Peter Robinson § Close to Home	Sarah Smith § Chasing Shakespeares	Peter Watson § Landscape of Lies
Laura Wilson § Telling Lies to Alice

Last Seen in Aberdeen, M.G. Kincaid, Pocket, $6.50.

One of my favorite new writers of the last year or so is M.G. Kincaid, a Michigan writer who somehow manages to write completely believable Scottish police procedurals, featuring Seth Mornay, an ex-marine and no-nonsense investigator. The first novel was a very capable and enjoyable but fairly traditional, almost locked room, mystery; this novel reaches further and is more ambitious. Centering on the disappearance of a ten year old boy, the story becomes more and more complicated, with layers of greed, corruption, and family dysfunction. Mornay's own estranged father is under police surveillance as a suspected drug trader; Mornay is pretty sure he's doing something illegal, and he's equally sure it isn't drugs. The reason he's sure of that is teased out slowly and is a powerful indicator of why Mornay behaves the way he does in his personal life.

Mornay's investigation of the missing boy takes his mind off his father (and his hospitalized former girlfriend) to a local castle where the 18 year old lady of the manor raises exotic sheep and lives with her stepmother and her stepbrother. Her stepmother's powerful fiancee is the bane of the local police and demands careful attention when a car of his - a Jaguar - is stolen off the property. Recounting the plot I can see the clever use of clues that Kincaid almost lays in front of the reader's face - but you still might miss them until you're thinking about the book later. Proving herself to have the ruthless nature of the truly mature and gifted novelist, Kincaid pulls no punches with this book. The last scene especially leaves you gasping and (very) eager for the next part of the story. This is a new writer to watch.

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