Mad Night - a Judy Drood Graphic Novel

Okay, without a doubt, this graphic novel has to be the absolute strangest thing I have ever read!  Not kidding!  I wasn't really sure what to expect when I bought it, but the fact that it was a mystery with a young female protagonist solving a crime, and it was done in a graphic novel format - well, let's face it, it was crying out for me to buy it.  So, I did.  I mean, after all, the questions in the synopsis would definitely hook any mystery fan:

WHO is behind the bizarre murders taking place on the otherwise tranquil campus of Lone Mountain College?

WHAT is the sinister secret guarded by members of the science faculty?

HOW is the creepy campus security guard involved?

WHERE did Aunt Azalea's gang of girl pirates come from?

WHY has the sadistic "Black Provost," dead for over a hundred years, been seen prowling the halls of the Anthropology Department?

WHEN will Judy Drood, girl detective and all-around loose cannon (along with her reluctant companion, Kasper Keene) uncover the horrible truth about the campus clock tower?

[from the back cover of the graphic novel, Mad Night, by Richard Sala]

Mad Night, a graphic novel by Richard Sala (writer AND artist), asks all the right questions to draw any mystery fan into the story.  And from the first few pages, when a shadowy figure murders a young girl in the college library and sneaks away without anyone seeing, you know this is going to be creepy.  But there is no way in the world you could ever guess exactly how creepy!  First, there's the mysterious "Knut" who turns over a camera to the hooded girl Portia.  At the same time, nerdy Kasper is given a camera by his friend Viola, who "borrowed" it from their mutual friend (one who Kasper is desperately trying to stay away from!).  As luck would have it, Knut, with his camera, knocks Kasper over as he tries to get away - but he doesn't get far before shadowy hands knock him down, take him to an unknown location and brutally kill him by putting a spiked mask on his face - then hammering it down!!

 

Yup, I told you it was going to get creepier.

 

Then there's the mysterious little man who approaches Kasper, wanting to hire him to take a very important photograph.  And there's the college girls dressed in pirate gear that are watching his every move.  Oh, and there's the puppet old woman (yes, you read that right - a puppet woman!) who is directing the pirate girls' actions.  And the faculty with names like Dr. Penumbra and Dr. Rhomus and Dr. Larva ... who seem to have a very secret agenda going on.  And, at long last, on page 31 in Chapter 2, we FINALLY get introduced to our star crime-solving detective, Judy Drood - whose very first lines, both off panel and on panel, are filled with such horrific expletives that Sala had to use symbols instead of words!  This girl detective definitely ain't Nancy Drew!

 

A few more murders really gets the story going, and before you know it, you are completely lost in this crazy tale of killers extracting something from his victims ... a black-cloaked provost who is killing people with a pitchfork ... a puppet woman who is hypnotizing the girls on campus to join her pirate gang ... a weird teacher who was supposed to be on sabbatical who Judy collides with and comes out of it with a scorpion pin ... oh, and let's not forget the young boy at the local school who is causing so much problems, biting people, running off (and who, it turns out, is not exactly what he seems to be) ... and the campus security guard who seems to be doing less to protect the students and more to cover up what is really going on.  

 

With a little over 200 pages of this madcap murder and mayhem and just plain ol' craziness, you'd think by the time you finish the story, you would be wondering what the heck just happened. But, believe it or not, there is a connection to all this madness.  Poor Kasper gets unwittingly sucked into it all, and Judy Drood drags him in to help her uncover who is killing all of these students, and even some of the professors, and just what does the mysterious Massimo Ibex have to do with any of it?  Well, by the conclusion, you'll have that answer and everything will make sense (even if it is all a bit "out there").

 

Sala's art is ... well, for lack of a better term ... unique.  I'm not sure if he purposely drew the book the way he did to fit the story, or if this style is just the way he draws.  No one looks quite human, although Judy, Kasper, and some of the students do come close.  The professors, the security guard, and the others all are misshapen look about as far from human as you can get.  This is not your typical "realistic" comic book art that artists such as Perez, Jimenez, Ordway, Ross, or any of the other big names might draw.  However, the further you read into the story, the more you begin to realize the art perfectly matches the oddness of the story and the characters therein.  (I admit, it took me quite a while to get past the cover art before I finally bought the book and gave it a try.)

 

One last comment - the names "Judy Drood" and "Kasper Keene" make me wonder if the author is taking a little stab at some of the children's mystery series that have been published over the years.  "Judy Drood" could be a combination of Judy Bolton and Nancy Drew (variation on "Drew") and "Kasper Keene" could be taken directly from the author of the Nancy Drew series, Carolyn "Keene."  It could be coincidental, but somehow I have to wonder...

 

RATING:  8 planks to avoid out of 10 for proving that quirky, odd, crazy, zany, horrific, and spooky can all be wrapped into one rather enjoyable story!

Blackwater, Part IV: The War

And the drama that is the Craskey family in Perdido, Alabama continues...

 

Book IV in the Blackwater series is simply entitled The War - and, if you've been following the lives and times of the Caskey family and the citizens of the small town of Perdido, you'd know that this refers to the Second World War, in which the United States made its entrance in December 1941.  This means that the years are passing for the Caskey family; the children are growing up, the adults are getting older, and things are changing for everyone.  And author Michael McDowell continues to integrate just enough supernatural and horror into the story to remind the reader that this is not just a simply story of the lives and times of a prospering family in the South.

The War picks up two years after the death of Mary-Love Caskey, who had been the matriarch and head of the Caskey family.  Life is moving on, as it usually does after someone passes, and Elinor slowly begins to assert herself as the new head of the family.  James is retired from the mill, and Oscar has taken over completely.  Sister Haskew has not returned to her husband, but instead has stayed on with Miriam in Mary-Love's house under the pretense that Miriam needs someone to care for her and the house.  Miriam, on the other hand, heads out each and every day to go to the beach.  In an unexpected turn of events, she up and invites her sister, Frances, to go with her one day.  And that's when everything begins to change...

Frances, who was previously ill and bed-ridden, finds that she not only loves the beach, but she actually comes alive when she goes into the water.  Without realizing it, she finds that she can spend hours and hours in the water, swimming literal miles out from shore, and she never gets tired or hungry!  Miriam barely takes notice, and at first, Frances does not realize how unusual this is.  She doesn't suspect that there is anything abnormal about her love of the water and her ability to swim beneath the surface for hours and hours.

Meanwhile, things are beginning to change for the rest of the family.  Queenie's son is arrested with a friend of his for armed robbery of a small store outside of Perdido.  Grace returns home from teaching and decides to live with her father, James.  Queenie and James strike up a rather intimate friendship, spending more and more time together.  Once the war start, business picks up at the mill, and Oscar finds that the only customer he needs is the military.  Danjo decides to join the military, much to James' sorrow.  Frances meets a nice military man with whom she develops a relationship that leads to marriage.   And poor Lucille - she faces the worst of them all when she is raped by her own brother's friend, who breaks out of jail and comes back to Perdido to seek revenge on Malcolm's family for helping to put him away - only, his revenge is short-lived, for he (as well as everyone else) is completely unaware that young Frances, who discovers Lucille after the rape, is much, MUCH more than what she appears to be!

McDowell once again keeps the horror subdued and understated, but that only serves to make it that much more terrifying.  Travis Gann's death at the hands of Frances (or, rather, at the being that is sometimes Frances) is not overly graphic, but it is definitely grotesque - even if he does deserve that and so much worse for what he did to poor Lucille.  It's a grim reminder that just below the surface (of the water and of the story itself) lurks something dark and deadly, something that could easily change the course of every life in the story.  

One thing that did bother me about this part of the series, though, is the author's apparent attitude towards his gay characters.  So, it turns out Grace is a very masculine lesbian, which is blatantly admitted when she returns home after having broken up with her latest girlfriend.  The family seems to accept her homosexuality with no real issues, despite the time period in which the story is set.  At the same time, The War reveals more about James' "feminine" side, and while Queenie and the others gloss over it, James is presented as having unnaturally strong feelings towards Danjo (his adopted son), and even goes so far as to wanting to find another baby boy to take his place.  While it's unclear whether his intentions are simply that he's a man who wants a son or a gay man who has feelings for a younger man (who happens to be his adopted son), what IS clear is that the author represents Grace as a strong person accepted in the community, while James is a weak man who is to be pitied for not being "normal."  This stark contrast between the two leaves one to wonder about the author's own beliefs (the stereotypical straight male's fantasy of two women being accepted and even sought after, while two men is abhorrent and totally unnatural).

Nevertheless, despite this questionable representation, the story seems to be building speed, as Frances now knows who an what she is, and the family continues to grow, both in prosperity and in numbers.  World War II is over, and at the end of The War, one of the Caskeys passes on (but his spirit, perhaps, lingers on...)

RATING:  9 ladybird lullabies out of 10 for building the tensions of a family struggle, while keeping supernatural undertones right at the edge of the story so the reader never forgets that horror is just around the corner...

A Ted Wilford Mystery, no. 8 - The Scarecrow Mystery

This eighth book of the Ted Wilford series is a bit odd for several reasons.  For one thing, the title is truly misleading.  For another thing, the story reads more like a news story than an actual mystery - however, it does lead one to believe that the author has actual knowledge on the subject matter, considering the amount of detail he covers in the book.  Finally, while the previous books have not always been overly adventurous and filled with danger, this one is rather dry when it comes to true adventure and mystery.  Yet, despite all of that, I found that I actually enjoyed the book overall.

I will start off by spoiling something - The Scarecrow Mystery is not actually a mystery about a scarecrow.  At least, not in the literal sense.  Yes, an actual scarecrow does eventually appear in the story, but it plays such a small part and holds very little connection to the mystery itself.  The mystery centers around a small orange canister that contains some microfilm (if you don't know what that is, Google it!).  A union leader is in possession of the microfilm, which must be presented to the Court as evidence in a case that has been brought by the trucking company employers.  However, on the way to Forestdale, Mr. Prentice's car is apparently run off the road.  Ted and his best friend, Nelson, manage to get Mr. Prentice to the closest town (Echo) so he can be checked by a doctor - and it's not until that night, when Ted gets a call from the union leader's attorney asking him to go out and search for the canister containing the microfilm.  Ted and Nelson do their best, but in the evening hours, they are unable to find it - they do, however, meet a young boy, who says he saw a scavenger looking around the car, so perhaps he might have taken it.  The boy promises to look for it the next day.

This sets off a chain of events that tie closely into the ongoing battle between the union and the trucking company.  There is a fierce battle about whether the union members will go on strike, and it seems neither side will budge.  Ted is stuck in the middle, trying not to take sides, and he and Nelson do their best to locate that missing microfilm, which seems to be at the very crux of the case.  And once they do locate the missing microfilm, things only go downhill from there.  The court battle culminates in a trial, to which Ted is called as a witness, and as a paralegal for many years, it was actually rather interesting to read the attorney's examination of Ted on the witness stand.  The writing here is exceptional, as the attorney's questions are well-crafted to elicit specific testimony, and poor Ted really gets put on the spot.  He's honest (or, at least, he thinks he is being completely honest) about the events that transpired, but the attorney puts a spin on things that makes Ted question himself.

Now, having worked in the legal field for as long as I have, the union battle and the courtroom questioning definitely had my attention - but I have to wonder if the average reader would find these legal battles as interesting.  It is somewhat dry reading, and without any background knowledge of unions or the law, some readers may find it quite boring.  One thing that was a bit disappointing for me is that Ted doesn't really solve the mystery, as much as it solves itself around him.  Without Nelson prodding him along, it is unlikely Ted would have figured out half of the clues he did uncover (leaving me to wonder if perhaps Nelson should be the top-billed character in the book).

As for the whole scarecrow thing (and this will be spoilers, so if you don't want to know what happens, do not read any further!)...

It turns out the scarecrow connection is nothing more than the fact it is a prop borrowed from someone Ted knows, and upon discovering the man's watch chain in a pocket of the scarecrow's clothes, a connection is made to some of the culprits who have been acting behind the scenes to push the feud between the union and the company men.  However, Nelson makes a passing comment earlier in the book about one of the men being a "scarecrow," meaning he was pretending to be something he was not to create the animosity.  I had never heard this kind of meaning attached to the word "scarecrow" before, so I looked it up - and sure enough, in legal terms, scarecrow (or "straw man") can refer to a person who has no interest in the situation, but merely acts as a stand-in for someone else or it can refer to an argument which is intended to distract the other side from the real issues or waste the opponent's time and effort (otherwise known as a "red herring").  Now, when taken in this context, perhaps the title to the book does actually apply to the union/labor dispute and the mystery associated therewith, because there are several characters who Ted and Nelson question their sincerity and veracity during the course of the book.

Overall, it was not a bad read, but it definitely was not one of the better books in the series.  Not sure if Pallas figured since Ted was aging in the books, the readers would also be aging and would enjoy more "adult" themed mysteries, but there is definitely a difference in the tone and direction of the story.  Next in line is The Big Cat Mystery, so we will see was that mystery has in store for us!

RATING:  7 baby pictures of the Mayor out of 10 for treating readers to a unique mystery that is likely to be unlike any other young adult mystery of its time!

A Blake Harte Mystery, Book 8 - Touch

Author Robert Innes just never ceases to amaze me.  One "impossible" murder mystery after another, and the man never runs out of ideas!  A part of me wonders if we should be concerned that someone is able to craft murders in such a way that they are nearly impossible to figure out!  (That's a joke, if you hadn't guessed!)  In any event, his exceptional plotting and wonderfully written characters are what keep me coming back for more of Blake Harte and his countryside murder mysteries!

Touch is book eight in the series and features a story that centers around the local football games (and not "football" in the American sense of the word, but football as it is played in England - what we refer to as soccer here in the States).  I was an avid fan of the British television show Footballers' Wives, and even its short-lived spin-off series, even though I have never been, and never will be, a fan of sports.  That being said, my watching of Footballers' Wives did give me a small amount of knowledge about British football, so reading this story wasn't quite as foreign as I might have expected it to be.  Of course, it probably helped that Blake Harte has just as little interest in sports as I do, so it certainly made me identify with the Detective Sergeant on a whole new level.

 

This time around, the star footballer for the Harmschapel FC (which it never really says in the book what "FC" means - but looking it up online, I'm guessing it means "Football Club"?), is murdered on the football field - only thing is, he was completely alone on the side of the field, no one was near him, and it appears his side was slashed open with a knife of some sort.  So, how in the world does a person get knifed and killed in front of hundreds, if not thousands, of spectators, and no one saw a thing?  In fact, Harte and his team get video footage which reveals there was absolutely no one around Scott Jennings when he collapsed on the field and died!  Obviously, it's up to Detective Sergeant Harte to figure it out and bring the killer to justice.

But then another young man is killed in the team manager's office, a blunt blow to the head.  No one was said to have been in the room with him, and a teammate was outside in the hall when it happened.  So, how in the world did a second body turn up in an impossible situation?

One thing I like about Innes' writing is that he never beats around the bush.  He doesn't waste time with unnecessary sidebars or scenes that are unrelated to the tale at hand.  He provides a good build up, giving the reader just enough information about the characters involved so that you have a grasp on them all (or you think you do!), and then, BAM!  A murder happens, the manner in which the person is killed seems impossible, and you are left to wonder how Harte will solve this one.  Now, I will admit, in this story, there are a few things that happen and people say that make it a bit easier to figures some things out (although I was definitely led in the direction about one of the characters, who I was starting to believe was the killer, but turned out he definitely was not!); however, Innes kept enough twists coming that the ultimate revelations were a great surprise.

And, as if two murders were not enough, Innes delves a little bit more into Harte's past with a recurring dream he is having, as well as the lingering concerns regarding his partner's almost liason with their landlady's son.  And the book ends with a rather interesting cliffhanger of sorts, which I can only assume is a prelude to the next mystery (or perhaps the start of a build-up to the 10th mystery, which is named simply enough Harte).  In either event, I look forward to what Innes has in store!

RATING:  10 bloody strips of gauze out of 10 for enhancing the mystery genre as a whole with such intricately plotted crimes that keep the reader guessing up to the very end!

The Mysteries of Maisie Hitchins, Book 7 - The Case of the Blind Beetle

The Maisie Hitchins series is one of those fun little "guilty pleasure" series that is absolutely fun to read. Yes, it is aimed at young children (perhaps 3rd to 4th graders); however, the protagonist is a quirkly little girl detective, and the mysteries, while somewhat simple, are actually well-plotted.  Only the first five books in the series were published here in America, and thankfully, Amazon offered the British-published versions of the remaining books that I was given for Christmas a year or so ago.  There are only eight books total in the series, so this seventh is the next to the last book.

The Case of the Blind Beetle finds young Maisie once again pulled into a mystery that will require all of her wits and quick thinking to solve.  Quite honestly, it's a very good mystery - the jeweled eyes of an ancient Eqyptian scarab are stolen, the Lord Dacre (an old friend of Professor Tobin, who is a tenant at Maisie's grandmother's house) is receiving mysterious threats written in hieroglyphics, and Dacre's daughter is certain that a pharaoh's curse has fallen upon their family because Lord Dacre disturbed the pharaoh's tomb and took his treasured scarab!  It definitely has all the makings of a great mystery, and there are several suspects who could have taken the priceless jewels - Lord Dacre's assistant; Lord Dacre's cousin; the scamps down by the river who supposedly "found" the scarab (conveniently missing its eyes); or even Lord Dacre's daughter, who has remained in bed, ill since the jewels were taken.  It's up to Maisie and Eddie (her little dog that goes everywhere Masie goes!) to solve the mystery.

This book also brings to light an underlying story that has been subtly placed throughout the entire series, but one never realizes the import of that subplot until this book when Maisie receives a letter from her father!  He has been away for so long, and although he has been mentioned from time to time, author Holly Webb has never made a big deal about it.  Now, though, Maisie's grandmother has a new tenant - a sailor who brings word of her father, which makes Maisie more certain than ever that her father could be coming home!  Inside the letter she received, she finds a mysterious message in Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Maisie is left to wonder exactly what it could mean.  (The one thing she does know for sure is that if her father wants her to decode the message, then that must mean he does not take issue with her mystery-solving antics!)

This new aspect of Maisie's stories is a welcome addition, and the ending of this book definitely hints at big things to come in the next (and final) book in the series.  And Webb manages to integrate some great historical lore about Egyptian artifacts that will fondly remind readers who the children's mysteries of days gone by used to include educational facts within the stories.  I've grown accustomed to the internal illustrations by Marion Lindsay, which may seem somewhat simplistic, actually have some great details (such as the sailor's tattoo on his arm, or the other passengers on the omnibus Maisie takes) and add a bit of flavor to the story.  It has taken me a bit to get used to them, but now I find them just about as enjoyable as to the story itself.

The identity of the thief will likely not come as much of a surprise, but following Maisie as she gets to that point and her ingenious way of getting the thief to reveal him/herself is all the fun!  It's just rather a shame that the next book will be the last - I do hope that Webb really pours it all into the next one, so that Maisie Hitchins gets the send-off she deserves!

RATING:  8 gold sovereigns out of 10 for another well-crafted mystery for all ages to enjoy!

Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory - a Dark Horse comics mini-series

I have been reading Dark Horse comics' Beast of Burden's series since the publication of their first mini-series back in 2009.  The series follows the adventures of a group of dogs (and the occasional feline appearance) who are not only intelligent beings, but who track down and fights the supernatural forces of darkness that try to invade this world.  While the artists have rotated over the years, the writer, Evan Dorkin, who created the series, has remained consistent (although he has had assistance, on occasion, from Sarah Dyer).  And although the title refers to the fact that the "beasts" live on or abound Burden Hill, I personally think it can also attest to the fact that these dogs (and cat) bear the burden of protecting not just their community and humans, but the entire world!

"Occupied Territory" is the fourth mini-series (not including the various one-shot specials, as well as appearances in Dark Horse anthology books) and features a look back at one of Emrys's past adventures.  Emrys is a sheepdog that is also considered one of the "wise ones" to the animals set with fighting the darkness, and he has been a featured character throughout the series.  In these four issues, Dorkin takes readers back to the year 1947, when Emrys and his companion (the human named Jonathan Hope) were sent overseas to an island in the Pacific to discover what has been causing the unusual deaths there.  

In the first issue, while scouting for information, Emrys ends up rescuing a small dog without a name (but who Emrys quickly calls "Mullins" after the name of a newspaper comic strip character).  Mullins is quite the excitable little character who, without any magical powers like Emrys and his associates, manages to be a very lovable and quirky character.  Mullins agrees to help Emrys and his human, but by the end of the first issue, discovers that battling the supernatural means expecting the most unexpected!

From this point forward, the story takes its darker turn, with Emrys, Mullins, and a group of animals that are similar to the wise dogs looking for a way to put an end to the horrors that are attacking the island.  The curse at work is a vile one, and it was put in place by an ancient being that is determined to get revenge for what the humans did to her.  But what happens when she discovers that her curse is expanding, and it is not only affecting humans, but the animal world as well?  Will she put a stop to it?  Will Mullins' life be spared?  Will the deaths come to an end?

Dorkin and Dyer's plotting keeps the story moving at a pretty quick pace, but not so fast that you don't get to know and appreciate all of the characters, whether good or bad (or somewhere in-between).  Benjamin Dewey's art is absolutely beautiful, and something I never realized while reading the story and did not notice until I was looking back over the issues a second time is that there are no text boxes to provide the reader with exposition - rather, the panels of art and the dialogue are sufficient to keep the story moving and provide everything the reader needs to know to enjoy the story.  For me, that makes for a much more cinematic telling of the tale, as it keeps the reader engaged in the story itself, rather then stepping outside the story for a second here and there to read an explanation of what has happened, what is happening, or what is about to happen.  "Show, Don't Tell" works perfectly here.

Overall, another great addition to the Beasts of Burden series of comics, and here's looking forward to the next story Dorkin has to tell!

RATING:  10 headless bodies out of 10 for showing the world that comic books with animal protagonists can be just as good, if not better, than most of the comics on the market today!

Murder at Maypole Manor - A Posie Parker Mystery, Book 3

I journey back to the the early 20th century for the next Posie Parker mystery.  Thus far, I have been thoroughly enjoying this series, and author L.B. Hathaway certainly has a way of making the reader feel like they are right there with Posie.  The setting, the clothing, the historical context - those early decades of the 20th century were some of the best for mysteries.  No cell phones, no computers, no easy to to find out information (having to depend on telegraphs, libraries, old fashioned research, and the like) puts the protagonist at a greater disadvantage than the detectives of today - so it makes for some very exciting reading to follow Posie and her cohorts as they try to find the clues they need to solve the crime.

This third mystery, Murder at Maypole Manor, finds poor Posie Parker alone on New Year's Eve, getting ready to enter 1922 all by her lonesome.  Her boyfriend, Alaric Boynton-Dale, is off on some adventure, and so Posie has resolved herself to a quiet holiday.  Until, that is, Inspector Lovelace calls and asks for her help with a mission!  He needs her to pose as his wife for a posh party at Maypole Manor, a glamorous mansion owned by the wealthy Lord Robin Glaysayer.  It seems there is to be a very important transaction involving some government plans during the course of the party, and Lovelace needs to be there to ensure there is no trouble.  Yet, as we well know, this is a mystery, so trouble is bound to come along, even before Posie ever sets foot on the train to St. Margaret's Bay (where she happens to see someone watching her ... or is that just her imagination?).

The party turns into a night of mystery when two bodies turn up - the first is a silent film actress who is so innocent and naive on screen, but obnoxious and downright rude in real life; the second is the host of the party.  The actress is found dead outside next to the maypole in the freezing blizzard; Lord Glaysayer is found dead from a gunshot wound in his office, a gun in his hand.  But Posie and Inspector Lovelace realize there is more going on than what it appears - the actress seems to have overdosed on drugs, but the former drug addict had been clean for quite a while according to her husband; and Lord Glaysayer appears to have committed suicide - but if that were the case, then why was the gun in his right hand, when he was left-handed?  Are the murders connected?  And who ransacked Posie's room at the manor, and why was the only thing stolen an old photo of her and Alaric?  And just what are all of the guests hiding?  Posie certainly intends to find out!

Hathaway provides a wonderfully plotted tale with more than the usual suspects.  The Lord's two adopted daughters, one of whom inherits everything upon his death, the other one physically impaired and seemingly left out in the cold.  The Italian nobleman and the woman on his arm - a woman who Posie immediately recognizes from the last adventure in Egypt as a photographer but who is apparently at the Manor in disguise!  The businessman from London who is actually helping Posie and Inspector Lovelace with the secret transaction.  Then there is the German, who Lord Glaysayer met back in Tanzania, who came to the party as a last minute guest.  And, of course, we can't forget the actress's husband, who is so broken up about his wife's death, he can't seem to hold it together.  And just who is the mysterious priest who shows up at the Manor in the middle of the blizzard that has everyone stranded there overnight?  And we certainly can't forget the American who has the blueprints that are being turned over to the British government that night - blueprints that the Germans and other factions would kill to get their hands on!

But Hathaway definitely does not make this easy.  While Posie quickly recognizes the photographer, she and the Inspector are completely unaware that others in the party are not who they say they are.  And those secret identities would definitely change the game in the most surprising ways - which they do during the exciting climax to the mystery!  It seems there is considerably more going on in this house than anyone is aware!  There are tunnels running underneath the house ... there is a secret door at the end of the upstairs hall ... there is a stuffed tiger that is laced with arsenic ... and there are plenty of strange noises coming from behind the walls (are they simply coming from the central heating system, or are they signs of something else entirely?) ... oh, and don't forget about the flashing lights coming from the cliff outside of the Manor.  With so many secrets, so many lies, and so many happenings, one wonders how in the world will Posie and the Inspector ensure the transfer of the blueprints takes place without a hitch?

By far, this third mystery is the best in the series so far.  Well plotted, plenty of suspects and surprises, and an unexpected twist at the end that will leave the reader with their eyes wide open in shock!  I don't know how Hathaway could possibly top this one, but I guess that's what we will find out as we keep reading the series...

RATING:  10 broken lipstick cylinders out of 10 for making murder so exciting to read about!