Five mystery books to cozy up with this winter

Past Lying, Val McDermid (Atlantic Monthly Press, 464 pages)

The latest DCI Karen Pirie mystery shows that Val McDermid is at the peak of her game with this story of obsession and a blood feud between two devilishly clever crime writers. We are in Edinburgh, in COVID-19 lockdown season: The town is deserted and residents are allowed just one hour a day of outdoor exercise (with all the misery that restriction afforded). Pirie is contacted by the National Library of Scotland: The papers of a recently deceased crime novelist have been donated and within them is an unpublished novel that includes details about an actual missing person.

As Pirie delves into the writings, it’s clear that she’s being led into a real-life mystery. The clues may be fact or fiction, and sorting them is no mean feat, as the two writers at the heart of the case are masters at the art of camouflage. They were also mortal enemies, playing what appears to be a deadly game of betrayal and revenge. What’s real? That’s what Pirie has to decide. This is a marvelous psychological novel with the dense atmosphere that McDermid readers expect. Not a weekend book. You need to go slow and savour the prose.

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Twenty-Seven Minutes, Ashley Tate (Doubleday Canada, 360 pages)

While Twenty-Seven Minutes by Torontonian Ashley Tate has a few debut-author issues, there’s enough solid writing to keep you reading.

The story opens with a grimly graphic description of the final minutes of a young girl, Phoebe, in the small rural Ontario town of West Wilmer. Phoebe was the girl who had the smarts, the looks, the popularity and a whole lot of promise. She died on a beat-up bridge when her brother Grant ran into a deer and wrecked his truck. Phoebe wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and her injuries were many and severe – but she might have lived if emergency services had got to her quickly. Trouble is, Grant waited 27 minutes to call in the accident.

Ten years after the accident, West Wilmer is still questioning that delay – and Grant is still not telling. At the same time, someone else disappeared that night: Wyatt Delroy. The only person who cares about him is his sister June. As the town plans a memorial for Phoebe, a stranger appears at June’s door. Someone knows what really happened in that half hour and is ready to spill the beans.

While Tate opens her story with a bang and then spends time introducing and fleshing out a group of solid characters, it’s at this point that she wobbles as the pace slows to a crawl. But things picks up again and the ending is a shocker. This is a writer to watch.

Perfect Shot, Steve Urszenyi (Minotaur, 368 pages)

It’s not often I encounter a debut thriller with all the bells and whistles, but Steve Urszenyi, a former paramedic and tactical medic for the Ontario Provincial Police, serves up everything. There’s a smart and engaging protagonist, plenty of action in exotic places and a plot line that would make Tom Clancy think twice.

The protagonist is Special Agent Alexandra Martel, whom we first meet in Holland on a special tactical assignment. Martel made her reputation in the military as a sniper – but that was then. Now, Martel is an FBI agent on loan to Interpol. When she learns that an old friend with MI5 has been killed under unusual circumstances, she begins an investigation of her own, which makes her an instant target of a sniper as good as she ever was.

That’s just a thin edge of a good plot that takes Martel across Europe to Turkey and provides more than enough sizzling suspense to keep you reading into the small hours. Urszenyi obviously intends Martel to return for more adventures and I, for one, look forward to the next book.

Blood Betrayal, Ausma Zehanat Khan (Minotaur, 304 pages)

In the small Colorado town of Blackwater Falls, veteran officer Harry Cooper – nearing retirement with an unblemished record – is chasing vandals. He thinks he spots a gun and fires, killing Duante Reed, a Black man. But the “gun” turns out to be a can of spray paint. Meanwhile, in nearby Denver, a raid on a drug dealer also turns violent. Mateo Ruiz, a Latino teenager, is dead, hit with a bullet fired by Kelly Broda, a young cop.

While Rahman’s Community Response Unit is called in on the Cooper killing, her boss tells her to let the drug people deal with the Denver mess. But then Broda’s father shows up asking for her help. Rahman is stunned: John Broda is a racist and bully who made her life miserable when they worked together. So, despite direct orders, Rahman starts digging into both killings, spurred by an offer from John: evidence against a corrupt cop she’s been after for years.

Ausma Zehanat Khan, who hails from Canada and now lives in the U.S., packs a lot into this narrative, including taking us into the world of Rahman’s family and background. Plot-wise, this is a better book than her first featuring Detective Rahman (Blackwater Falls, which I loved), because it’s so topical and Khan excels at building this kind of complicated story. Occasionally, the author lets her bile take her close to stereotype, but she stops just short of the line.

The Final Curtain, Keigo Higashino, translated by Giles Murray (Minotaur, 400 pages)

Purportedly the final act in the series featuring Tokyo Police Detective Kyoichiro Kaga, this book is simply fabulous. Keigo Higashino is one of Asia’s best-known and bestselling crime novelists and, if you haven’t already found him, this is the perfect start.

Ten years before the action begins, Kaga went to pick up the ashes of his recently deceased mother The two were not close; she had run away from his father and eventually died alone in a strange city. Kaga wonders about her life, many “what ifs” fill in his mind.

But in the present day these lingering thoughts must take second place: In Tokyo, a woman is found strangled in an empty apartment rented by a man who has disappeared. The woman’s name is Michiko Oshitani and she is from Sendal, far away. Why was she there? But there is even more to the mystery, because Oshitani wasn’t the first to die in that part of Tokyo. A homeless man was killed and burned in his tent. Is there a connection?

If you’ve read any works by Higashino, you know the answer, and that it’s part of a story put together like a Swiss watch. There are clues all along, but they’re so clever you’ll miss most of them. This is a great puzzle plot with fascinating characters and twists. Perfect for a weekend at home with the cat.