Clues, Hints, Games, and Crime Solving:

Sometimes really important cases as well as some relatively minor investigations hinge on very small anomalies or on otherwise easy-to-ignore facts, something slight which nevertheless triggers clever insights by detectives and other crime solvers in mystery stories. Occasionally, authors mention these seemingly unimportant facts as hints somewhere early on in the narrative; supposedly, so as to allow readers a chance to decipher possible clues before the story concludes. This sort of literary gimmickry indicates why crime novels, no matter how gritty and realistic or well-plotted and character-driven, are often discounted as minor leisure-time activities. The better writers, of course, tell great tales; yet they are naturally constrained by expectations that all the crimes be solved, all the loose ends tied up neatly, all the romantic entanglements sweetly ticked off, and all the heroes and heroines primed for further adventures. A few examples are included in this month's novels under review.

Marcia' Muller's LOCKED IN (2009) showcases popular heroine Sharon McCone, the San Francisco private investigator, as a near-comatose invalid for much of the story. Her colleagues ferret out facts on recent cases in attempts to discover who tried to kill her. While those cases are all eventually resolved, it is Sharon herself, though barely able to speak, who points out the villain in her own case, a person recognized thanks to a single minor clue.

Barcelona and Madrid are the stamping grounds for police investigators Petra Delicado and Fermin Garzon in Alicia Gimenez-Bartlett's PRIME TIME SUSPECT (2007). They team with other officers seeking information on a couple of connected murders, ones with possible political complications. The main case involves the death of a gossip journalist, one who may have been engaging in blackmail on the side. However, it is the murder of his wife which is the really puzzling crime, one which is finally resolved because of a clever observation on home decorating preferences by detective Delicado.

Telepathy is the key element in Catherine Coulter's KNOCK OUT (2009) as FBI husband-and-wife team Savich and Sherlock pursue a couple of bizarre cases. A little girl summons Savich telepathically, while her evil relatives try to kidnap and convert her to a strange cult. This little girl, named Autumn, also keeps Savich from being killed by another villain, a teenage bank robber bent on murder for revenge. Quite unnecessarily, Autumn is shot by her new-found grandfather and almost dies. Although clearly preposterous, this story is actually quite gripping, complete with a love story as a subplot, and qualifies as a fast-read.

Domenic Stansberry's THE ANCIENT RAIN (2008) follows San Francisco investigator Dante Mancuso as he researches a 27-year-old murder in an attempt to clear an acquaintance implicated in the crime but never jailed due to lack of evidence. A changed political climate has brought the case back into play, with a distraught relative intent on getting justice this time. Eventually what happened that fatal day is uncovered, at least according to the prosecutor; but, once again, compelling evidence is lacking as an important witness, one initially overlooked but now recanting earlier testimony, has died. Thus, this dark story is precipitated by a missed opportunity to spot an anomaly at the original crime scene.

Retired police detective Frank Quinn finds himself in a duel in URGE TO KILL by John Lutz (2009).
Quinn and his team of retired cops track a serial killer in New York City, a killer who may have one method for killing men (setting up duels for hunters) and women (drugging them prior to evisceration). This is an instance where Quinn finds out who his true friends are, as long-time ally and former lover Pearl is the one who ignores orders and takes out the man who has Quinn dead to rights. A man known for cruelty to dogs is a lead nearly missed in this story which focuses thematically on violence and what drives folks to murder.

Precious Ramotswe, beloved proprietress of the Number One Ladies' Detective Agency in Gaborone, Botswana (TEA TIME FOR THE TRADITIONALLY BUILT, by Alexander McCall Smith, 2009) is unexpectedly asked to consider why a football team is losing every game. Despite little interest in or experience of the sport, Mma Ramotswe does discover the little matter that makes all the difference to the team. Additionally, a couple of cases involving matters of the heart are resolved in the course of this quiet, evenly paced novel, part of a series featuring characters such as assistant detective Grace Makutsi and renowned mechanic Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni.

Gordon Campbell's MISSING WITNESS (2007) takes readers back to 1973 in Phoenix, Arizona, where a murder case necessitates two trials and plenty of trouble for defense lawyers Douglas McKenzie, just out of law school, and Dan Morgan, veteran of long standing. A man is shot to death, either by his wife or by his 12-year-old daughter. The wife is put on trial while the daughter is in a catatonic state. After Rita is acquitted, the daughter, now recovered, is charged with the crime. The vital clue here proves to be a fancy scarf, an item recognized as incriminating by McKenzie. Readers who like courtroom drama will appreciate this intriguing, if lengthy, novel which offers interesting views of legal considerations, maneuvers, and repercussions.

One thing you can learn from reading stores such as these is the necessity to pay attention: minor facts can be the keys to figuring out "whodunit." Happy reading!