Murder in the City: Novels Set in Philadelphia, Venice, Rio, and More

Murder mysteries and police procedurals depend a lot on atmosphere, local color, and lead characters. Choosing a well-known city like Philadelphia or Chicago or, alternatively, a more romantic location like Venice or Rio clinches the local-color angle, especially if the author sends the protagonists traipsing off around the streets and landmarks. Atmosphere is developed by pace and attitude, among other tricks in the writer's arsenal. Lead characters, if they are distinctive enough, can acquire devoted fans. In the nine novels described here this month, there is a wide variation in locale, ambiance, and lead investigators.

Barcelona police inspector Petra Delicado and her assistant Sergeant Fermin Garzon start a case involving an unknown beating victim who dies without regaining consciousness ("Dog Day" by Alicia Gimenez-Bartlett, translated and published in 2006). Gradually it emerges that the dead man had been engaged in dog-napping for years, starting out with strays and then capturing pampered and pedigreed canines. Somewhat slowed by subplots involving the love lives of Delicado and Garzon, this procedural covers dog breeders in the countryside, dog beauty salons, pet-finding agencies, dog trainers, and, finally, dog fighters. Petra adopts the original victim's mixed-breed dog.

Philadelphia homicide cops Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano deal with a killer who stages murders inspired by celebrated Hollywood movies, films the actual murders, and inserts the newly filmed scenes into the appropriate place in videotapes of the original movies ("The Skin Gods" by Richard Montanari, 2006). Unsuspecting videotape renters come upon the scenes and alert the police. Coincidentally, a major new film is in production in the city and some of its top people appear to be somehow involved in the murders. There a several highly suspenseful moments, including the finding of a buried-alive baby just in the nick of time.

In Rio, inspector Espinosa puzzles over the apparently random shooting of a one-legged beggar on a steep, dead-end street in the midst of a sudden rainstorm ("Blackout" by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza, translated and published in 2008). No information about the identity of the victim or any leads from witnesses are forthcoming for much of the novel. Eventually it is revealed that one witness, a dinner guest at a party on the street, is having memory difficulties. Then his wife is killed. Espinosa, a bookish policeman who loves to wander around the city and enjoy the views of Copacabana and Ipanema, closes the case just before it is transferred to the cold-case archives.

Venice is the haunt of Urbino Macintyre, a writer and amateur sleuth ("Frail Barrier" by Edward Sklepowich, 2007). His love for the city is evident in his penchant for strolling about, stopping to admire palaces, plazas, bridges, and eating establishments, while supposedly meaning to visit persons of interest in a mystery involving three unexpected deaths within a short period of time. A wealthy heir, a poor plein-air painter, a paper-goods shop owner, a herbalist, a singing teacher, gondola racers, and assorted aristocratic types are among the suspects and witnesses interviewed by Macintyre. A regatta is the main event recounted in this novel, which may well include more detail about Venice than most guidebooks on the city.

Nottinghamshire, England is the setting for a missing-person's incident turned murder case for former police officer Frank Elder ("Darkness & Light" by John Harvey, 2006). Details of the case remind Elder of his first homicide investigation which had remained unsolved. Interrogating witnesses from the earlier case eventually leads to a resolution. Suspects include a couple of Internet-dating Romeos, a convention promoter with a checkered past, and a seriously disturbed man just released from prison. Occasional flashback scenes suggest that the culprit's problems harked back to childhood traumas. Subplots featuring Elder's estranged daughter, former wife, and former police partner round out this somewhat cerebral but intriguing mystery.

Much of the action in Lee Child's "Bad Luck and Trouble" (2007) thriller-mystery is set in Los Angeles, where defense-plant employees and executives may be involved in terrorism activity. There's quite a high body count in this novel which showcases former Army MP Jack Reacher as a troubleshooter for a special investigation team that has been decimated. Dropping people out of helicopters is a running theme in this one. Needless to say, the bad guys are caught and the futuristic weapons are recovered by the ending. And Reacher and the remnants of his team are able to divide up some serious cash.

Chicago detective Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels and her partner Herb Benedict track down a serial killer who turns out to be a cop in the first part of this fast- paced police procedural ("Bloody Mary" by J.A. Konrath, 2005). The bad cop beats the rap because he has a brain tumor; so, naturally, he finds a way to go after Daniels and Benedict. One unusual character here is a cat with a penchant for attacking people, a cat which had reluctantly been adopted by Daniels. When the bad guy goes after Daniels' mother, the cat comes into his own. This is a clever novel with a modicum of humor in the telling.

Back to Venice for "The Girl of His Dreams" by Donna Leon (2008), a novel featuring Commissario Brunetti, who unravels a minor mystery involving the clergy and a major mystery involving a well-connected family and some relatively friendless Gypsies. Brunetti balances a peaceful home-life and an office life fraught with bureaucracy and sycophancy. What happened to a 10-year-old drowning victim drives this quiet and introspective story, which is also notable for its attention to details about this tourist-overrun city on a lagoon.

Philadelphia crops up again, this time as the backdrop for a story involving celebrity crime and nuns ("Hardscrabble Road" by Jane Haddam, 2006). Consultant Gregor Demarkian, an FBI-trained investigator and frequently referred to as the Armenian-American Hercule Poirot, pieces together disparate threads to resolve a murder case where the victims turn out to be surprises. One, a radio talk-show personality, had been reportedly locked in a rehabilitation facility, yet was found dead in a make-shift homeless shelter in the barn of a monastery on Hardscrabble Road. The mystery unfolds in short scenes which shift among the characters, a technique which allows a gradual awareness of motivations and penchants for evil-doing. Few characters are flawless, but Demarkian, unswayed by politics or political correctness, keeps focused on the case, pursues the significant suspects, and keeps complaining about the cold weather.

So, there you have it: this month's roundup of mysteries, thrillers, procedurals and who-done-its. Site-specific information is one of the pleasures of reading these works, which provide interesting descriptive details about cities from Chicago to Rio while challenging armchair sleuths to pick out the chief bad guys in amicable competition with the leading case investigators. If local color appeals to you, choose one of these novels for your next foray into light reading.