My Review (5 stars out of 5)
A Christmas crib. A nurse lighting candles in a church. A dead body. In snowy post-war London, City Police has a murder to deal with, and a frightened councillor hires investigator Newman to look into the killing. But Newman soon finds he has more on his plate than a single body…
This is Janet Roger’s first novel, and it’s a good one. Written in American English (no doubt due to the hero being an American detective), the comparison to Raymond Chandler—as other reviewers have noted—is well-earned, though Ms Roger’s clever witticisms are possibly even cleverer and wittier than the man himself. Faced with a mystery that turns up more dead ends than a cul-de-sac at closing time, Newman finds himself targeted by the killer, and with the body-count rising, he’s running out of time.
The author’s use of language is sharp and original, though I did find some of her descriptions—of people, places etc—a little overegged. All in all, a great read, an original protagonist, and a smart plot that kept me guessing.
Colin Garrow 