As if by Magic by Dolores Gordon-Smith
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(Hardcover)
- Pub. Date: August 2009
- 288pp
- Sales Rank: 241,610
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: August 2009
- Publisher: Soho Press, Incorporated
- Format: Hardcover, 288pp
- Sales Rank: 241,610
- ISBN-13: 9781569475881
- ISBN: 1569475881
Synopsis
Praise for Dolores Gordon-Smith:
“With vision and vigor, Gordon-Smith pulls off another Golden Age delight.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch
“A classic postwar country-house mystery with a Christie-like denouement.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Dorothy Sayers fans will be most rewarded.”—Publishers Weekly
Freezing and hungry, George Lassiter breaks into a stranger’s house where he witnesses a murder. But when the police find no evidence, they—and George’s friend Jack Haldean—believe George was delirious. Dangerous events soon prove everyone wrong.
Dolores Gordon-Smith is the author of two previous mysteries in the Jack Haldean series. She graduated from Surrey University in 1981.
Publishers Weekly
Gordon-Smith’s intricate third 1920s mystery to feature writer-sleuth Jack Haldean (after 2008’s Mad About the Boy) opens with an intriguing setup: George Lassiter, a down-on-his-luck South African, breaks into what he thinks is an unoccupied London house, only to overhear what he’s sure is a woman’s murder. When the police collar him for burglary, he relates what happened, but the authorities find no evidence of foul play at the house. Fortunately, Haldean, who flew with Lassiter during WWI, learns of his situation and goes to his rescue. When Lassiter tells Haldean he’s been cheated out of a bequest by an imposter, Haldean discovers that the people whose house Lassiter burglarized were his relatives, who may be tied not only to the scam that deprived Lassiter of the bequest but to a series of murders reminiscent of the Ripper killings. While the answers to the various puzzles may not satisfy every reader, Gordon-Smith does a solid job presenting fair-play clues. (Aug.)
More Reviews and RecommendationsBiography
Dolores Gordon-Smith is the author of two previous mysteries in the Jack Haldean series. She graduated from Surrey University in 1981.
Customer Reviews
The third Jack Haldean 1920s whodunit is a terrific historical mysteryby harstan
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August 21, 2009: In the 1920s in London, South African expatriate George Lassiter breaks into a house he believes is empty. However, instead he hears voices in what sounds like the murder of a woman. Not sure what to do, he goes to leave quietly only the police arrest him accusing him of attempted burglary.
He tells the cops what he believes happened inside the house, but they find no evidence of a homicide. Private investigator Jack Haldean learns of his WWI flying mate's problems and goes to get him out of jail. George explains to Jack what he heard, why he was in the house and who owns it. Jack believes George that a murder probably occurred and that he was cheated by an impostor out of his inheritance. Jack investigates and learns the owners of the house are relatives of George who probably abetted the con artist who stole his bequest. Jack begins to piece together something more horrifying as an apparent serial killer is the loose while London remains ignorant.The third Jack Haldean 1920s whodunit (see A FATE WORST THAN DEATH and MAD ABOUT THE BOY) is a terrific historical mystery that brings to life London through the eyes of an emigre author just after WWI. The story line is fast-paced from the moment George breaks into a house he believes he owns. Fans will relish Jack's inquiry as he finds much more than he expected.Harriet Klausner
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