Sculptor/sleuth Sam Jones's new adventure, the fifth published in the U.S. (Chained; Black Rubber Dress; etc.) won't disappoint established fans. All the hallmarks are intact: the hipper-than-hip London art scene, the woes of love in the 21st century and enough sex, drugs and booze to merit a special Sam Jones 12-step program. Here Sam's fans get to see her in a new setting: a bucolic village in the English countryside. It starts as a simple New Year's visit with her longtime friend Tom, a schoolteacher besotted with the single mom of one of his students. For this holiday weekend, Sam is reluctantly accompanied by her actor boyfriend, who adroitly sneers at the country folk while lapping up their admiration. With just the right amount of buildup, Henderson thus nicely sets the scene and introduces the characters in a natural, believable way. Shortly after the quarreling lovebirds return to London, Tom is arrested for murdering the woman he has been pursuing. Sam rushes back to the village, and the real sleuthing begins. Henderson has dubbed her school of mysteries "tart noir," but this book falls a wee bit short on both counts. This Sam is more whiny than tarty, and the setting in a prototypically cute English village renders the atmosphere more green than noir. The identity of the murderer is a genuine surprise, but somewhat hard to swallow. For all the ultracool hipness of Sam's life, the story itself follows a very traditional—even, dare we say, ordinary—template. 4-city author tour. (Oct. 1)
