After the Exhibition: A Jack Haldean Mystery

In Gordon-Smith’s excellent eighth mystery set in 1920s England (after 2013’s Blood from a Stone), Betty Wingate, the impoverished daughter of a solicitor, tells amateur detective Jack Haldean of a horrific encounter. One night, while walking home in Whimbrell Heath, a village about an hour south of London by train, Betty stopped by the cottage of Carlotta Bianchi, a woman of dubious reputation. As soon as Betty spotted Carlotta’s strangled corpse on the sofa, someone chloroformed her from behind; when she came to, the body was gone. Everyone, including Betty’s love interest, has dismissed her story as a fantasy. She hopes that Jack can vindicate her, with the aid of his Scotland Yard friend, Chief Insp. Bill Rackham. The charming and astute Jack, who finds himself drawn to Betty, soon discovers some trace evidence corroborating her story. The crafty plot ends up including multiple murders. Fans of lighthearted puckish sleuths like Peter Wimsey and Albert Campion will enjoy this outing. [em](July) [/em]