British author Kelly's second Gregory Summers British police procedural (after The Lone Traveller) features possibly the blandest detective in the genre. Superintendent Summers is working with the National Crime Squad on Operation Cuckoo, an effort to crack a ring that smuggles immigrants into the country, but does little else than act politically correct. This whole sequence seems excerpted from another, less interesting book. Fortunately, the main plot concerns Elise Weissman, the wealthy widow of an eminent art patron, who when she was 18 (and called Elsie Riley) was just starting to make her living as a servant. After an older man raped her at a private party (in reality an orgy) where she was serving drinks, her employer "paid" (and intimidated) her into silence. When Elise/Elsie realized she was pregnant, she decided to give up her baby for adoption in London. Unknown to her, the couple who adopted her baby, Anthony, were sadistic child-abusers who made the boy's life hell. Thirty years later, Anthony returns to find his biological mother, now a titled socialite, and to seek a very personal revenge. The interplay between mother and son lifts the story way above average, while the ending comes as a total surprise. A competent writer who could benefit from some judicious editing, Kelly might do well next round to retire Summers and introduce a more exciting sleuth. (Dec. 15)
