The Proof of My Innocence

Coe’s delectable whodunit (after Bournville) combines shadowy right-wing politics and literary intrigue. It’s 2022 and British magazine editor Christopher Swann is on the verge of exposing a right-wing think tank’s plot against the National Health Service. After conservative prime minister Liz Truss is sworn in, the think tank holds a conference in an English country house, which Swann attends. There, he’s mortally attacked, leaving behind a cryptic note. On the case is Pru Freeborne, an eccentric DI who’s about to retire. What follows are three novels within the novel, in the respective styles of a cozy mystery, dark academia, and autofiction. In them, the murderer’s identity, method, and motive vary, as Pru explores whether Swann was killed for having dirt on the conference attendees and their nefarious plot. Added to the mix is Phyl, an aspiring writer and recent university graduate who met Swann shortly before his death, while he was visiting Phyl’s parents. As Phyl goes down a rabbit hole, she becomes convinced that Swann’s killing is somehow connected to that of long-dead author Peter Cockerill (a reclusive Cockerill expert had also attended the conference and might have had his own reason to silence Swann). Coe’s metatextual games are as fun as the caper plot. This is a blast. (Apr.)