Summer Whodunits

Even though I'm not a huge fan of mysteries, they traditionally creep onto my reading list as "summer reads." And our month in Door County seems like the perfect time to dive in (to my mysteries, not the lake, which should come as a surprise to absolutely no one!)

Gone Girl by Chicago author Gillian Flynn gives new meaning to the phrase "Marriage can be a real killer."

This is Flynn's third novel and she does not disappoint; she is a talented and creative writer and just as in her two previous novels (Dark Places and Sharp Objects) she shines a light on the weird and creepy. In Gone Girl she also displays a dark wit that I enjoyed.

Nick and Amy are about to celebrate their fifth anniversary and although to all outward appearances their marriage has seemed "happy", many deep and treacherous undercurrents are rippling about causing unseen damage. On the day of their anniversary, Amy disappears, leaving a trail of clues that all point to Nick, who quickly becomes the prime suspect.

The story unfolds through the eyes of Nick (after Amy's disappearance) and Amy (in flashback format prior to disappearing). Turns out Nick and Amy are awfully unreliable narrators and their alternating tale leads the reader on a wild ride of plot twists and turns. Gone Girl is a fun read and I have no qualms about recommending it for what it is: a well-written, clever whodunit!

Equally clever and well-written is A Death in Summer by Benjamin Black. Set in post World War II Ireland, it's the fifth novel by this author featuring the crime-solving duo of Dr. Quirke, a pessimistic, alcoholic pathologist and Detective Inspector Hackett, a traditional by-the-book police officer.

An interesting sidebar: Benjamon Black is the "escapist alter ego" of author John Banville, a "serious" writer whose finely written novel The Sea won the Mann Booker Prize in 2005. His Benjamin Black novels have turned out to be huge hit from what I have read.

The whodunit part of the novel focuses on a much-hated, very powerful Irish newspaper tycoon whose dead body has been found in what has been staged to look like a suicide. Dr. Quirke knows better (of course) and the sleuthing begins.

Black has created a very interesting character in Quirke; he has a knack, apparently, for being involved in dangerous love affairs and messy murders and this one is no exception.

The supporting characters are engaging in their own right, especially Quirke's assistant who is drawn, against his will, into a relationship with Quirke's daughter.

A Death in Summer unfolds with enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing and enough character development to make this a better read than your average whodunit

I'm about to start my third summer mystery Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin. It's gotten great reviews and I'm looking forward to diving in once again to a good book!