Publisher's Weekly
Sexual politics enliven this modern retelling, set in southeast England, of Thomas Middleton's Jacobean tragedy, The Changeling. James, called "the godfather of British noir," lives up to his reputation as a chronicler of low life, though as usual there are no detectives and the police play a subordinate role. Miro, a successful architect, lives in a stately country house and has all the accoutrements of success, including a beautiful mistress, Joanna. They plan to marry despite a 20-year difference in their ages, and everything seems idyllic till one day an old mate of Joanna's comes calling. Alan has spent time in prison and knows a dark secret from Joanna's past, which he threatens to confide to Miro. It's not money he's seeking but Joanna, for himself. Desperate, she turns to Miro's chauffeur, Florian, who lures Alan to a lake and disposes of him with bloody promptitude, then gives Joanna a grisly souvenir Alan's finger. Florian's price for his services is sex he, too, has a yen for his employer's intended. Everything seems to be working out, but on the wedding day, Alan's brother, Tom, shows up and announces that Alan and Joanna were engaged. Once again, murder seems the only solution. Then things rapidly disintegrate, with a climactic conflagration and a distinctly downbeat ending. James writes in a hard-bitten, edgy style more attentive to character study and locale than plot. The result is a taut, compelling noir with liberal dollops of sex and violence. The novel should appeal to mystery fans more interested in the crime, and its aftermath, than its detection. FYI: James is currently chairman of the Crime Writers Association. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Beautiful 20-year-old Joanna plans to marry nouveau riche but much older Miro Vermont, head architect of an engineering firm, and move into his refurbished country manor. Unfortunately, her ex-boyfriend turns up, fresh from prison, wanting her back and threatening to tell Miro about her abortion. Joanna, heretofore repulsed by Miro's birthmark-disfigured chauffeur who wants her body confesses to him that she would give anything to have her ex-boyfriend out of the way. Little does she know. A tried-and-true formula from the "Godfather of British noir" succeeds once again in this eminently readable, vividly portrayed, and highly suspenseful story. For fans of British crime novels. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
And now for something completely Jacobean from noir-master James (Painting in the Dark, 2001, etc.): an updating of Thomas Middleton's blood-soaked 1623 romance The Changeling. Pretty Joanna Beattie (read: Beatrice-Joanna), just past 20 and about to become the trophy wife of Miro Vermont (Alsemero), an architect twice her age and with twice her sophistication, hasn't that much of a past, but what she has comes back to haunt her when her former boyfriend Alan Pirie (Alonzo) is released from prison and comes to call. Despite misgivings about placing herself in debt to him, she asks Miro's chauffeur Florian (De Flores) to get rid of Alan. After he does, he demands her continued sexual compliance, even on her wedding day, which is further tarnished by the appearance of Thommy Pirie (Tomazo de Piracquo), demanding to know where his brother is. Jo turns once again to Florian, who turns once again to murder, setting it up to incriminate Miro, the man he's cuckolded. A distraught Jo, hiding from her husband and her wedding guests, leaves the way clear for her best friend Dee (Diaphanta) to seduce Miro and point him toward proof of Jo's dalliance with Florian, leading to two horrific confrontations-between Dee and Jo and between Miro, Florian, and Jo-leaving only one survivor to cruise out of Miro's driveway in the Lexus while the house burns to the ground. Searing stuff, so sexually appalling it could drive a nympho to abstinence. What on earth will they think of next?
Genre: Mystery
Sexual politics enliven this modern retelling, set in southeast England, of Thomas Middleton's Jacobean tragedy, The Changeling. James, called "the godfather of British noir," lives up to his reputation as a chronicler of low life, though as usual there are no detectives and the police play a subordinate role. Miro, a successful architect, lives in a stately country house and has all the accoutrements of success, including a beautiful mistress, Joanna. They plan to marry despite a 20-year difference in their ages, and everything seems idyllic till one day an old mate of Joanna's comes calling. Alan has spent time in prison and knows a dark secret from Joanna's past, which he threatens to confide to Miro. It's not money he's seeking but Joanna, for himself. Desperate, she turns to Miro's chauffeur, Florian, who lures Alan to a lake and disposes of him with bloody promptitude, then gives Joanna a grisly souvenir Alan's finger. Florian's price for his services is sex he, too, has a yen for his employer's intended. Everything seems to be working out, but on the wedding day, Alan's brother, Tom, shows up and announces that Alan and Joanna were engaged. Once again, murder seems the only solution. Then things rapidly disintegrate, with a climactic conflagration and a distinctly downbeat ending. James writes in a hard-bitten, edgy style more attentive to character study and locale than plot. The result is a taut, compelling noir with liberal dollops of sex and violence. The novel should appeal to mystery fans more interested in the crime, and its aftermath, than its detection. FYI: James is currently chairman of the Crime Writers Association. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Beautiful 20-year-old Joanna plans to marry nouveau riche but much older Miro Vermont, head architect of an engineering firm, and move into his refurbished country manor. Unfortunately, her ex-boyfriend turns up, fresh from prison, wanting her back and threatening to tell Miro about her abortion. Joanna, heretofore repulsed by Miro's birthmark-disfigured chauffeur who wants her body confesses to him that she would give anything to have her ex-boyfriend out of the way. Little does she know. A tried-and-true formula from the "Godfather of British noir" succeeds once again in this eminently readable, vividly portrayed, and highly suspenseful story. For fans of British crime novels. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
And now for something completely Jacobean from noir-master James (Painting in the Dark, 2001, etc.): an updating of Thomas Middleton's blood-soaked 1623 romance The Changeling. Pretty Joanna Beattie (read: Beatrice-Joanna), just past 20 and about to become the trophy wife of Miro Vermont (Alsemero), an architect twice her age and with twice her sophistication, hasn't that much of a past, but what she has comes back to haunt her when her former boyfriend Alan Pirie (Alonzo) is released from prison and comes to call. Despite misgivings about placing herself in debt to him, she asks Miro's chauffeur Florian (De Flores) to get rid of Alan. After he does, he demands her continued sexual compliance, even on her wedding day, which is further tarnished by the appearance of Thommy Pirie (Tomazo de Piracquo), demanding to know where his brother is. Jo turns once again to Florian, who turns once again to murder, setting it up to incriminate Miro, the man he's cuckolded. A distraught Jo, hiding from her husband and her wedding guests, leaves the way clear for her best friend Dee (Diaphanta) to seduce Miro and point him toward proof of Jo's dalliance with Florian, leading to two horrific confrontations-between Dee and Jo and between Miro, Florian, and Jo-leaving only one survivor to cruise out of Miro's driveway in the Lexus while the house burns to the ground. Searing stuff, so sexually appalling it could drive a nympho to abstinence. What on earth will they think of next?
Genre: Mystery
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