CLASSIC CRIME
IF anyone deserves an untimely death, it is robert Kewdingham.
Lazy and arrogant, a bully to his family and a promoter of fascism (we are in the Thirties), he is also a dedicated hypochondriac. Both his wife and the family doctor have reason to despatch him.
But as the two prospective murderers are working independently, an element of farce enters the proceedings when one poison acts as an antidote to the other. The victim not only survives, but appears to get stronger by the day. That is, until a one-off fatal dose is administered. The question of who delivered the coup
de grace is topped by a yet more intriguing one: can the guilty person get away with it? Tricky moral dilemmas add a dimension to a story that is fresh and original. (Penguin £7.99) When Louis Thouret loses his job as a warehouse foreman, he does not tell his class-conscious wife. Instead, he continues to catch the morning train into Paris, where he is often to be seen taking his leisure.
somehow, this placid character has managed to create a second life with money and a mistress. Then, one day, he is found stabbed to death in a back alley. To track down the murderer, Maigret has to unravel the secrets of the dead man.
Written in the early post-war years when simenon was in the U.s., the novel reflects his yearning to get back to his roots: the Paris of smoky bars and brown, stained apartments with the floozy concierge peeking out from behind the curtains.
Maigret is in his element, hunched in his overcoat, watching, waiting and listening for the suspects to give themselves away. The images are as sharp as virtual reality.
THE MOONSTONE’S CURSE
by Sam Siciliano (Titan £7.99) sherLoCK hoLMes is indestructible. his creator having failed to kill off the great detective, other writers have conspired to extend his longevity.
With four previous spin-offs to his credit, sam siciliano feels free to take liberties.
dr Watson has been packed off on an unexplained leave of absence. In his place is a younger doctor who introduces a love interest. as a source of further confusion, the basics of the plot are lifted from the eponymous novel by Wilkie Collins.
But, somehow, it all works. holmes leads an investigation into the fate of the Moonstone, a magnificent diamond that brings misery to those who aspire to its possession. The story moves along smartly as psychological insight triumphs over superstition.
With siciliano on the case, the flame lit by Conan doyle continues to burn brightly.