South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Clark launches new series; Connolly thriller a 2-for-1
Tracy Clark steps away from her award-winning Cass Raines novels for a new series that deftly infuses the police procedural with a gripping, emotional story about grief, surviving loss and finding solace in one’s work skills that can make a difference for others.
In the tremendous “Hide,” Clark presents an intelligent, three-dimensional character in Chicago police detective Harriet Foster, who comes to terms with knowing that “wanting to live and knowing how to live on were different things.”
“Hide” finds Harriet returning to work, transferring to a different police station after an eight-week leave of absence. Harriet continues to mourn the murder of her teenage son five years ago and the breakup of her marriage that followed. But the recent suicide of her police partner of 11 years, who also was her best friend, put her into a tailspin from which Harriet almost could not recover. She hopes a new squad, new boss and new partner will help.
Harriet finds most of her current co-workers amiable, except her partner, Det. Jim Lonergan.
His proclamation that he is “old-school” is sneeringly directed at Harriet, a Black woman. His actions match his attitude. Determined not to allow Lonergan to affect the work, the two uneasy partners investigate a young woman’s murder. Lonergan immediately wants to pin the murder on a Black college student passed out near the body, although no evidence links him to the murder. The investigation branches out with the discovery of more bodies, similarly killed.
Clark effectively shows
how a squad can work together to solve crimes, even overriding the egos of a couple of arrogant detectives. Clark digs deep to show how the compassionate, insightful Harriet uses little rituals to cope with her losses and how she forces herself to interact with people.
The title “Hide” is a double metaphor — the killer hides from all, but Harriet also would rather hide from society inside the wall of grief she has constructed. An insider’s view of Chicago, both familiar and hidden areas, enhance “Hide.”
The appealing Harriet is a solid character and readers will look forward to her further adventures.
Two novels in one
Irish writer John Connolly marks a milestone with “The Furies” — his 20th novel featuring Maine private investigator Charlie Parker, who is haunted by grief and the losses in his life, while wrestling with the supernatural. To celebrate that 20th outing, Connolly delivers a double dose of Parker with “The Furies.”
If a book of 512 pages seems daunting for the average reader, “The Furies” really is two full-length novels, each self-contained in plot and characters, linked by only a small, but vital reference. “The Furies” also is a fine introduction to the Charlie Parker oeuvre.
“The Strange Sisters,” the first novel clocking in at a mere 274 pages, revolves about two Portland, Maine, sisters who are indeed a bit strange — their last name is Strange — and are estranged. Dolors and Ambar — blame “the defective spelling” on their parents, who “hadn’t been much for spelling” — seem to be linked by the vile ex-con Raum Buker, with whom both are sleeping though neither knows this. The plot involves stolen coins, a murderous collector and a “poisonous” old man in Pennsylvania.
“The Furies,” the second novel at only 227 pages, features the seedy hotel Braycott Arms, where some of the characters in “The Strange Sisters” reside. The Braycott “was a stain” on Portland, “a blight on its inhabitants, and a repository for criminality, both aggressively active and relatively passive.”
Set during the pandemic, the Braycott Arms is hardly the place anyone would want to ride out the spread of virus. Children are not allowed at the Braycott — if a child was found there the owner would immediately call the police in fear for the youngster’s safety. Yet several residents constantly hear a child’s voice and little footsteps.
Parker’s case involves the late mobster Nate Sawyer’s widow, who is being harassed by her husband’s associates; they believe she knows where stolen money is hidden.
Connolly keeps both novels briskly plotted with detailed attention to characters while weaving in philosophy, physics, history and even touches of poetry. Connolly’s dark humor, view of the occult and adherence to private investigator tropes elevate both novels within “The Furies.”
Oline H. Cogdill can be reached at olinecog@aol.com.