If you read this blog (or know me), you know I read a lot of mysteries, even though I don't think most of them are very good. A psychologist could probably find a lot to delve into there. But leaving that aside, in the past month there have been interesting things in mysteries that I want to acknowledge even though I didn't love the books.
First is West Heart Kill, by Dann McDorman. Amidst the narrative about an outsider detective who has finagled his way (for unrevealed reasons) into a holiday getaway at a hunting camp, where people start turning up dead, McDorman includes segments in which he addresses the reader directly about the mystery genre. These segments reference classics in the genre while discussing such topics as why authors write in first person, first person plural, or third person; the origins of the term murder, which then segues into the origins of collective nouns; the methods of murder used by mystery writers, etc. And the writing of the narrative makes stylistic turns that either reflect or are reflected in these "meta" sections. At one point, the narrative is written as a script. I ended up not caring much about the actual mystery while finding the commentary on the genre interesting and certainly unique. But I expect some people would find the entire book both clever and entertaining.
You've Got Murder, by Donna Andrews, is an older Agatha winner that I had not previously read. Published in 2002, the book features an AI protagonist who charms the reader while solving a complex case involving a disappearance, murder, and financial crimes. I was surprised the book was written more than 20 years ago and yet still feels contemporary in terms of possible applications and misapplications of not only AI but other technologies. I felt the latter part of the book got bogged down in details about technology and financial crime but I still respect what Andrews did ahead of the technological curve.
Finally, I have noted a mini-trend (possibly just a coincidence) of mystery writers dealing with serious contemporary issues. Of course, mystery writers have dealt with important topics forever, but reading four in a row with attention to modern problems made me take note. My interest in John Sandford's books has faded of late because of the emphasis on extra-judicial killings. However, I keep reading them, and the new Lucas Davenport novel, Toxic Prey, presents a scenario that is truly frightening--a group of scientists become so concerned about saving the earth, that they decide to kill off a large percentage of the world's population by releasing a deadly virus. The book almost made me worry that it would inspire someone to take this kind of action.
The most recent entry in another long-running mystery series--Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawsky novels--took on multiple issues, including the opioid epidemic and land-use issues that go back to the Civil War and Kansas's role in that conflict. Yes, Pay Dirt finds Vic back in Lawrence, Kansas, a town with which Paretsky (and therefore Vic) seems to have a complex relationship.
The other two novels focused on racism at the neighborhood level and how responses can escalate (Perfectly Nice Neighbors, by Kia Abdullah) and violence against women and the actions of activists seeking to draw attention to the problem (One of the Good Guys, by Araminta Hall). Both books are pretty good and might get into my spring favorites list. But mostly I'm happy to see mysteries that try to do a bit more than entertain (although entertainment is important too)!
