April 18, 2016
Psychiatrist Claire Roget, the heroine of this middling series debut from British author Masters (Recalled to Death and five other Martha Gunn mysteries), is unsettled when she receives an invitation from Jerome Barclay, “one of her more worrying” former patients, to his wedding—delivered to her home in Stoke-on-Trent. Claire, who hasn’t seen Barclay in two years, can’t help wondering what his intentions toward his new bride could be, as well as his new in-laws, who are recent lottery winners. Claire later discovers that Barclay is somehow influencing other vulnerable patients under her care. Without solid proof that Barclay is committing any crime, Claire finds herself playing a tense cat-and-mouse game with her ex-patient, who holds the upper hand at every turn. An interesting cast of damaged characters fills the hospital where Claire works, but she demonstrates too much personal responsibility for Barclay and is exasperatingly naïve for a trained psychiatrist. A twist ending leaves the door open for further adventures.
August 17, 2015
Early in Masters’s gripping sixth Martha Gunn mystery (after 2014’s The Devil’s Chair), the gatekeeper at Moreton Corbet Castle, an English Heritage site in Shropshire, discovers while inspecting the castle’s grounds a homeless man with his throat slashed. Det. Insp. Alex Randall leads the investigation in a most baffling murder case, while coroner Martha plays a subsidiary role. The few clues make identifying the victim unusually difficult. More questions arise once the police learn that he was a nice guy, polite and well-spoken, with no history of drug or alcohol abuse. How did he fall so completely off the grid? Alex becomes as eager to understand what motivated the dead man to abandon his respectable life as he is to catch the man’s killer. The intricate plot slowly builds momentum until reaching a surprising resolution. Details that hint at future developments for several characters will leave readers eager for the next installment.
May 1, 2016
Forensic psychiatrist Claire Roget (introduced in A Plea of Insanity, 2005) worries about her responsibility for the actions of patients she deems dangerous. Her top concern is cunning psychopath Jerome Barclay, who, she believes (but is unable to prove), killed his brother and parents as well as her predecessor at Greatbach Secure Psychiatric Unit. Concern mounts when Barclay calls her a worthy sparring partner, inviting her to his wedding (to the daughter of newly rich lottery winners) and displaying intimate knowledge of, and influence over, several of her patients. But her colleagues think her obsessive about Barclay, as she tries to determine who among them has leaked patient information to him. At the same time, she's suffering the loss of her longtime partner, with whom she bought a house, who left without explanation months earlier. Masters, author of the Martha Gunn and Joanna Piercy mystery series, brings back Claire Roget here (the earlier book seemed to be a stand-alone) to establish a third series. With its unresolved personal story and chilling conclusion, the novel suggests that Masters has another successful, character-driven series ahead.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)