This is another fine mystery in the Inspector Ian Rutledge series from this mother and son team.  The story is set in 1920 when four young women boating on a river spot a young man in a nearby boat that appears to be sinking.  The young man is seriously injured during a rescue attempt and later dies.  A witness accuses the young women of murder.

So begins a complex plot which comes to involve several murderous attacks and requires Rutledge to delve into the past of both suspects and victims. The plot is satisfying and, as always, Rutledge is a vulnerable and appealing protagonist.  If you like your historical mysteries mixed with psychological intensity, this is the series for you.

Lawrence Block is one of the best and most versatile mystery writers of the last fifty years.  His Matthew Scudder novels provide a new level of New York noir, and his Bernie Rhodenbarr mysteries, such as this one, are filled with witty dialogue and feature a complex plot.

The plot in this story is so complex that it refuses to be summarized.  Suffice it to say that it involves burglary, an obsessive collector, casual sex, and spoons, not necessarily in that order.  Just when you think Block has overextended himself and will never be able to resolve all the plot elements, he ties it up in a neat package.

If you want to read a very humorous novel by a master of the genre, give this one a try.  I guarantee you will seek out more of his books.

There comes a time when even those readers who usually prefer seat-of-the-pants thrillers and the hardest of hard boiled detective fiction need to read something that will allow them to get to sleep at night.  Atherton’s Aunty Dimity series is ideal for this purpose.  Well written, with a fine sense of family life in the midst of the bucolic English countryside, the books in this series have well structured plots and nicely developed characters.

One odd feature about this book – the twentieth in the series – is that no crime takes place. There are several related mysteries that end up explaining much about the village of Finch, where Lori Shepherd and her family live, but they have nothing to do with any criminal acts.  The books remains, however, an enjoyable read, but to get the best sense of this fine cozy series, I would recommend starting with one of the earlier ones, the first if possible, and working your way forward.  If you enjoy contemporary English cozies, you will find this series delightful.