Review: Every bit as good as Cory's spy thrillers
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 22, 2012
"This is Jezebel" features detective Lindsay Grey, a former policeman and is the second in a series of four, this one was first published in 1952, the same period that Desmond Cory was writing about his other well-known creation Johnny Fedora. I did not realize the timing of this publication until sometime after reading it and confess I was quite surprised he found the energy and imagination to release two novels but it turns out this was a very regular occurrence in his early days.If I was to be mean and critical I could say that the transformation from a spy to a detective is not a wide enough gape in the job spectrum to allow sufficient difference in the story line, I would also be telling a lie! Some of the writing style obviously remains with questions left unanswered until the end, an insight in to the characters personality and psyche, and a main character that seems to be universally likable.Now I will confess the world of art contains little interest for me, I cannot look at a painting and think much beyond if I like it or not to be perfectly honest and was therefore not totally how sure I would cope with reading a novel that is essentially based on a possible forged masterpiece or was likely to feature one if not more art galleries, and knowing how Desmond Cory was likely to describe the backdrop surroundings. In truth I should have known better and once I started reading, stopping proved difficult. The more Cory novels I read, the more I love his creativity, well researched and in-depth knowledge of what is taking place at any given time. The actions of the characters are believable, even when something happens that you perhaps were not expecting; it all seemed logical if you look at it from that characters viewpoint.Desmond Cory never seemed to fail to write original material that is gripping and full of suspense when he wrote his crime and spy thrillers and "This is Jezebel" is just another excellent example of his genius. It's another piece of his work that can be hard to put down once it has been picked up, opened and the contents slowly digested.I have read this novel three times and would say that if after a first read, you are unsure as to whether you liked it or not, read it again. There is quite a lot going on in the story and you may possibly have missed something that on the second reading makes more sense of what is happening.For me it compares favorably with his spy thriller works and easily on a par with them