Pray and Die (Jordan Lacey)
Here is an absolute treat of a novel. Jordan Lacey, a former policewoman in Latching, West Sussex, decides to become a private investigator. But how, exactly, does a young woman with no private-eye experience find cases in a small British town with very little crime? As it turns out, it's easier than Jordan expected it to be, easier and weirder, as her first clients--a woman who suspects her husband of cheating on her and a nice lady looking for her lost turtle--soon take the back seat to Jordan's big discovery: a murdered nun. This is an immensely satisfying novel, charmingly written and deceptively plotted (things are more complicated than we think). Whitelaw, the author of more than 30 novels, pays close attention to detail, and it's a great deal of fun to watch Lacey find a place to hang her private-eye shingle, advertise for clients, and adjust to the realization that her former police contacts won't help her now that she's gone solo. The story itself is clever and well constructed, but it's Lacey herself who makes the novel so special; she is truly a delightful creation. This is the first installment of a projected series, and if its successors live up to the promise of this outstanding debut, it should be a long-lasting and hugely popular one indeed.David PittCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved