2024 Re-Read
Another mystery revisited in order to be able to discuss it sensibly at book club next week. It's been a couple of years since I first read it and I looked forward to it.
It was fun to get to know Judith, Suzie and Becks all over again. Judith is the brains of the operation, having kept her wits sharp by creating crossword puzzles, doing jigsaw puzzles, and regular swimming. She recognizes the other two women as potential partners, seeing Suzie's bravery and Becks' work ethic. Judith helps them see themselves differently, as intelligent, capable women in a society that tends to discount women, especially older women. Knowing what lies ahead of them in the next two books, I can see how Thorogood is setting the stage here for adventures to come.
We get introduced early in the action to the policewoman Tanika. I took more notice this time around of her situation—a time consuming career, a small child, a husband who is a reluctant partner, a demanding father. No wonder she eventually knuckles under and enlists our three intrepid investigators.
The plot is worthy of Agatha Christie in complexity. Judith lays out her reasoning at the end in a very Poirot-like way. As with Christie, I saw all the clues but didn't click them together like Judith did. I do think that Thorogood played fair though. It was a solvable mystery for the alert reader. I’m a lazy mystery enthusiast, willing to let the author clue me in. (And after two years, I didn't remember the solution, so I'm glad to have refreshed my memory before book club.)
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