Vertigo 42: A Richard Jury Mystery

*Starred Review* Grimes, recipient of the Grand Master Award of the Mystery Writers of America in 2012, shows what mastery is all about in this compelling new Richard Jury mystery. To begin with, Grimes is superlative at describing the physical world; the view, for example, from the champagne bar called Vertigo 42 on the forty-second story of a London skyscraper lets Grimes give the reader both an overview of the Thames and its history in a few evocative sentences. And, when Grimes takes us into interiors, whether it's a posh country home or a down-at-the-heels flat, she is like Dickens in linking human character to habitat. Vertigo 42, as a setting, is a deliberate reminder (developed throughout the book) of Hitchcock's film. It also is a reminder to the widower who summons New Scotland Yard Superintendent Jury to the bar that the man's wife, who suffered from vertigo, died 17 years ago in a staircase fall that the inquest ruled an accident. The widower, Tom Williamson, is haunted by his wife's death, which he is convinced was murder, and asks Jury to reinvestigate. Williamson is convinced that his wife's death is linked to that of a child who drowned in their pool five years earlier. Two other murders occupy Jury as he confronts the puzzle of the past, and Grimes ingeniously links all of them to Hitchcock. One of the highlights in a stellar series.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2014 Booklist

MWA Grandmaster Grimes pays tribute to Hitchcock in her middling 23rd mystery featuring London policeman Richard Jury (after 2010's The Black Cat). Seventeen years after the discovery of heiress Tess Williamson's body at the bottom of the terrace stairs at her Devon home, Tom Williamson still doesn't believe that his wife's death was accidental-and neither does Supt. Richard Jury, who suspects a link between Tess's death and that of Hilda Palmer. Five years earlier, nine-year-old Hilda suffered a fatal fall into a drained swimming pool during a birthday party that Tess was hosting for a half dozen young friends. Meanwhile, Jury visits eccentric pal Melrose Plant in Northamptonshire, where he becomes sidetracked by a lost Staffordshire terrier and soon after by a fresh corpse. The plot lines eventually connect to a complex conundrum involving friendship, love, and betrayal. Readers who persevere past Jury's confusing initial stay at the madcap Plant manse will be rewarded with an involving puzzle-right up to the frustratingly farfetched finale. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Hitchcockian influences enrich the latest (after The Black Cat) in Grimes's series featuring Scotland Yard superintendent Richard Jury. With humor, acuity, and a wealth of information about London and the surrounding areas, Grimes continues to make the cozy mystery a joy as returning characters Wiggins, Plant, and company contribute to the ultimate solution of the classic whodunit. New characters, whether innocent or guilty, are well drawn, humorous, and integral to the story. Steve West's narration (he reads all the titles in the series) is excellent in his portrayal of Jury and the rest of the varied cast. Verdict Although this entry is part of a long-running series, listeners will enjoy it as a stand-alone and be eager to read the all the other installments. Listen-alikes include analytical and reflective policemen in detective fiction by Louise Penny, Donna Leon, Agatha Christie, and Ngaio Marsh. ["Sly and well plotted, with more than a hint of Hitchcockian flair-another excellent addition to the series," read the review of the Scribner hc, Xpress Reviews, 6/27/14.]-Sandra C. Clariday, Tennessee Wesleyan Coll., Athens (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Richard Jury returns to investigate four deaths separated by time and geography.When Scotland Yard Superintendant Richard Jury meets Tom Williamson at Vertigo 42, a bar atop one of London's financial towers, Williamson asks him to reopen a couple of long-ago deaths. Williamson lost his wife, Tess, 17 years ago, when she apparently suffered an attack of vertigo and fell down the stairs of their Devonshire country house. Five years earlier, she'd given a party there for six children, one of whom died in a draining pool. Tess was acquitted of any wrongdoing, but she never got over the incident. After Jury starts looking into the case, he's inclined to agree with Williamson that someone with vertigo probably wouldn't have fallen all the way to the bottom of the stairs, and there were easier, more foolproof means of suicide. Jury's also invited to investigate the case of a red-gowned woman found dead at the foot of a tower in Northamptonshire, near the home of Melrose Plant. Plant, the former Lord Ardry and Jury's unofficial sidekick, applies his own investigative style whenever he can be torn away from Souffl Day and other aspects of the perfect life at his estate. Even with Plant's help, Jury is hard-pressed to make sense of a lost dog, mysterious changes of outfit, a fourth body, and the prevailing questions of whether and how the four deaths are related. The unseen but deeply felt presence of the generous, warmhearted Tess inspires Jury and his team to persevere in seeking justice for her and peace for her husband in a deftly plotted tale balancing wry humor and poignancy without sentimentality.Though newcomers may find Jury enigmatic without a complete back story (The Black Cat, 2010, etc.), the character sketches Grimes (The Way of All Fish, 2014, etc.) provides are more satisfying than other authors' full portraits. Longtime fans will find this tale fully worthy of Jury and his regulars. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

*Starred Review* Grimes, recipient of the Grand Master Award of the Mystery Writers of America in 2012, shows what mastery is all about in this compelling new Richard Jury mystery. To begin with, Grimes is superlative at describing the physical world; the view, for example, from the champagne bar called Vertigo 42 on the forty-second story of a London skyscraper lets Grimes give the reader both an overview of the Thames and its history in a few evocative sentences. And, when Grimes takes us into interiors, whether it's a posh country home or a down-at-the-heels flat, she is like Dickens in linking human character to habitat. Vertigo 42, as a setting, is a deliberate reminder (developed throughout the book) of Hitchcock's film. It also is a reminder to the widower who summons New Scotland Yard Superintendent Jury to the bar that the man's wife, who suffered from vertigo, died 17 years ago in a staircase fall that the inquest ruled an accident. The widower, Tom Williamson, is haunted by his wife's death, which he is convinced was murder, and asks Jury to reinvestigate. Williamson is convinced that his wife's death is linked to that of a child who drowned in their pool five years earlier. Two other murders occupy Jury as he confronts the puzzle of the past, and Grimes ingeniously links all of them to Hitchcock. One of the highlights in a stellar series. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

It's been four years since the last Richard Jury mystery (The Black Cat), but Grimes hasn't lost her touch when it comes to this droll, literate series. This time it's a cold case that draws Jury in: Tess Williamson, known for her vertigo, fell to her death on the garden steps of her estate 17 years ago. Her devastated widower has never agreed with the inquest that ruled it an accident, especially since a local child drowned in their pool five years before. During his investigation, Jury is roped into another death-by-falling, this one recent, which has peculiarities of its own that are impossible to ignore. As usual, Grimes's strong visuals flesh out Jury's world, from a skyscraper champagne bar to the local pub. The supporting characters are equally engrossing; when Jury leaves to follow up on a lead, you almost wish you could hang back to keep listening to their conversations. Verdict Sly and well plotted, with more than a hint of Hitchcockian flair—another excellent addition to the series. [See Prepub Alert, 1/6/14.]—Liza Oldham, Beverly, MA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

MWA Grandmaster Grimes pays tribute to Hitchcock in her middling 23rd mystery featuring London policeman Richard Jury (after 2010's The Black Cat). Seventeen years after the discovery of heiress Tess Williamson's body at the bottom of the terrace stairs at her Devon home, Tom Williamson still doesn't believe that his wife's death was accidental—and neither does Supt. Richard Jury, who suspects a link between Tess's death and that of Hilda Palmer. Five years earlier, nine-year-old Hilda suffered a fatal fall into a drained swimming pool during a birthday party that Tess was hosting for a half dozen young friends. Meanwhile, Jury visits eccentric pal Melrose Plant in Northamptonshire, where he becomes sidetracked by a lost Staffordshire terrier and soon after by a fresh corpse. The plot lines eventually connect to a complex conundrum involving friendship, love, and betrayal. Readers who persevere past Jury's confusing initial stay at the madcap Plant manse will be rewarded with an involving puzzle—right up to the frustratingly farfetched finale. (June)