Review – Shaded Light

When Ontario police detective Paul Manziuk meets his new partner, Jacqueline Ryan, he doesn’t know what to expect. She’s black minority, and he’s white. She’s vivacious, he’s reserved. She’s been recently promoted; he is a twenty-nine year homicide detective with an attitude. Lindquist’s debut cozy mystery marries this unlikely duo into a fascinating, challenging partnership. Their first case begins at an upscale estate in the London suburbs where a guest’s wife is found strangled. It’s not the weekend party the Brodies had planned.

When George Brodie, senior partner in the law firm of Brodie, Fischer, and Martin invites the firm’s law partners and their wives as weekend guests, all thoughts of his wife Ellen’s matchmaking with their son and potential daughter-in-law are put on hold. Ellen doesn’t mind entertaining, but she prefers dinner guests, not weekend guests. To complicate matters, Bart Brodie the black sheep nephew arrives unexpectedly. Although the guests appear congenial, sharp words and dark looks often accompany initial greetings, particularly with Jillian, wife of partner, Peter Fischer. Jillian is bold, beautiful and sassy, which is part of her appeal, but underneath she’s ruthless, demanding and calculating, which sets the stage for her murder.

Twelve house guests and two housekeepers are drawn into a thick web of lies, murder, and deceit where everyone lies, no one is safe, and everyone is a suspect. When a second body is discovered, the secret relationships that flow beneath the polished smiles, fashionable dress, and genteel manners begin to surface, along with a simmering hatred and potent fear as everyone wonders who will be next. Shaded Light provides dry humor, some romance, and lots of modern forensics as Manziuk and Ryan follow the clues and close in on the murderer.

N.J. Lindquist, award-winning author, speaker and teacher writes in the style of Agatha Christie. Her debut mystery showcases her English and psychology background to reveal an intricate, finely tuned plot filled with excellent characterizations, in-depth motivations, and complex story lines. Formerly known for her teen novels, the Best of Friends series, this establishes Lindquist as a mystery writer to watch. Glitter of Diamonds, second in the Manziuk and Ryan, is already in hardback with trade paperback scheduled in October 2007.