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Weekend Books

 A novel that knocked me over, in my youth, was "A Certain Justice," by PD James. 


In that one, Venetia Aldridge, a brilliant criminal lawyer, has many, many enemies. She ruined a family by helping a rapist to evade charges. She refuses to defend a colleague's delinquent brother, etc. When PD James is in the "Justice" phase of her career, she is having enough fun that she can boldly announce, in her first sentence, "Aldridge is going to die." That cheeky narrative voice is part of the pleasure. It seems to say: "I can break the rules. I know what I'm doing."

I think, today, the best "James successor" is Anthony Horowitz. I think Horowitz shares James's delight in writing. For example, look at his titles, which combine killing with a narrative or a grammatical device: "A Line to Kill." "The Twist of a Knife." "Close to Death."

The new Horowitz novel describes a group of neighbors on a shared back road. A new guy moves in; he parks his car in an obnoxious way, harasses two old ladies, plays loud music at night, skips community meetings, and has questionable political views. Also, he wants to alter the local skyline. Is it really a shock that he gets murdered?

As Horowitz researches this cold case, he also has a mystery to pursue in the present: A former detective apparently has gone missing, and the circumstances are strange, and actually this detective may be involved in his *own* shady and criminal enterprise.

Horowitz still surprises me, and, wonder of wonders, he has a sense of humor.

My ideal writer.
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