Jane Haddam (1951–2019)

This was the third book in the Gregor Demarkian Holiday mystery series that I completed. The books were recommended by Nancy Pearl and Nancy suggested reading them in order. With every book I grow fonder of this series and the recurring characters. The first in the series, Not a Creature Was Stirring could have been an original blueprint for Knives Out—a murder in the home of a rich with a cast that could have been the blueprint for Succession. Another reviewer called Haddam the Agatha Christie set in the 20th century. Okay, you think, this is how this series will go. Rich people die. The next in the series, Precious Blood, takes place at a Catholic church in a small town. Wait, what? It was interesting to see the Church as a character and read it from the standpoint of the publication date in 1991 and what was happening at that time. I enjoyed being pulled back into that era. Now the third book, Act of Darkness, has a political backdrop and brings in issues surrounding abortion. It also uses the “R” word quite a bit which set my 2021 teeth on edge and a healthy reminder of how language can change.

At the center is Gregor Demarkian, a widower and retired FBI agent, whose backstory I hope will be revealed as the books go along. And there is Demarkian’s own community that comes with a good set of recurring characters like Father Tibor the Armenian parish priest, and Bennis Hannaford the rich girl turned fantasy author who was a part of the plot in Not a Creature Was Stirring but is now elevated to Demarkian’s sidekick.

This third book was a bit hard to find. Well, easy to find if you want to pay almost $30 for a paperback. The rest of the series I was able to find easily on ebay as a set. And you can find it in ebook format for a lot less. I will be happily making my way through all 30 books in this series.… (mer)