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The charm of Tim Heald's latest in the Simon Bognor series lies with his witty, if very flawed, list of suspects, as well as the always-engaging portrait of Bognor and his Italian crime-solving counterpart, Michael Dibdini. The story begins with an engaging start: A B-list movie tycoon is leaving Venice during Carnival and while traveling to the airport via vaporetto is shot dead with a crossbow by a Harlequin- costumed individual.
As Bognor and Dibdini begin their investigation, there are virtually no clues to the killer or motive for the act, although it turns out that the victim, Irving Silverburger, was every bit as unsavory has his circle of acquaintances (and the potential killer). British Board of Trade Detective Bognor doesn't have much to go on in solving this crime, and his wife rightly accuses him of enjoying the assignment a bit too much (for its setting and lavish dining opportunities).
The search for the killer is really the portrait of the man who was killed, who turns out to have led a life filled with deception and fakery. So, too, are the people who populate the list of suspects (those who had motive and opportunity): from fading starlets to prostitutes of both sexes to Catholic confessors to Silverburger's butler to bankrollers for his next film, which was to be more of the same failed plot as his last blockbuster movie for the masses.
While the revelation of the killer is one of the most anti-climactic resolutions ever, this actually only detracts a little from the real engagement and charm of this mystery. If one is all about plot and dramatic action, this isn't the book for you; for those who enjoy the quirky characters that populate an unconventional (even light-hearted) mystery, this book will likely satisfy and entertain.
§ Christine Zibas is a freelance writer and former director of publications for a Chicago nonprofit.
Reviewed by Christine Zibas, April 2014
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