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In 1981 wealthy Lord Michael and Lady Mortlock invited an ill-assorted group of people to spend the weekend of The Royal Wedding at their mansion; some of the participants were less than thrilled to be included. While the adults were watching the ceremony, 7-year-old Sonya wandered off and was feared drowned in the Thames; her body was never found. This oddly elliptical novel slowly traces what happened that day as seen through various perspectives and memories of the people in that houseparty, centering on Antonia, a writer and librarian who comes to the realization twenty years later that there is something about that day that still bothers her. She takes her notes from that time and plays detective, working her way slowly and carefully through the memories, down-right lies and half-truths, and finally finds some answers. Everything that ought to be in a cosy mystery is present - a grand house, a peculiar group of characters, an inexplicable crime, a nice sleuth/writer and her boyfriend as protagonists, a carefully constructed puzzle plot, and an actual answer at the end - it ought to have been just right for my taste, but was far too bland, too literal. While occasionally charming, it didn't grab my attention or hold my interest for any length of time, and had I not promised to review it I would likely not have finished it. There was actually a decent plot, the characters were well-drawn, and the author gave all the clues fairly. Unfortunately I also found it to be poorly paced and terminally derivative. Extremely similar to Christie's style (but without her sharp edges), this was quietly enjoyable in some places, but more often disappointing. However, Antonia was a very likable character, and I hope that in the subsequent entries in the series. Raichev manages to access his own voice a bit better - this had the potential to be a far more entertaining (and interesting!) story than it turned out to be; his dedication to Old Masters got in the way of his own story-telling abilities. There are currently five in the series (one published each year since 2006 with the fifth due out in 2010) and I think I'll try another. What can I say, I'm an optimist! And there was a good deal to like in this first novel, just not, in my opinion, quite enough.
Reviewed by Abbey Hamilton, September 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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