Shooting in the Dark

Here's another good mystery retrieved from the archives and reprinted by Felony and Mayhem Publishers. Basically, it's about two interesting people--a beautiful American seriously wronged by her dull husband and a world-weary investigative reporter who become enmeshed in a high-stakes espionage caper that doesn't sort itself out till the last page of the book. "Shooting in the Dark" is set in Amsterdam during the coronation week of the new Dutch Queen, and the author includes a lot of local politics, geography, culture and cuisine to the great benefit of the story line. The characters are very well laid out, and include some unusually funny dialogue between a couple of Mutt n' Jeff Dutch detectives and the poignant relationship between an older Dutch couple, also connected to the police. The heroine of the piece, the beautiful and bruised American, Claire Brooks, gradually emerges from her marital funk, to play an interesting role as the book nears its end. But the wild card here is an aging spy whose game is not fully revealed by the author until the final pages of the book. All in all, this is a clever story with the very interesting city of Amsterdam as a colorful backdrop and full of well-developed characters who move convincingly through their roles in ways that make the reader care a great deal about their welfare. Recommended. Also recommended, another Carolyn Hougan spy thriller in the Felony and Mayhem series: "The Romeo Flag."

This was an exciting and funny story. I particularly enjoyed the depiction of a very real woman in very unusual circumstances. She was someone to whom we all could relate. Very good!