Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Predictable fare : 'Wife Of Moon' by Margaret Coel

Welcome to a regular and idiosyncratic look at crime and mystery fiction from a very personal perspective. My first comment is on a book I bought in Orlando last Thursday and finished reading this afternoon: 'Wife Of Moon' by Margaret Coel.

Coel is listed under Wyoming at wheredunnit.com and this book is the tenth in her series of novels set on an Arapaho reservation, but the first I have read. Last November, when I was in New Mexico, I tried a Tony Hillerman, but to this UK reader much of that was difficult to follow. No such trouble with Coel, and the novel is quite nicely written.

Problem is, there are two strands of murders - one in 1907 and one contemporary. The murderer in the flashback strand is obvious by the end of the first chapter, and the likely villain of the contemporary strand blindingly clear by page 24.

I read on to the end, through twists and turns of plot which were reasonably interesting, hoping that I would be wrong, but unfortunately not. I prefer my mystery fiction to be a little less predictable - at least let me get halfway through the story before I'm sure whodunnit!