Big Relief

After so many (too many) DNFs it was a pleasure to read a properly-written book, which is absolutely Dear Old Dead by Jane Haddam. I actually took my time reading it because the writing, the story, the characters, the detective and basically every other element of the story were so good.

At a charity, church-supported Harlem health center, saintly director and surgeon extraordinaire Dr. Michael Pride is not having a great night. After being arrested on a vice charge for frequenting a notorious gay sex club and having his image splashed all over the papers (keep in mind this novel was published 32 years ago in 1994), Michael is trying to clean up surgically the mess created by an ongoing gang war. Then he receives news that his wealthiest media mogul patron is waiting for him in his office, and goes to face the music -- only to find the mogul dying of strychnine poisoning. It doesn't help that basically everyone at the health center wants the mogul dead, and the poison used to kill him appears to have come from Michael's suppy cabinet, to which he and a nun have the only keys.

The Archbishop of New York summons via his reputation-protecting proxy network former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian to come and investigate the murder, and almost as soon as the retired Fed arrives he's swamped with too many suspects and not enough hard evidence. Then another poisoning victim is found, and things look even worse for Michael, whom everyone believes is the killer. Only just about everyone else has a motive for the murders as well. I had my own suspicions about the killer after the second murder (and turns out I was right) but I couldn't have proved it. In the end it all comes together, and Demarkian is able to prevent a third murder before he reveals the killer.

Upsides: Plenty. This novel has it all -- great characters, fantastic writing, a dry and witty tone, and the kind of intricate puzzle that stumps even the best armchair detectives. The detective character is deceptively modest and seems somewhat out of his depth, yet he never wavers. I really liked every page and took my time reading it.

Downsides: It's a bit dated, especially in regards to AIDs and personal use technology, but it's quite accurate to the times, particularly with how the health center is run (I worked in the medical field back then, and staffed busy ERs in a couple of major cities, so I know.) There is some content in regard to sex trafficking preteen girls via introspection of one of now teenage victims, which could be triggering, but thankfully no exact details of that horror. I think anyone who has a problem with gay people (or a fairly realistic depiction of how some of them lived back then) should skip this book.

I really enjoyed this novel, and there are 29 more in the Gregor Demarkian series, so I will be investing in more by this author (sadly she passed away in 2019.) Recommended.