A Spider on the Stairs

May 24, 2010
Set at Christmastime, Chan's agreeable fourth contemporary cozy (after 2008's Trick of the Mind) finds London manabout-town Phillip Bethancourt unhappily ensconced at his parents' house in Yorkshire for the holidays. Hoping to dodge his inquisitive family's questions about his turbulent personal life, Phillip jumps at the chance to help his Scotland Yard friend, Det. Sgt. Jack Gibbons, when Jack travels north to investigate a murder possibly committed by the notorious Ashdon killer. When Jack decides the crime scene, a York bookshop, and the victim, a freespirited young woman, don't bear the serial killer's hallmarks, he turns his sights on the bookshop staff. The well-connected Phillip provides ready access to cocktail party gossip and more substantial information. Though the seasoned mystery reader may guess the culprit before the methodical Jack, this is an enjoyable outing into Dorothy Sayers territory.

May 1, 2010
Christmas in Yorkshire is a nasty combination of pouring rain and murder.

Amateur sleuth Phillip Bethancourt, who's just broken up with his girlfriend Marla, is spending Christmas at his family manor house. His pal, Scotland Yard Detective Jack Gibbons, who's just returned to duty after sick leave, has been sent to York to check out a murder that might be the work of a serial killer known as Ashdon. Both friends are cheered by the prospect of a juicy murder. Gibbons, certain that the corpse found in a shop is Ashdon's work, sends for DS Brumby, who is surprised to find an Ashdon case so far from the killer's usual haunts in southern England. Then Jody Farraday's body is found in Mittlesdon's bookshop in York. Though the murder this time doesn't fit Ashdon's style, Gibbons and Bethancourt take up residence in the Bethancourt family's York townhouse and investigate. Bethancourt knows Mittlesdon's, where free-spirited Farraday used to work, and has an old flame working there now. But his inside knowledge is of little avail. So many people could have possessed a key that the suspect list is large, and Jody's unusual background and wandering ways make it more difficult to pinpoint a motive until the sleuths learn more, much more, about the victim.

Chan (Village Affairs, 2006, etc.) beefs up the mystery while retaining the Golden Age feel to produce her best work to date.

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June 1, 2010
When the strangulation murder of a bookshop clerk appears to resemble the work of a serial killer, Scotland Yard detective Jack Gibbons is sent to Yorkshire to investigate. Phillip Bethancourt, an amateur sleuth and Jack's friend, is spending the holidays with his family in Yorkshire, and his acquaintance with several of the locals connected to the murder increases his usefulness to the police. VERDICT With its red herrings and large cast of suspects, Chan's fourth Bethancourt and Gibbons mystery (after "Trick of the Mind") will appeal to fans of the traditional Golden Age British mystery. Her inclusion of humor and her well-drawn characters make Chan a good choice for readers of Martha Grimes.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2010
Readers who have somehow missed the first three installments of this series are really in for a treat. Jack Gibbons is a fast-rising detective at Scotland Yard. His best friend is independently wealthy, man-about-town Phillip Bethancourt, who is allowed to unofficially assist on some of Jacks most interesting assignments. This case takes place in Yorkshire over the Christmas holidays. Gibbons is in York to check out a murder that might be the work of the serial killer known as Ashdon. Then a second murder takes place that definitely does not fit the serial killers usual style. Gibbons and Bethancourt take up residence in the Bethancourt York townhouse and set to work to solve the second case. It soon becomes clear that the key to the murder might lie in the mysterious past of the free-spirited victim. Chans literate and charming mysteries are rightfully compared to those of golden age British crime fiction (Christie, Sayers, et al.). The detectives, one professional and one amateur, are smart, likable, and decent men with a real knack for solving crimes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)