Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
The Guilty Abroad
Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Peter J. Heck
Class/Genre: Mystery Historical
Series: Mark Twain # 4
Berkley Prime Crime, Oct 1999, $6.50, 320 pp.
Wentworth Cabot, personal assistant to Mark Twain, enjoys his tours of the sites of London. While Wentworth goes to museums, his employer spends time with his wife Livy and their three daughters, who have been living abroad for quite some time. Wentworth's tourist venue ends when New Orleans con artist Slippery Ed McPhee and his spouse Martha spot and offer him a taxi ride to Twain's Chelsea residence.
Twain is unhappy to see Ed, but Livy is very hospitable to the pair. Ed and Martha invite the Twains, their oldest daughter, and Wentworth to attend a sitting (seance) hosted by Martha a self-proclaimed medium. Though expecting a scam, Twain agrees to go because his wife and daughter want to attend. At the seance, someone murders an attendee, Dr. Oliver Parkhurst. New Scotland Yard Detective Sergeant Coleman and Chief Inspector Lestrade investigate. Twain realizes if he is to spend some quality time with his beloved females, he needs to solve the case.
THE GUILTY ABROAD brings an entirely different look to the wonderful Twain mysteries. Peter Heck introduces readers to Twain family. This provides the audience with a look at the writer through his relationships with his spouse and daughters. They provide an incredible degree of freshness to the story line. The return of the McPhees and Wentworth add homecoming touches even though the plot occurs overseas. The appearance of a promoted Lestrade adds an interesting Holmsian touch. Though the characters drive the tale, the who-done-it holds up its end with a pleasurable who-done-it. Mr. Heck has written an enjoyable historical mystery that will garner him new fans as well as receiving accolades from old readers too.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
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