Book Review: A Quiet Undertaking

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

A Quiet Undertaking     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Penny Warner
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Amateur Sleuth   Woman Main Character
Series: Connor Westphal # 4
Bantam, Jan 2000, $5.50, 272 pp.

Connor Westphal left the California Gold County of Flat Skunk to gain an education in San Francisco. After completing her studies, Connor returns to her hometown to open up a weekly newspaper, the Eureka. Although Flat Skunk is a small town, it suffers from all the crimes confronting big cities.

The latest incident begins with the bizarre finding of human ashes inside a self-storage locker. The ashes were supposed to be buried at sea. The person who leased the locker, Jasper Coyne, is found murdered. Suspicion falls on an employee of Memory Kingdom Memorial Park, a mortuary run by Connor’s best friend Del Rey Montez. Del Rey had relationships with the deceased. Thus, the police turn attention on her. Soon a second corpse, that of Jasper’s ex-wife, appears. Connor begins her own investigation, which places her in danger even as she tries to prove Del Rey is innocent.

The fourth Connor Westphal mystery is a delightful reading experience due to the deep characterizations developed by author Penny Warnr. The likable Connor may be hearing impaired, but refuses to allow that disability to turn into a handicap. The mystery is well structured so that the different subplots eventually return to the main story line. Fans of the series already know how difficult it is to remain patient for the next Westphal novel to appear. However, this time it will take the patience of Job to calmly wait for book five.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner