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A review by scottjp
The Spook Lights Affair by Bill Pronzini, Marcia Muller
2.0
The Spook Lights Affair is a light mystery revolving around the apparent suicide of a wealthy debutante one foggy night during a party in San Francisco, 1895. Detective Sabina Carpenter was hired to look after the girl and the tragedy is seen as a failure on her part. But Sabina senses that not all is as it seemed, and she pursues her own investigation in order to salvage her agency's reputation.
Meanwhile, her partner, John Quincannon, is working on a bank robbery case: $35,000 stolen and not a single suspect. Who could resist trying for the 10% reward?
I don't read a lot of historicals so this was something of a novelty for me. The setting feels authentic (and the authors assure us that it is, in their afterword), and the mist-shrouded streets have a lot of atmosphere. The novel's weakness lies in its dearth of characterization. The characters serve the plot and little more. I couldn't even tell you much about Carpenter and Quincannon themselves, for whom this is their second outing. John has a big crush on Sabina, but she prefers to keep their relationship professional. He likes poetry. That's...about it. Any such information we do get is simply stated, rather than worked into the story naturally. The duo are likable enough, but they don't feel quite as real as the physical world they inhabit.
All in all, a pretty bare-bones mystery that I found less than satisfying.
Meanwhile, her partner, John Quincannon, is working on a bank robbery case: $35,000 stolen and not a single suspect. Who could resist trying for the 10% reward?
I don't read a lot of historicals so this was something of a novelty for me. The setting feels authentic (and the authors assure us that it is, in their afterword), and the mist-shrouded streets have a lot of atmosphere. The novel's weakness lies in its dearth of characterization. The characters serve the plot and little more. I couldn't even tell you much about Carpenter and Quincannon themselves, for whom this is their second outing. John has a big crush on Sabina, but she prefers to keep their relationship professional. He likes poetry. That's...about it. Any such information we do get is simply stated, rather than worked into the story naturally. The duo are likable enough, but they don't feel quite as real as the physical world they inhabit.
All in all, a pretty bare-bones mystery that I found less than satisfying.