Thursday, October 11, 2012

Review: A Killing in Kensington By Mary Lydon Simonsen


In Mary Simonsen’s first book of the Patrick Shea Mystery series, Three's a Crowd, we meet Patrick Shea. It is a lighter read intended to introduce us to his character. In A Killing in Kensington, we get down to the nitty-gritty.... 

Clifton Trentmore, president of Trentmore World Imports, is found dead in his flat located in one of London's poshest neighborhoods.  Patrick and his new partner, Tommy Boyle, are assigned to the case. Trying to find who murdered Trentmore is not going to be easy. Trying to find someone who liked him is going to be even harder.

While looking for Trentmore’s killer, Patrick and Boyle find plenty of corruption and sexual harassment surrounding Trentmore and his company. To make matters worse the more they investigate, the longer the suspect list grows.

This mystery was very much like CSI or Law and Order, British style. I found it very well written and thought out, with strong characters that were believable. With so many people hating Trentmore, I wasn't sure who killed him! As the story get's closer to the end, I could start narrowing it down, but I still didn’t know until the conclusion, a telltale sign of any good mystery.

Unlike Three's a Crowd, there is no romance in A Killing in Kensington. The romantic in me was hoping to see more of Annie Jameson, but that relationship has ended with Annie moving to the States. Besides that, Patrick needs to put all his time into this high-profile case. However, there does seem to be a bit of sexual tension between Patrick and one of the suspects. Could this jeopardize his case?  

Mary Simonsen has amazed me with her ability to switch from romance to mystery, with seemly little effort.  At the same time, Simonsen’s humor is seen throughout the story. If you’re a mystery buff, I would highly recommend A Killing in Kensington!

4 out of 5 stars

I received a copy from the author for review.

Buy a copy here.

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4 comments:

  1. Hi Candy. Great review for KIK--my first. :) So glad you enjoyed it.

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    1. Hi Mary! Thank you! I really enjoyed it! You are a fantastic writer!!

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  2. I love British mysteries-- can't wait to check this out!

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    1. Hi Jamie! I think you'll enjoy it! Thanks for stopping by! :)

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