Autographs in the Rain

Regular readers of the Skinner series will find Autographs in the Rain surprising, while those who're picking up their first Jardine mystery would do better to start from the very beginning to fully appreciate the latest offering. It's not just a new Skinner, it's a new and refreshing Jardine. I was impressed with some very fine character analysis.There's business as usual on the crime and murder front, but the spotlight of the book seems to be on the characters' private lives. After years of turbulent and erratic living, where to a greater or lesser degree the characters' problems have been stemming from their larger than life personalities, in the Autographs everyone is longing for a quiet life. From a famous but tired actress to a young sergeant and his secretary girlfriend, all the relationships have either already arrived to a safe port or are well on their way there.The overall feeling is that they have all reached their peak in a sense. Skinner's playing with his children and believes in his own personality cult, Andy Martin's playing happy families, and his pregnant wife (once a promising police sergeant) starts a family support group of all things.All of which has the makings, in my opinion, of a major drama to come. The situation carries the seeds of its own destruction. The title as well might be, I believe, Calm Before the Storm. The deeper the calm, the more destructive the storm. In spite of their best intentions, those people have never been peaceful home-makers, conventionally prepared to wait for God and a bus pass. They've lived on the edge and will, I have no doubt, continue to do so, matching their professional challenges with personal crises of their own making. I'm really looking forward to the next Skinner mystery. A mystery in more sense than one.