Baby Doll Games

Wow. What a great author, what a great book! So unforgettable a tale. If you have a book club or a friend you talk with about books, this is THE one!

It looked simple; Emmy Mion had been killed by another dancer on stage in the middle of a performance in front of an audience that included a police officer. But things aren't ever that simple for Lt. Sigrid Harald, a homicide detective. The dancers were all wearing masks and the killer got away when the lights went out. It looks like it will have to be solved the old-fashioned way with brain power, clue gathering and deduction. Emmy Mion ran the 8th Ave 8 Dance Troupe. They gave performances and taught classes to children. Everyone loved Emmy but someone killed her by tossing her onto an iron fence on stage during an afternoon performance of their Halloween themed dance. No one has a motive and the killer got away. None of the dancers has an alibi either. Sigrid's flatmate, Roman Tramegra, also works at the theater and offers to poke around. A school chum, Dr. Chista Ferrell, was in the audience and wants Sigrid to get her mother to cover her department in her New York agency picture story. But none of this helps solve the murder of Emmy Mion. There are actually two stories that touch tangentially in that Sigrid had started the investigation of the first murder (the mother of the children Dr. Ferrell is treating was killed) and handed it off to another team. These stories interwine as the investigations of Emmy Mion murder continue. Soon we learn that another murder involving a student at the theater may be related to Emmy's death. And throughout we see Sigrid trying to deal with her personal life as private from her job as well as her insecurity in dealing with her mother and her emotions. The initial murder is engaging and there are enough twists and people involved to hold a readers interest. This is part of an ongoing series of books featuring Sigrid Harald so there are more to move on to if you like this one.

titles or series you've enjoyed. I've had just such a wish with Margaret Maron's first series, the Sigrid Harald "cop" series, set in New York City. Sigrid's a bit of a loner, who starts to find her true self after she makes Lieutenant in a midtown squad. The first 4 books in the series are all worth reading (Start with "One Coffee With", "Death of a Butterfly", "Death in Blue Folders" and "The Right Jack") and lead up to "Baby Doll Games", in which Maron uses the literary trick of slipping inside a minor character's part (the child psychologist) to give the reader some thought-provoking clues as to how the story will end. The major theme, the death of a compelling young dancer, will hold your interest, but it is the minor mystery, about two youngsters, that provides the incredible plot twist and ending. This book also dives in more thoroughly to the totally goofy Roman Tramegra, who gives Harald's asetic home life some warmth and style. Possibly the best book in this series, although my personal favorite comes along in 7th position..."Past Imperfect". Maron delivers no matter if her heroine is Harald, or the decidedly more feminine Deborah Knotts. Enjoy!

Margaret Maron is not the greatest mystery writer of our day, but this is her best. She masterfully describes the incredible murder and twists in a side plot that's brilliant (although slightly predictable). If you buy only one Margaret Maron mystery (which I recommend), buy this one or "The Right Jack."