Deadly Beloved

Embarking on a new Gregor Demarkian story by Jane Haddam is like going back home to the neighborhood you left all those years ago. Cavanaugh Street in Philadelphia is still an Armenian-American enclave, but more Armenian now than it was all those years ago when Gregor was a small boy living there with his parents. Even though it's been gentrified, many of the same people are still there, or if not, their children and/or grandchildren. Oh, there's a few new faces, such as Gregor's friend, Bennis Hannaford, the best-selling author of fantasy novels, and Father Tibor, who escaped the Soviet menace -- finally -- but it's still a family. Of course, in any family setting, there are always unpleasant aspects, but Gregor --a widower of 60 -- has lost the impatience of youth, and is content to think his way through the puzzles he is so frequently presented with. DEADLY BELOVED is the story of marriage; Donna Moradanyan is about to marry Russ Donahue, finally, while in another suburb of Philadelphia, another marriage unwinds, surrounded by several others in precarious condition. In the gated community of Fox Run Hill, a husband is discovered shot to death in his bed. The most puzzling thing, however, is that the huge house has been stripped of everything that belonged to his wife, Patsy MacLaren Willis. A pipe bomb destroys her car, but she was not in it. Another bomb destroys the punchbowl at a political gathering, injuring Bennis and a woman who went to college with Patsy. The politician is yet another classmate. There are too many women, here. Like a well-maintained and classic Rolls-Royce, Gregor moves in stately fashion through the labyrinth of deaths and injuries, sorting out the clues and non-clues with the help of Homicide detective John Jackman. Just in the nick of time, too, so Donna's wedding can proceed without a hitch. An invitation by Jane Haddam is one you shouldn't turn down - you'll miss a marvelous adventure. Characters, plot, and the writing are all first-class!

Deadly Beloved is a delightful mix of Haddam's family of characters, familiar setting and nifty plot twists. What makes this book great is the new depth of characterization she has achieved. In this adventure, Gregor does some soul searching of his own and becomes a fuller character with whom the reader can relate. Haddam still lets us laugh at our own silliness over hallmarks in life, this time wedding fervor, and she gives us a great mystery to spice it up.

Serial killer specialist Gregor Demarkian wonders whether his Philadelphia neighbor Donna Moradanyan will marry her intended Russell Donahue. Gregor has his doubts since Peter Desarian has returned to Donna's life. To Gregor it is a simple choice between marrying a dependable person who loves her or hanging out with a lowlife who will walk out on her. Still, marriages are formed for many reasons. To Gregor, the key is to avoid the wedding all together. At about the same time, Patsy Willis can no longer stand living with her husband. She shoots the man, withdraws cash from their joint savings, and pipe bombs her vehicle. There are other women in the neighborhood who are unhappy with their spouses. Soon other pipe bombings occur that end in murder. Gregor, finding an excuse to dodge the wedding, begins to investigate the strange happenings in the upscale Philadelphia community. He soon realizes that someone has decided to abruptly end marriages without going through the courts. The Gregor Demarkian mysteries are a very good series of novels that fans of serial killers will enjoy. The current tale, DEADLY BELOVED, is a well written story due to the brilliantly described secondary characters (especially the wives). The story line is fast paced, though the culprit might seem a bit too obvious to discerning readers. Jane Haddam scribes a tale that will immensely please her fans, who will eagerly await her next novel starring Demarkian. Harriet Klausner