Last Chants: A Willa Jansson Mystery

It helps to be an old leftie and a bit on the fringe, culturally, to enjoy Lia Matera's books. I can see where conservatives might not 'get' her, but I even wonder about that. I discovered Lia Matera just last week at the library. I picked up, "Star Witness," off the paperback mystery rack, a section I never usually glance at. I was on my way out having picked up the books I wanted. Sometimes I have my best luck, though, discovering new authors when I swipe a few books off the shelves without thinking. The primary colors of the cover of the Star Witness book looked stupid to me, but I thought, hey, trust your intuition and grabbed the paperback. What a find! (I read it, and skipped the other books I'd chosen, so I could go back the next day and get more of Lia's books!)I have read two of her other novels since then (note the dark circles under my eyes)...both Willa Jansson mysteries. I've had no problem following characters that were developed in her other novels, but that's probably because Matera's writing style is what I'm most interested in-she knows how to surprise her readers with metaphors and comments that hit the funny bone and ring true. She keeps her characters fresh and true to life in the most unlikely, whacked-out or scary circumstances. In 'Last Chants', Lia did her reseach in some detail (as she did about UFOs, in "Star Witness") about the Pan mythology. She provides a kind of lazy-woman's quicktime education for her smart,but laid back readers, augmented by her outlandish humor. You won't believe the plot twists and the kinds of things she forces her characters to do.I haven't found an author I felt addicted to this much since I was introduced to Alice Hoffman, years ago, when depression and fantasy were, in retrospect, my thing. Now I'm happy that I can barely keep up with Lia's high energy, spaced-out realism and lawyerly precision of plot.In "Last Chants" there was, for me, not a moment of unnecessary description...the story consistently moved forward with every page. Compact flashes of Willa's inner states kept her character sensitive, smart and smart alec, to my pleasure. Highly recommended.I spent another night reading "Havana Twist," a cutting romp through taudy, tourismo, politico Cuba. A memorable line I still recall was Willa's description of Havana's low ceiling airport, built "in the architectural style of a campground bathroom." I cracked up at that comparison and couldn't read for a few minutes. It could have been that a dose of my semi-narcotic prescription cough syrup for this damn winter hacking was kicking in for the night, but I laughed 'til I wept.I love this author-and I've never been a mystery fan before-but I GOTTA get some sleep! I'm just as happy I didn't discover Lia Matera earlier in life. I have many hours of mystery and fun ahead. If I burn out, I'll take a break and read some Margaret Atwood to bring me down, then back dive in for more.

to really appreciate this novel, you need to read matera's previous willa jansson mysteries. otherwise, the dynamic between willa and the other key characters just don't ring true. willa knows her parent's old friend arthur kenna couldn't possibly have done anything to hurt any one and so when she sees him waving a gun on the street, she impulsively decides to pretend to be his hostage in hopes of keeping the police at bay until she can figure out what's going on. it turns out that her instincts are correct - a passerby thrust the gun into arthur's hand. later that same morning, while willa and arthur are still hiding out, a body turns up, and the police begin to search for arthur in earnest. thus begins the latest of willa jansson's adventures... matera has thrown in a romantic mountain cabin owned by willa's ex-boyfriend edward hershey, as well as an intriguingly suspicious computer software team who'd been working with the victim. there are some humorous touches, such as the people who live in the forest where willa and arthur are hiiding out. there are a few more strings than is entirely necessary to weave a good mystery, but on the whole this is a very good book.

Willa might be a lawyer but it seems that between landing in jail for two months and then promptly placing herself in a situation where she becomes a fugitive on the run, she is definitely in the wrong profession. What else could Willa do when she sees a cop about to arrest her parents' best friend,Arthur, a two-time convicted radical, who if convicted again, will be sent away for life. Willa executes a split-second diversion that takes the two of them away from the scene, turning them into fugitives. .....With nowhere else to go, she and Arthur turn to Edward, Willa's former boyfriend, who owns an isolated cabin where they hide out. The cabin is close to where the incident that nearly led to Arthur's arrest occurred. Willa becomes super-sleuth expecting to deal with an ordinary criminal investigation. She does not expect to dive into a psycho-medical mind state where computers can smell, the old Gods come to life, and she enters the spirit world. Yet all this and more must be done if Willa and her cohorts are to extricate themselves from circumstances that can lead them into prison. ......Readers will find Last Chants an unexpected gift that will stay with them a long time after they finish reading it. Talented Lia Matera places this tale on two planes of existence, the mortal and the supernatural, that somehow readers accept quite easily. This is a highly recommended read for those who prefer the unique in their reading experiences. .......Harriet Klausner