Little Neighborhood Murder

Sheri S. Tepper has always been a highly prolific writer, publishing under several different pseudonyms over the last twenty five years; A. J. Orde is the name she used for a short series of six murder mysteries published between 1989 and 1996, featuring Colorado antique dealer, Jason Lynx. "A Little Neighborhood Murder" is the first of this series. When Jason's neighbours fortuitously survive a parcel bomb attack on their home while Jason is house-sitting their dogs, he finds himself unavoidably involved in their affairs; as things escalate and the belligerent police inspector assigned to the case seems determined to botch the case (and prove Jason to be the perpetrator) Jason decides it is time to put his own puzzle solving skills to use and solve the crime himself. And the more he investigates, the closer to home he finds the clues are taking him. Like all Tepper's books, this is never less than a great read. Jason Lynx is an interesting and likeable character, with a complex and involved background (perhaps just a little too involved at times to be credible but then who really needs credible in a murder mystery?) making Jason's own story, which emerges gradually as the tale unfolds, every bit as intriguing as the central mystery itself. The book is quite short and largely steers clear of most of Tepper's usual bug-bear subjects, although evangelical fund-raising organisations do come in for something of a side-swipe along the way but not so much as to any irritant to those who dislike Tepper's usual brand of (anti)-proselytising. The central mystery (and its solution) are reasonably convoluted although not too difficult to work out, although the denouement, when it arrives, is perhaps a little sillier than it needs to be and feels to bring the book to a somewhat over-dramatic and rushed conclusion. Sadly, all of the books in this series have long been out of print but there are usually a reasonable number of not-too-tatty second-hand paperback copies floating around at a fairly low price for those prepared to hunt... something that is well worth doing.

A. J. Orde is B. J. Oliphant is Sheri Tepper and a stunning writer whether she is dealing with the far future or the deepest rescesses of the heart.Jason Lynx, the hero of this series, is a man who has been seriously wounded by life. He was abandoned as an badly burned infant on the steps of a children't home. He spent the next four years undergoing skin grafts. At the age of 14 he was taken in by an antique's dealer who had helped him get his start in the interior design business. Later he married but his wife disappeared and his son was found strapped in a car seat in a wrecked vehicle. Now it is eight years later. Jason has taken over his foster father's business and has established himself as a successful businessman. Then one Sunday his neighbor George asks him to check on his dogs while he goes to pick up his wife who has had a minor accident. What follows is murder, bombings, and the breaking open of scabs that have crusted over old wounds. This is a very good novel and a very good mystery. While it was first published in 1989 there is very little dated about the book.