Our Lady of Pain. Elena Forbes

I found "Our Lady of Pain" to be a gripping and suspenseful story with a very surprising ending. I was a bit hesitant to read it for fear of it being too graphic so it sat for some weeks. When I finally had an opportunity to read it, I finished it in one day and really enjoyed it. I had not read the first book in this series by Elena Forbes so was not familiar with the characters. I thought that they were believable, quite complex, and interesting. You gradually get to know them as the story unfolds and, especially in the case of the victim, learn some pretty surprising details about their private lives. I saw that one of the other reviewers of this book mentioned that they had it figured out in the first few chapters. I cannot believe this as I was completely surprised by the ending and don't really feel I'm that naive. There are many more detailed reviews already written so I will just add that I recommend this book without reservation to anyone that enjoys a good, modern day "Sherlock Holmes" type murder mystery. Or better yet, start with her first book, "Die With Me", and then move on to this one, just for the sake of continuity.

Our Lady of Pain is the second in a series of murder mysteries by Elena Forbes. The first, Die with Me, introduced us to some of the key characters in this book. But fear not, if you've not read Die with Me, Our Lady of Pain is not a continuation of the same story, Forbes is simply employing some of the same characters. Having said that, if you enjoy Our Lady of Pain, as did I, you will enjoy then reading Die with Me, as the first novel will explain why some of characters in this book behave as they do. Our Lady of Pain, as with Forbes' first novel, is set in London. It's a location Forbes knows well. Having lived there for a time myself, the sights, sounds and even the smells the author creates with her prose truly take you to the heart of London living. The book opens with the death of a young woman jogging in Holland Park on a snowy week end morning. The rest of the book, of course, follows the investigation into her death. That investigation is led by Sam Donovan (female) and Mark Tartaglia, amongst others. One of the strong points of this book is that the author, while unraveling an intriguing murder mystery - is it the work of a serial killer or a singular murder of passion - also deeply explores the impact of the crime on the investigators. That, perhaps, is even more interesting. Forbes is a talented author. Her character development is first rate, the plot filled with suspense and, as mentioned earlier, she delightfully immerses the reader in London life. Highly recommended!

DI Mark Tartaglia and his partner Sam(antha) Donovan were nearly killed by the serial killer known as the Bridegroom in Die With Me, Ms. Forbes first book, which was excellent, and now they're back in a book just as good. Gallery Owner Rachel Tenison goes jogging in London's Holland Park one morning and is discovered a couple days later dead. She's naked, covered in snow and bound in a kneeling position with duct tape. In her mouth is an excerpt from a poem by Algernon Swinburne (1837 - 1909). Swinburn was considered pretty bloody explicit in his day as much of his work dealt with lesbianism and sadomasochism. Then they find out this case is similar to the murder of of Catherine Watson, a university lecturer who lectured about, you guessed, Algernon Swinburne. Are the cases related? You think? If you enjoyed Die With Me, and I did, you're going to love this book. I pretty much thought I had it worked out, but I didn't and that is the hallmark of a superb mystery.

Elena Forbes has written an engrossing, thorough murder mystery. Its subject matter deals with police procedure, clues, dead ends and above all people. The characters peel like onions. As the book goes round, we get to know how individual's problems interplay with the investigation into the murders.The frailty we all share as human beings is accented in many subtle ways. Some of the folks involved have the sense to keep moving in the right direction but others do not. The book is long enough to give time to these considerations, yet moves well. I found it hard to put down. I think you will as well.

A successful, beautiful art dealer, Rachel, is found murdered in snowy Holland Park in London. This beautifully written mystery takes us step by step through the police investigation of her surprisingly strange private life and the discovery that the murder was similar to one from a few years earlier. I must say that I usually know the outcome within a chapter or two when I read this kind of book --- but not in this case! There were several times when I thought I had the mystery solved and the author surprised me with yet another twist. Another aspect of the book that I enjoyed was the feeling that I got to know the characters intimately. The police investigators were well drawn and I got a real sense of their reasoning re the case, but also of their personal motivations. The main investigator's interest in the victim reminded me of the old film "Laura," as he is learns more and more about Rachel. I recommend this book without reservation to anyone who likes a good mystery. Actually, it rather reminds me of some of the PBS Mystery series. This book would make an excellent addition to that fine show.