The Mother Shadow

This well-written debut has shades of that other famous L.A. detective, Phillip Marlowe, and that other famous English detective, Sherlock Holmes. Except this time, they've teamed up and they're women. Sounds contrived, but it works. Howe mixes witty commentary with lifelike characters and a setting that harkens back to Chandler's 1930s Los Angeles. Hope she hasn't stopped writing.

I am not one for mystery stories, however I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It is a fairly fast paced novel about revenge, suicide, and murder that takes place in the Golden State, California. It is a perfect novel for mystery fans, women in particular, who want to read a mystery story that does not revolve around a central (male) private eye and his sidekick. However the central characters are two females, with a handsome English butler/bodyguard to boot. The central character, Maggie, is a woman who we all can relate to, and the situations she finds herself in are intriguing and almost all too familiar. All in all, a very interesting read.