Staff Recommendation #40: Psych

On the surface, comedy and murder mysteries are not two genres that seem tailor-made to compliment one another. But there's something about combining the serious with the silly that can make for fantastic storytelling, and if you want a prime example of that concept in action, look no further than the USA series Psych.

The show tells the story of Shawn Spencer, a guy whose freewheeling ways chafe against the rigorous lessons drilled in him by his father, a Santa Barbara police detective. Despite his determination to avoid following in his dad's footsteps, Shawn can't keep from using his own well-honed powers of observation to call in tips to the police for various unsolvable crimes. But when his astute observations seem a little too on the nose, Shawn finds himself a suspect in the very case he was trying to help solve. Panicking, Shawn blurts out the first thing he thinks of: he knows all these details because he's psychic.

It says something about the character that the police find it easier to believe that Shawn's psychic than to credit this irresponsible trickster with a natural affinity for crime solving. But then, that seems to suit Shawn just fine, as he finagles his way into becoming an official consultant to the Santa Barbara Police Department while also opening his own private psychic detective agency.

Roped in for the ride are Gus, his lifelong best pal who is reluctant (at least at first) to get involved in such shenanigans; and Shawn's dad, now retired, who is none too amused at his son's new profession. But Shawn needs all the help he can get to keep the truth from being discovered by Detectives Carlton Lassiter (who can't stand Shawn from the moment they meet) and Juliet O'Hara (who seems a little more inclined to give Shawn the benefit of the doubt). Luckily for Shawn, his sense of humor is as well-developed as his powers of observation, both being important skill sets when you're a fake psychic -- and a real detective.

The show ran eight seasons, making it a daunting task to know precisely where to begin. So if you'd like to start with a sampling, allow me to recommend a few of my favorite episodes:

- Tuesday the 17th (Season 3)

By the show's second episode, Psych had fun setting their mysteries in quirky places (a Civil War reenactment, a reality show set, and a comic book convention, to name but a few). But by Season Three, the show began to push the creative envelope, changing up not just the settings of the story, but the genre of the episodes themselves.

Tuesday the 17th is arguably the first episode where Psych blends its humorous procedural roots with another genre entirely -- in this case, horror movies. Shawn and Gus are called in to find a missing camp counselor at a closed summer camp, only to find themselves being stalked by a psychotic killer (in proper Friday the 13th fashion). The episode retains its signature humor as it plays and twists the tropes of the horror/slasher genre, which sets the stage for a recurrence of genre-bending episodes.



- Extradition: British Columbia (Season 4)

To make a mystery story work, you need a great detective -- but you also need a great villain. This episode introduces one of my favorites: Pierre Desperaux, an international art thief (played with great mischief and humor by Cary Elwes). Being a thief, rather than a murderer, Desperaux's more trickster than bad guy, and Shawn and Gus must decide exactly how far they can trust such a man. That is, when they're not working themselves out of the trouble that Desperaux continually manages to get them into.



- Dual Spires (Season 5)

Series star James Roday (who also wrote a fair few episodes of the show) is a huge fan of Twin Peaks and was the one to pitch the idea of a Psychified version of that show. The result was "Dual Spires," an episode which pays faithful homage to the David Lynch series while still telling an entertaining story in its own right.

Shawn and Gus travel to Duel Spires after receiving a mysterious email invitation to a local festival, only to find themselves trying to solve the mystery of "Who Killed Paula Merral?" ("Paula Marral" being an anagram of "Laura Palmer," of course.) The episode included seven of Twin Peaks' original cast members, including Ray Wise (Leland Palmer), Lenny Von Dohlen (Harold Smith), Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne), and Laura Palmer herself -- Sheryl Lee.



- Right Turn or Left for Dead (Season 7)

A long-running theme of the show was Shawn's ongoing struggle to decide whether or not he should (or could) come clean about his decidedly un-psychic abilities. When the fallout finally hits, things go … rather poorly.

I consistently enjoyed watching the show expand its storytelling techniques the longer it was on the air, but I was particularly impressed with this Season 7 episode, which employed a storytelling tactic rarely seen outside the realms of science fiction: a splintered timeline. As Shawn grapples with the sudden fallout of his exposed secret, an unexpected taxi ride leads him to discover a badly-injured woman by the side of the road -- a person in desperate need of his help.

But the scenario plays out in two timelines, and, in the other, Shawn's secret stays safe -- but there's no one to help the injured woman, whose eventual murder comes to Shawn's attention when he's called in to investigate. Lives are on the line in more than one sense, and the resulting story is one of the most unique episodes of a procedural I've ever seen -- and a creative look at the ways in which our choices have the most unexpected, and powerful, of consequences.



- The Yin/Yang Trilogy (Seasons 3-5)

Psych is not the only show to combine comedy with the mystery procedural, but, being chock-full of murder and mayhem, it generally keeps a sense of serious stakes beneath the show's fun and frivolity. In a handful of episodes, those high stakes come to the forefront -- as best exemplified in the three episodes centered on Mr. Yang, Santa Barbara's resident serial killer.

Serving as the season finales of seasons three through five, Shawn finds himself the focus of Mr. Yang's psychotic puzzle-games -- on an increasingly personal level, as Yang targets Shawn's friends and family alike. The darker subject material allowed the writers and actors to show us other sides of these characters, while giving added weight to what we already know about them. Plus, Mr. Yang ended up being not only one of my favorite Psych villains -- but one of my favorite fictional baddies of all time.



- A Nightmare on State Street (Season 8)

Written by James Roday, the penultimate episode of Psych is one of their all-time weirdest (I mean that as a high compliment). The episode has the unique distinction of being fan-chosen -- it was filmed after the script's synopsis won the most votes in an online contest pitting it against two other possible episodes.

The fans chose well. The episode sees Gus seeking "dream therapy" (the original title of the episode) for a series of recurring nightmares filled with zombies, monsters, and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre house. The story neatly interweaves with the episode's requisite mystery, but the murder Gus and Shawn are trying to solve takes a backseat to the more pressing problem of Gus's nightmares. Many of the scenes are shot in a style befitting a horror film -- it's one of the most artistically-done episodes of Psych's run, stylistically-speaking -- which intertwines brilliantly with Gus's struggles to come to terms with how rapidly his life and circumstances are changing around him.

Most shows find it difficult to address the emotional fallout of the major changes their characters face in a series finale, mostly because it's hard to explore the issues of a final episode when there are no more episodes to do so in. Psych solves this problem by devoting their next-to-last episode to that very fallout; when the final episode gives our characters a happy place on which to end their current story, the happiness feels earned as a result.



- The Musical

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scrubs, That '70s Show, Grey's Anatomy, Ally McBeal, Northern Exposure, Oz … Doing a musical episode has become something of a rite of passage for many television shows. For a show like Psych, which excels in satire and homages, it would almost have been odder if they hadn't done a musical episode at some point in their run.

Psych: The Musical was done as a standalone special, airing during the show's seventh season. The songs were written by showrunner Steve Franks (along with show composer Adam Cohen) and manage to both pay homage to Broadway musicals while also perfectly encapsulating the spirit of the show. (Not to mention, they're quite catchy.)

Read more about the musical here.

From the Catalog

Request Psych - Season One
Request Psych - Season Two
Request Psych - Season Three
Request Psych - Season Four
Request Psych - Season Five
Request Psych - Season Six
Request Psych - Season Seven
Request Psych - Season Eight

Request Psych - The Musical

Request the book Psych's Guide to Crime Fighting For the Totally Unqualified

-- Post by Ms. B 

Staff Recommendation #32: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

The Silkworm

by Robert Galbraith

Once again J.K. Rowling, writing as Robert Galbraith, takes a look at the world of celebrity in her latest Cormoran Strike novel, The Silkworm. This time she's out to expose the publishing industry, something she knows a thing or two about.

After the successful resolution of the murder of model Lula Landry, Cormoran Strike has almost more cases than he can handle. These cases are nothing like the high profile Landry case, but he's now able to pay off his debts and actually move into a real apartment instead of sleeping in his office. This also means that he's able to keep his new assistant Robin Ellacott despite her fiancé Matthew's misgivings. Matthew still hasn't quite forgiven her for not taking that higher paying human resources job. But Robin is intent on working with Strike no matter what either man in her life thinks.

While Strike is in the midst of dealing with yet another disgruntled spouse, in walks Leonora Quine. A somewhat frumpy looking, middle aged woman who needs help finding her missing husband. Despite her inability to pay him, Strike decides to help her. This is not the first time her husband Owen, a nominally famous author, has gone missing.

As Strike begins his search, he's discovering the seamy side of the publishing industry. The back stabbing, gamesmanship and ruined friendships. Owen Quine was desperate to be famous for his writing so he sets out to write a book betraying everyone he knows from his publisher, to his editor and even to his long-suffering wife. But did he go too far? Strike thinks that Quine might have when he discovers Quine's murdered body posed exactly as described as a body in his manuscript. Now Strike has to determine who knew about Quine's manuscript and when they knew about it.

With the help of his eager assistant Robin, Strike finds the killer in this great new addition to the series. As I wrote in my review of The Cuckoo's Calling, the first in the series, this mystery is once again above average, but nothing outstanding. What sets this series apart are the characters that Rowling has created. As with her Harry Potter series, I think that she is at her best when developing a world and its inhabitants over the long haul. And since it's just been announced that Rowling plans on writing even more books in this series than she did for Harry Potter, this should make all of her fans very happy!


To request The Silkworm click here.

To request The Cuckoo's Calling click here.


--Post by Tracy

Staff Recommendation #31: Veronica Mars

If you are already a fan of the television series Veronica Mars, you will understand the above reference. If not, you really should rectify that!

Veronica Mars, starring Kristin Bell, was a modern day Nancy Drew/high school drama set in Southern California. The show ran for three short seasons (2004-2007), much to the dismay of its many die hard fans.

The first season follows Veronica, her new best friend Wallace and assorted other friends, through the trials and tribulations of dating, homework and plans for the future, all the while trying to solve crimes. The main mystery surrounds the death of her best friend Lily Kane, the daughter of a computer software magnate and the sister of her boyfriend Duncan. Each season featured one season long mystery that Veronica is trying to solve along with a variety of puzzles and problems that her classmates hire her to figure out.

We also get to experience Veronica's life with her single father Keith, a private investigator in Neptune, a fictional suburb of San Diego. Keith is the former sheriff who lost his job over his handling of the Lily Kane murder.

While the show had an early exit, it has lived on in the hearts of its devoted fans. Which also includes creator Rob Thomas and star, Kristin Bell. For many years they attempted to get a movie made, but the studio wasn't willing to spend the money. Then came along this little website called Kickstarter and everything changed. The campaign began on March 13, 2013 at the crowd sourcing site. The goal was $2 million. They reached it in just 10 hours! They ultimately raised over $5 million. 

The film, released in March 2014, was well received by most critics and fans. It picks up the story 10 years after the end of the show with Veronica now living in New York City attempting to land her first job as a lawyer. She returns home to Neptune to help out her ex-boyfriend Logan, who has been accused of murdering his girlfriend. Along the way she hooks up with many of her old high school friends (and enemies!). The story is continued in a novel Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line from creator Rob Thomas. A second book will be published in the fall.

I missed Veronica Mars the first time around, but I recently did a bit of binge watching and now am a dedicated Marshmallow! The devotion of the cast and the fans intrigued me and once I started watching I could see why. The issues and problems that teens deal with in high school were handled in a realistic manner. Even as an adult I couldn't help but identify with Veronica's feelings of isolation from her former friends and her difficulty making many new ones. 

For many fans the big draw was the turbulent relationship between Veronica and Logan. But for me, the strongest relationship of the show is the one between Veronica and her father Keith. After her alcoholic mother abandons them both, the bond between father and daughter grows even stronger. It was refreshing to see such a solid father-daughter relationship on television. Throughout the series, and the film, they have their differences but their support for each other is unwavering. 

So if you are looking for a well-written mystery/high school drama, look no further than Veronica Mars. You won't be sorry!

From the Catalog: 

- Veronica Mars -- season one [DVD]

- Veronica Mars -- season two [DVD]

- Veronica Mars -- season three [DVD]

- Veronica Mars -- the movie [DVD]

- Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line [book]

--Post by Tracy

The Secretive Life

Premiering in 2004, the TV series Veronica Mars is not, at first look, that incredibly unusual. The mystery series starred actress Kristen Bell in the title role, a high school student and Nancy-Drew-esque sleuth who was the daughter off a county sheriff. The show followed Veronica's adventures as she began her career as a private investigator, while also trying to uncover the truth behind the murder of her best friend. Cancelled after a three-season run, the show had a devoted cult following that never quite translated into the ratings.

But Veronica Mars recently made internet history, when an online campaign for the show raised nearly $6 million in fan donations and, in doing so, guaranteed a Veronica Mars movie release. With Kristen Bell's 33rd birthday on the horizon (July 18), and a Veronica Mars movie on the way, it seemed like a great time to check out some of our other favorite TV gumshoes:

- Nancy Drew

from The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977-1979) and Nancy Drew (2002)

Created by publisher Edward Stratemeyer, Nancy Drew -- amateur teenage sleuth -- first appeared in 1930 as the star of her own book series. Her adventures were written by a variety of a different authors, all who took on the pen name "Carolyn Keene" for the series. Hugely popular, the Nancy Drew books have remained popular to this day, and have resulted in spin-off offerings such as video games, films -- and television.

In the 1970s, Nancy started in the ABC series The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, played by Pamela Sue Martin and Janet Louise Johnson. There was another, short-lived series in 1995 (which lasted only half a season) ... and then, in 2002, ABC aired the TV movie Nancy Drew. In the title role as Nancy was Maggie Lawson -- who would go on to play another TV sleuth, Detective Juliette O'Hara in the hit show Psych.


-  Laura Holt 

Remington Steele is probably best remembered as the series that launched Pierce Brosnan's career. But credit must also go to Stephanie Zimbalist, who played licensed private detective Laura Holt. Setting up shop as a private eye, Holt discovers that clients are reluctant to hire a female detective.

So Holt hatches a scheme. She creates a fake (male) business partner for herself: Remington Steele, the man in charge who Holt "works" for. She always intended to keep Steele an unseen, fictitious business partner -- until she gets tangled up with a former con man (played by Brosnan) who ultimately ends up assuming the identity of Remington Steele. The two start working together -- but it's Holt, not "Steele," who remains the P.I. in charge.


- Cagney & Lacey

This long-running 80s police procedural took the unique step of making its two leads female detectives. Sharon Gless played Christine Cagney, a single woman intent on her career; Tyne Daly played Mary Beth Lacey, a working wife and mother. Set in Manhattan, the show followed the cases and lives of its star characters.

With an unusual and bumpy ride to the screen (the show was cancelled twice, being renewed in the end both times), Cagney and Lacey ultimately ran for seven seasons.

- Sergeant Lucy Bates 

The seven-season police drama Hill Street Blues is remembered by fans as one of the first police shows to carry multi-episode story arcs and long-ranging plotlines throughout its seasons. Dealing with real-life issues -- and shot in a more documentary-like style than the average series -- the show first aired in 1981 and quickly became beloved by critics and fans alike.

Betty Thomas starred as Sgt. Lucy Bates -- as gritty, tough, and real as all the other cop characters on the show. Committed to the police force, with her own personal struggles to overcome, Bates was capable at her job and a force to be reckoned with.

- Jessica Fletcher

Long before Richard Castle, there was Jessica Fletcher, star of the long-running series Murder, She Wrote. Played to perfection by Angela Lansbury, Jessica Fletcher is a murder mystery author who ultimately becomes an amateur detective. A former English teacher, the now-retired (and widowed) Fletcher has become a best-selling mystery writer. Living in a small town on the coast of Maine, Jessica Fletcher becomes a Miss-Marple-like figure to the local police, picking up clues they miss and always solving the crime.

With a 12-season run, Lansbury was nominated for 10 Golden Globes and 12 Emmys, holding the record to this day for the most Best Dramatic Actress Golden Globe and Emmy nominations.


- Special Agent Dana Scully

This no-nonsense FBI agent had her work cut out for her when she got partnered with fellow agent Fox Mulder. The two are assigned to X-Files cases (hence the name of their nine-season television series): those unsolved cases that may or may not have a paranormal cause behind them.

The practical, skeptical Scully was often at odds with her more intuitively-minded partner, who believed in such phenomena as aliens and the paranormal. Like all iconic partnerships, however, their opposing viewpoints were often precisely what made them such a great team.


- Catherine Willows & Sara Sidle

When it premiered in 2000, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation reinvented the crime procedural. With a unique emphasis on physical evidence and the science behind solving crimes, the show was a unique and instant hit.

Catherine Willows, who ultimately becomes head supervisor of the CSI night shift, originally made her living as a Vegas showgirl until a friend encouraged her to return to school. Sharp and intelligent, Willows became interested in crime-solving and earned a degree in Medical Science before joining the CSIs. And Sara Sidle, a materials and elements analyst, is perhaps the CSI most devoted to the job, her determined and skeptical nature making her a natural fit for the position. As long-standing characters in the show, Willows and Sidle have both had plenty of time to become some of the most layered and memorable characters in the series.


- Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson

Heading up the Major Crimes Division of the Los Angeles Police Department, Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson is known as "The Closer" due to her ability to deduce the facts and compel confessions -- closing out her cases.

The daughter of a captain in the U.S. Army, Brenda has worked for the CIA, the Metropolitan Police Department in D.C., and the Atlanta Police Department. Portrayed by actress Kyra Sedgwick, Brenda -- with her Southern accent, sloppy habits, and obsessive commitment to her job -- is a complex, complicated character that makes her both engaging and relatable.


- Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan

Dr. Temperance Brennan and her FBI partner Special Agent Seeley Booth have always put me in mind of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (at least until the romance starts!). But despite some similarities between Holmes and Bones, Dr. Brennan is actually based loosely on real-life forensic anthropologist (and best-selling author) Kathy Reichs.

Nicknamed "Bones" by her new partner, Brennan holds three doctorates and has the brain power to match. Detached, clinical, and with genius-level intelligence, Bones speaks seven languages, is trained in three martial arts, is a bestselling author -- and is somewhat socially inept. Her partnership and friendship with Agent Booth go a long way towards helping her discover how to identify and share her emotions.

Fun fact: Temperance Brennan gets her name from real-life author Kathy Reichs's best-selling mystery novels (which feature a character named Temperance Brennan). In the show Bones, however, Brennan has her own best-selling series of mystery novels, starring a forensic anthropologist character named ... Kathy Reichs.


- Rizzoli & Isles

Another show coming from a series of novels (these by author Tess Gerritsen), the show stars Angie Harmon as Detective Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as Dr. Maura Isles. Set in Boston, the series follows the practical, street-savvy Rizzoli and the book-smart Isles, best friends despite their polar-opposite personalities.

From highly different backgrounds -- and with different approaches to solving crimes -- this modern-day Cagney & Lacey duo have gone on to be original characters in their own right.


- Joan Watson

When it comes to shaking up the original Sherlock Holmes stories, modern-day adaptation Elementary didn't really break the mold so much by making Dr. John Watson into Joan. (After all, a female Watson has been done before.) What really makes Joan Watson stand out from her fellow onscreen Watsons is her character journey. This Watson may have started out as a surgeon, but as the show progresses, so does she, moving from a second career as a sober companion to recovering addicts to another new profession: detective.

Hired as a sober companion to recovering addict Sherlock Holmes, it isn't long before Sherlock notices that his Watson has an aptitude for solving mysteries. Holmes promptly takes her under his wing, and by the end of the first season, Watson has become both apprentice and partner to Sherlock himself. It's a unique take on the Holmes-Watson friendship that has left this Sherlockian eager for Season Two.

-- Post by Ms. B

Staff Recommendation #11: "The Round House" by Louise Erdrich

For most of my life, I have been fascinated by the culture and history of Native American tribes. My knowledge is very limited, but I'm always curious about their lives. Non-fiction books are a good place to learn the history of a subject, but I prefer to learn about a culture through novels. To achieve this, I have been turning to one of the best contemporary Native American storytellers -- Louise Erdrich.

Erdrich has been a published author for close to 30 years, and during that time, she has found a way to explore her roots as a Native American and share those experiences with a broader audience without alienating or offending anyone. Her books are usually stories of American Indians, but told in a way that all readers can identify with. Along the way, non-Native Americans might even learn a little about contemporary reservation life.

Her latest book, The Round House, is a perfect example of this. The story takes place in the summer of 1988, when young Joe Coutts, the son of a tribal judge and a tribal enrollment specialist, is just looking forward to the endless days hanging out with his friends. Unfortunately, it will not be that idyllic. This summer will shape the rest of Joe's life after his mother is brutally beaten and raped by an unknown assailant. Their comfortable, quiet life is now shattered. Joe struggles with how to help his mother through her depression and why it seems so difficult to figure out who the attacker is.

When Joe is not trying to figure out who hurt his mother, he spends his summer like any 13-year-old boy -- hanging out with his friends, sneaking beers, and talking about girls. We also get to meet his wacky extended family, which includes an ex-stripper aunt.

By the end of the summer, the family will figure out who attacked Mrs. Coutts, but it will take a few very tragic turns that no one could have foreseen. Along the way, we learn about the difficulties of prosecuting crimes committed against Native Americans. It all depends on who the accused is (white or non-white), and whether it took place on tribal land or not. And for young Joe, this is a very had concept for him to accept.

If you are at all interested in understanding how contemporary Native Americans live in our country, I would highly recommend this or any of Louise Erdrich's novels.

Click here to see all of Louise Erdrich's books available from the library.

-- Post by Tracy

Staff Recommendation #9: "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn

As a librarian, I get to read lots of reviews about upcoming books. Many of them sound interesting to me, but I don't tend to ever read them. Or it may be several months, if not longer, before I get my hands on them. I've never been a reader who has to read the latest bestseller right away -- it's not going anywhere!

One of those books that I read about that intrigued me was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. So when I actually had an opportunity to read it while on vacation a few months ago, I jumped at the chance. And I am so glad I did!

The story starts on the day of Nick and Amy's fifth wedding anniversary. What starts as a day for celebration turns into a day of fear and confusion when Amy disappears from their home in Missouri. As the search and investigation deepen, Nick becomes more and more a suspect in his wife's disappearance. He digs himself a deeper and deeper hole by his lies and deceptions. But is he responsible? I'm not going to tell you, so you'll have to read it yourself to find out!

This is a very hard book to review because there is so much that needs to be left to the reader to discover. My recommendation is to read this as soon as you can, and don't read the last chapter first!

Here are some read-alikes in case you're on the (still) long waiting list for Gone Girl, or you've already read it and want more of the same:

-- The Breaker by Minette Walters
A young girl is found wandering around an English village, while her mother's body washes up on a nearby beach. Several suspects soon surface and many secrets are revealed throughout the investigation. After reading this, make sure to check out other books by Minette Walters.

-- In The Woods by Tana French
The first in a series from the Irish mystery writer. Detective Ryan must investigate the murder of a 12-year-old girl, in the same woods where several children went missing 20 years earlier -- and where Ryan was found clinging to a tree.

-- Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson
A woman, whose memory was damaged a long time ago in an accident, wakes up every morning with no memory of her husband or her life (she thinks she's still single). She keeps a secret journal from her husband that her doctor tells her where to find every day. The journal and what her husband tell her do not match up.

-- The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
This classic psychological thriller from 1955 is the first in a series about the nihilistic Tom Ripley, who slowly begins to take over the life of the young man he was sent to Italy to bring home. Mr. Ripley's story continues in four more suspenseful novels. Also made popular by Matt Damon in the 1992 film.


-- Post by Tracy

Scottish Mystery

I love reading mysteries and I have a few several go-to authors I like to read (Elizabeth George, Minette Walters, Sue Grafton). But a few months ago I was looking for something other than the usual and boy, did I find that in Denis Mina's Garnethill series.

The first book in the series, Garnethill (1999), introduces us to Maureen O'Donnell. She is a young woman struggling in a dead end job and trying to get back to a normal life after spending 6 months in a psychiatric hospital after suffering a nervous breakdown. The cause of the breakdown is the memory of sexual abuse at the hands of her father. Unfortunately, most of the rest of her family, including her alcoholic mother, don't believe her stories. On top of this she's just found out that her boyfriend, Douglas, is married. After finding out about Douglas' marital status she goes on a bit of a drinking binge with her friend. When she finally wakes up in the morning she finds Douglas, naked and tied to a chair in her kitchen with his throat slit. Naturally, Maureen is the prime suspect. The story continues with Maureen battling with Detective Chief Inspector Joe McEwan to clear her name.

The story of Maureen O'Donnell continues in Exile (2001). Maureen is now working at a women's shelter in Glasgow along with her best pal Leslie. She is even more miserable than she was before. She is still struggling with the after effects of her boyfriend's murder so when Anne, a woman from the shelter, turns up dead in the Thames, Maureen agrees to head to London to find out what happened to her. During this trip Maureen learns some new information regarding Douglas' murder and also has her own life threatened.

The trilogy concludes with Resolution (2002). Maureen's life is still in the dumps. She's even more depressed than ever and her friends (and Maureen) are afraid that she is an alcoholic. She might have destroyed her relationship with her new boyfriend and now the man who murdered Douglas is going on trial. Plus she has distanced herself from her family, except for brother Liam. Her sister is pregnant and Maureen is worried that her father will abuse Una's baby if it's a girl. And to top it off, the elderly woman at the local flea market that she has befriended has died and Maureen believes the woman's son is responsible.

These books are definitely not of the "cozy" mystery variety. They are a gritty and realistic look at the underbelly of Glasgow, especially Garnethill where much of the story takes place. Maureen O'Donnell is a character that is now always completely likable but knowing her past history makes her actions somewhat understandable. And while she is innocent of her boyfriend's murder she is not past committing other crimes to protect herself and those that she loves. What it comes down to, is that Maureen knows good from evil and is willing to do anything to defeat the evil that is around her. If you are up for a gritty, realistic look at a life in turmoil, these series is for you.

-- Post by Tracy