"The Savage Garden" by Mark Mills

Mark Mills is rapidly becoming a favorite. I was so taken by "Amagansett" that I doubted he could equal it in this subsequent work. I'm very pleased to be able to say he didn't disappoint. He seems to have the ability to spin a mystery out of a multitude of situations, and if the library's waiting list for his latest, [The Information Officer], is any indication, a horde of other readers feel the same way.

Adam Strickland has just finished his end-of-term exams at 1958 Cambridge when his mentor offers him the opportunity to review and write a thesis on an unspoiled Renaissance garden in Tuscany. His ready acceptance plunges him into a centuries-old murder mystery, and the intrigue and life-threatening danger that surround it. Along the way, we touch on a more recent murder, and the family haunted by both to the present day. Young Adam excels at medieval symbolism and culture, and apparently also at following clues from much more recent crimes. Or is he?

This story offers us the sympathetic strengths of a very bright young man, adept at gleaning clues from Dante as well as modern forensics. Other attractive characters abound here, such as Adam's ne'er-do-well sculptor brother Harry, and Antonella, the beautiful-but-scarred young woman who may or may not have ulterior motives for seducing Adam. This work is cleverly constructed, a compulsive page-turner, and a very gratifying, multi-layered thriller.

Have at it! And explore the rest of Mills's oeuvre while you're at it. I certainly am.

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"Amagansett" by Mark Mills

An atmospheric mystery set in mid-20th-Century Long Island, “Amagansett” sets forth the conflict arising from a determined fisherman’s investigation into a socialite’s murder. Amagansett is a small fishing village on Long Island’s southern coast; it is peopled by groups who bookend the society: the local fishing population, who struggle to make a living, share it with an elite group of vacationing urbanites which commands all the best in goods and service.

Conrad Labarde, a rough-hewn Basque immigrant and WWII veteran, and his fishing partner discover the body of the beautiful daughter of one of the upper-crust families, who has drowned in the ocean. He has his own mysterious route to the solution, whether or not Hollis, the deputy sheriff investigating the mishap, believes him, or even suspects him. Labarde displays an unexplained urgency in finding the killer, for he’s convinced this was no accident, but as the narrative proceeds, the reader becomes more and more sure of the reason for his single-mindedness.

Mark Mills delivers an engrossing mystery, with a highly unorthodox hero. We follow as Labarde keeps his eyes on the prize while juggling his other responsibilities, which include first and foremost his quirky, not-all-there business partner. We’re let into Hollis’s motivations too, which stem here from swirling suspicions about his behavior as an NYC detective. At length, Mr. Mills’s mystery is inventive and memorable, almost enthralling. He finishes with an excellent, cinematic climax, a fine denouement for the well-treated reader.

I recommend this, highly. As a debut effort, it’s very impressive.

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"The Information Officer" by Mark Mills

Mark Mills continues to bless us with thrilling mystery tales, where impromptu (non-professional) detectives depend on their wits and gumption to crack cases and catch the heavy. "The Information Officer" has an added fillip: it takes place against a backdrop of wartime espionage, complete with a Nazi spy on Malta during World War II.

In this entry, our accidental hero is Maj. Max Chadwick of the British Army. The Brits and the islanders are under constant bombardment from the Luftwaffe, as the German war machine is intent on clearing the strategic island of the enemy. But island girls start turning up dead, and it's apparent that it's not from the bombing sorties. The base's chief medical officer alerts Max, and supplies a clue as to the murderer's identity. This story is entwined with Chadwick's romantic adventures and misadventures, and it all follows the hectic, straining pace of wartime siege.

Mr. Mills is three-for-three. His other two books,"Amagansett" and "The Savage Garden" both delivered superbly on early promise, and this is no exception. The intimate scenes steam up the windows a little more in this one, and as I say, the Nazi spy angle is central to this story, and adds a weightier, sinister shade to the proceedings. Also new in this novel are the chapters that deal with the killer's background and thinking process. These are handled reasonably well. All in all, this is superior work, and all honors to our consistently excellent Mr. Mills.

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