Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 10, 1991 TAG: 9102130036
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Reviewed by SHARYN McCRUMB
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Comparing the merits of so many sub-genres made it difficult to decide which ones were the best, but after months of deliberation, I chose the following 10 books as the year's best entries. They all contain something more than a crime story, and the writing is excellent. My four fellow committee members also chose their ten best, and together we compiled a list of five final nominees, who will be announced this month. One of these will win this year's Edgar for Best Novel.
My choices for the top 10 mystery novels of 1990:
\ FADE THE HEAT. By Jay Brandon (Pocket)
In a steamy Texas courtroom, a woman points the finger of guilt at D.A. Mark Blackwell's son. This is one of the few law procedurals in which the lawyer has a real emotional stake in the case. Great suspense, and a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the way lawyers really feel about the system.
\ OTHER PEOPLE'S HOUSES. By Susan Rogers Cooper (St. Martin's).
The sheriff of Prophesy County, Okla., investigates the death of an entire family, newcomers to town. When he tries to trace their previous addresses and next of kin, he discovers they don't exist. Funny and intriguing regional novel with good comic writing and a likable narrator.
\ DIAMOND IN THE BUFF. By Susan Dunlap (St. Martin's).
A neighborhood feud between a dentist and a masseuse in Berkeley escalates into murder, to the dismay of police officer Jill Smith. This off-beat police procedural captures the ambiance of Berkeley with incisive wit.
\ WHISKEY RIVER. By Loren Estleman (Bantam).
Newspaperman Connie Minor chronicles the "Untouchables" era among the bootleggers of Detroit. This is good story-telling coupled with a distinctive lyrical style and an economy of violence that puts most of the hard-boiled practicioners to shame.
\ TIME AND TIME AGAIN. By B.M. Gill (Scribners).
This one is a thoughtful study of the effects of prison on an upper-middle class woman. Memorable characterizations highlight the novel.
\ BONES AND SILENCE. By Reginald Hill (Delacorte).
Supt. Dalziel witnesses a murder but no one believes his version of the events. Meanwhile he is cast as God in the local reenactment of the York mystery plays. Hill writes a complex, literate and stunning novel. This is what P.D. James is hyped for and doesn't often deliver. "Bones and Silence" should have received the attention given to "Devices and Desires."
\ SHADOW PREY. By John Sandford (Putnam).
Sandford, the pseudonym of a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, crafts an intriguing story of tension between whites and Native Americans in Minnesota.
\ NEW ORLEANS MOURNING. By Julie Smith (St. Martin's).
Policewoman Skip Langdon investigates murder among New Orleans finest families. This intelligent police procedural presents an evocative portrait of Mardi Gras traditions and the secrets of Louisiana society.
\ ADMIT TO MURDER. By Margaret Yorke (Scribners).
Surely the most underrated of the British mystery writers, Yorke creates a suspenseful study of wealthy Londoners who move to the country to escape the housing prices in the city, only to discover that their new mansion is down the road from a prison.
\ DEADFALL IN BERLIN. By R.D. Zimmerman. (Fine).
Through hypnosis, a war orphan seeks his mother's killer in wartime Berlin, and finds that old crimes outlasted the war. This is the most unusually constructed mystery of the year, and its meticulous research of the bombing of Berlin makes it a haunting memoir of wartime, and an outstanding work.
by CNB