A Ghost in the Machine, by Caroline Graham

Retrieved from: the library (looked good as I cataloged it, so I snagged it)
(0312324219)

Frustratingly opaque at the beginning, this book was one that picked up speed about two-thirds of the way through. An unusual mystery (for me, at least) in that the reader actually spends some time getting to know the eventual victim, and liking him. Usually, the dead person is a creep, or at least it's understandable why he's dead. This time the victim doesn't die till nearly halfway through and the person most likely--the one I would have LIKED to have committed the murder, so she could be jailed--is the least likely to have been able to do it, as it turns out. The murder itself is reminiscent of early Barnard, the character with the collection of torture devices is the victim in his books; here it's the creator of the museum of war machines who is in for it.

The depth of psychological portraits reminded me a bit of Ruth Rendell. UNlike Rendell, however, there were enough decent, upstanding individuals amid the dregs to make me want to find out what happened. And the end, the youngest member of the cast turns out to be quite a corker. I may be adding Graham to my "List" of authors. Interesting characters.