cover image A MEETING OF MINDS: A Thames Valley Mystery

A MEETING OF MINDS: A Thames Valley Mystery

Clare Curzon, . . St. Martin's Minotaur/ Dunne, $22.95 (246pp) ISBN 978-0-312-31874-1

Prolific British crime writer Curzon convincingly makes the case for a larger U.S. readership with this well-crafted whodunit, the 10th entry in her series to feature Det. Supt. Mike Yeadings (after 2003's The Body of a Woman ). Yeadings and his diverse team of Thames Valley detectives probe the death of a young woman found stabbed in a car, clothed only in a fur coat. The circle of suspects includes her neighbors in a new apartment development and her estranged father. Curzon does an excellent job of portraying the byplay and pedestrian details of daily police work and throws in enough plot twists to satisfy classic mystery fans. The solution is unexpected but logical, and while Curzon is not quite Peter Lovesey, those who enjoy that author's Peter Diamond series should find Yeadings an acceptable substitute. Agent, Harvey Klinger. (Sept. 30)