An Uncommon Murder

This shrewd, unsentimental mystery features a multipart denouement, masterfully extended and deftly manipulated to segue into an examination of a family gone awry. In November 1990, plucky London-based television researcher Alex Tanner begins to investigate the decades-old unsolved murder of Lord Sherwin; she relies on the assistance (or is it manipulation?) of the former governess to the nobleman's children. Tanner interrogates such suspects as Sherwin's cold wife, their icy daughter, a fading actor, a nubile niece and even the governess herself before a sudden, unexpected confession abruptly terminates her work. Tanner believes the confession, with reservations, but then Sherwin's granddaughter goes missing and the emotional balance of the book subtly shifts. Sad details about Alex's childhood emerge as her hard-boiled exterior, which she has developed through copious readings of American crime fiction, starts to crack, and small crimes of coldness and cruelty replace the larger ones of murder and passion. Donald's ( Poor Dear Charlotte ) young, street-smart female sleuth, a rare breed in contemporary British crime fiction, is an appealing protagonist. ( Feb. )