Dead Image: A Detective Sergeant Best Mystery

Originally published in the U.K. in 2000, Lock's solid first mystery featuring Det. Sgt. Ernest Best centers on the historic 1874 Regent's Park disaster. When the explosion of a London canal barge caus-es widespread death and destruction, Best tries to identify a young woman whose body turns up amid the debris. Her death appears unrelated to the blast, and her face is damaged beyond recognition. Best's investigation sends him from the gritty world of the canal workers to the upscale artistic haven of St. John's Wood. His task is complicated by his attraction to the unconventional Helen Franks, whose sister disappeared around the time of the disaster. Lock leaves the relationship between Helen and widower Best nicely unresolved. Lovers of the Victorian era will appreciate the author's attention to the details of period life, while recent headlines give her depiction of the explosion and its aftermath fresh poignancy. (July)