The Raven’s Eye: A Brock and Kolla Mystery

In Maitland’s intricate 12th procedural starring Det. Chief Insp. David Brock and Det. Insp. Kathy Kolla (after 2011’s Chelsea Mansions), a young woman’s apparently accidental death in London’s Paddington district proves more complicated than it initially appears. Kathy, resisting Commander Fred Lynch’s push to reduce department expenses, decides to more thoroughly investigate the fatal carbon monoxide poisoning of Vicky Hawke aboard a houseboat. She discovers that “Vicky” was actually named Gudrun Kite and that her sister, Freyja, died the year before in an unsolved hit-and-run. Lynch is more interested in capturing fugitive Jack “the Butcher” Bragg, and enlists Kathy, who resembles Bragg’s wife, to act as bait. Meanwhile, Brock discovers a link between himself and the poisoning case—both sisters attended his alma mater, Trinity College, Cambridge—and also finds out that Freyja was involved in computer security work. Maitland nicely ties together disparate elements to create a tale that is both a satisfying mystery and a telling comment on today’s surveillance society. (Nov.)