cover image 10 Marchfield Square

10 Marchfield Square

Nicola Whyte. Union Square, $18.99 trade paper (400p) ISBN 978-1-4549-5841-3

Whyte’s devilish debut revolves around a series of murders in a London flat complex. Every resident of 10 Marchfield Square agrees that Richard Glead was a terrible and violent man, so when he turns up dead on his kitchen floor, “the only mystery... was why no one had killed him before.” Each of Richard’s neighbors have alibis: most were gathered to watch fireworks, while reclusive crime writer Lewis McLennon was on a video call, and Richard’s wife, Linda, was volunteering at an animal shelter. Then, when Lewis ventures into the Gleads’ apartment late one night after hearing footsteps, he finds Linda dead with no visible injuries. The police conclude that her death was a suicide somehow brought on by the guilt of killing her husband, despite her alibi, but building owner Celeste van Duren isn’t willing to believe any of it. To investigate, Celeste asks Lewis to team up with her cleaner, Audrey Brooks, whose people skills complement his crime expertise. During their inquiry, a third person dies, making motives even murkier for suspects both within and outside of the building. Whyte gets everything just right, constructing memorable characters and landing several shocking plot twists. Readers will be just as hard-pressed to identify the culprit as Lewis and Audrey—and they’ll have a marvelous time trying. (Apr.)