Keppan by Jayne Zehngut and Cynthia Salasovich

 For those who enjoy good reading, I highly recommend this. It is the first book written by these authors and it is handled well.

It is set in the art world. The story begins with the death of an well known Japanese  artist by his car going over the side of the hill n Topanga Canyon.. Was it murder or was it an accident?  

It is a case for Hercuree Lewis and Toni Nicholas, Yes. It is a female protagonist; both LAPD detectives. Art forgery  and murder form the crime. The case moves from Los Angeles to Japan and back.

Great research was required to get all the details of the art world. and Japanese culture in order to make this story read authentic. 

It seems the  art work was authenticated  by an ink made of the artists blood in the signature area. This made sure the artists DNA was there. As you knw, DNA is not transferable.

For those of us who know mystery writing we know there must be a victim , a killer, and a detective or someone who can bring the killer to justice. These ladies have a grasp of that formula.

It is suspenseful and detailed. It is an easy read. It is published by a small Beverly Hills company called Cool Titles. It came out in November/December 2023 so it is current. It can be ordered in paperback from Amazon. I am sure you can get it from Barnes and Noble. Since it has been published recently I am sure it can be seen soon in a local bookstore near you.

Good reading to you all.

A Measure of Darkness by Jonathan Kellerman & Jesse Kellerman.

Here once again we have the team of father and son writing another mystery. Both Kellerman men write well separately and when writing together they add extra depth to the tale.

I guess what I am saying is, I enjoyed it very much and look forward to their presentations as co-authors. I major in reading Jonathan’s tales when they appear since he has a psychologist/sleuth as a major character in his stories, but from time to time I pick up and read Jesse’s. It is just a preference.

I guess if you were to ask a mystery reader why they read mysteries they would answer ‘for the thrill of the chase.” This genre needs a victim, a person who solves the puzzle, and one who commits the crime. Basic plot and red herrings help in the story.

When two authors come together and write a book together they must bind their styles into one unified voice. The Kellermans seem able to do this.

People are throwing a party. Gunshots are fired. Chaos follows. Bodies are found. One body is unidentified., A female. Who is she? Why was she murdered? What is the story this female has to tell?

This question leads our sleuth-- a coroner—along with a young female officer to seek answers in the past. Soon other incidents crop up. A cult is found, or maybe a different type of educating kids. What is Jane Does link to this school?

Along with this case, our hero must deal also with his brother who is trying to fit back into society after a period in prison.

It is purely plot driven. Characters are only there to keep the story moving forward. The police are police. Our hero is a coroner, but we don’t spend any time in a coroner’s theatre as you would if you were reading a Patricia Cornwell story with Dr. Key Scarpetta. Our victim is not anything but a body.

Mystery readers form a unique group of readers and have their own special preferences. Not all read police procedurals. Not all read who dun’ its. But they all enjoy a good puzzle. That may be why they come back again and again to favorite authors. I think this one is a good Kellerman tale and should be enjoyed by fans. It has 31 chapters.

The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg

The game is afoot in this story of Joanna Blalock. The time is 1910 and Joanna is pleasantly comfortable in her position as nurse. She is married with a ten-year-old son. They live at home with her father in-law.

A man has fallen from a building. The sister comes to Dr. Watson with the problem. “They say his death was a suicide, but that is something my brother would never consider,” she says to Watson.

Watson takes the case because, as he says to his son, “I am merely an old man trying to remain relevant.” He still uses things he learned from his friend, Sherlock.

The witnesses are the gardener and Joanna’s ten-year-old son. The police, and here we find that the son of Lestrade, same name, is the inspector, believes the gardener over against the child.

It is reported that a wise man has written, “Of the writing of books, there is no end.” And it seems to be true when it comes to the lore concerning Sherlock Holmes. Once again, we have an author attempting to inject the legend with life.

No doubt this will develop into a series. As most first books in a series we are presented with the main characters and the bit players.  We find Dr. Watson still alive. Holmes is dead. People still come to 221b Baker Street.

The elderly Dr. Watson has a son, named after him, John Watson. Also, a doctor. He is a professor of Pathology at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. We have the daughter of Mrs. Hudson still at 221b Baker Street still the housekeeper.

Nothing much has changed in the characters. It is still a comfortable place to be if you are a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories.

As the story begins, Joh Watson, Jr, is visiting his father at 221b Baker Street on a cold London Morning.  Watson is trying out his observation technique. The woman comes to see him as reported above. After she leaves, Watson and his son go to the Blalock house to meet Joanna.  Why? Because it is reported she is the first female detective and they need help.

John junior is struck by her beauty. “Joanna Blalock was tall, only a few inches shorter than I, (John Watson, Jr. is the one recording,) with soft patrician features and sandy-blond hair…”

Watson (Sr.) asks for her to show them the scene of the fall.

As I said, the game is afoot.

Finally, Watson reveals a secret to his son.

“This Joanna Blalock is a very remarkable woman,” my father began. “You would agree?”

“Most certainly.”

“Well, she is even more remarkable than you could ever imagine.”

“How so?”

“She is the daughter of Sherlock Holmes.”

Seems Irene Adler and Homes had a child between them.

But that is not the center of the story. The center is the mystery of the falling body. It takes the sleuths to the very highest levels of British society.

Joanna Blalock who by the end of the book becomes Joanna Watson is a welcome addition to the family.

I recommend this series to all lovers of Sherlock Holmes.

The form of writing is close to Doyle’s, but I found it easier to follow and not as boring.

The book is published by Minotaur Books, and costs $25.99.