Jordan Lacey Mystery 01 Pray and Die

Someone has to investigate the sleepy streets of Latching, West Sussex – and that someone is Jordan Lacey, ex-policewoman, now advertising her services as a private investigator in the local paper and working out of a junk shop in the quiet part of town. Will there be enough crime in Latching to keep her in business? Errant husbands, runaway pets… it looks like there might be.When Jordan discovers the body of a dead nun in an abandoned hotel, along with clues to a hidden WWII fortune, she realises she may have found more than she’d bargained for. Trouble is, she isn’t exactly popular with the local constabulary. So when her life appears to be in danger, the police – in the shape of the devastatingly attractive DI James – want more proof that she’s at risk than a slice of poisoned carrot cake sent to her by a “friend”. It will take an altogether more dramatic attempt on Jordan’s life to make DI James sit up and take notice.From BooklistHere is an absolute treat of a novel. Jordan Lacey, a former policewoman in Latching, West Sussex, decides to become a private investigator. But how, exactly, does a young woman with no private-eye experience find cases in a small British town with very little crime? As it turns out, it's easier than Jordan expected it to be, easier and weirder, as her first clients--a woman who suspects her husband of cheating on her and a nice lady looking for her lost turtle--soon take the back seat to Jordan's big discovery: a murdered nun. This is an immensely satisfying novel, charmingly written and deceptively plotted (things are more complicated than we think). Whitelaw, the author of more than 30 novels, pays close attention to detail, and it's a great deal of fun to watch Lacey find a place to hang her private-eye shingle, advertise for clients, and adjust to the realization that her former police contacts won't help her now that she's gone solo. The story itself is clever and well constructed, but it's Lacey herself who makes the novel so special; she is truly a delightful creation. This is the first installment of a projected series, and if its successors live up to the promise of this outstanding debut, it should be a long-lasting and hugely popular one indeed. David PittCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorWhitelaw began her writing career as a cub reporter on a newspaper and becme the youngest female chief reporter in London. She has had over thirty novels published, as well as approximately 230 short stories.