Friends of Dorothy, by Sandi Toksvig.

 

       Many years ago in more repressive times, a Friend of Dorothy was a euphemism for someone who preferred to be with the same sex – a Gay, queer, homosexual, call it what you will, but it’s the 21^st century now and everyone has moved on with the names, to the extent that two recently wed women have just bought a house in a slightly run-down part of London, Grimaldi Square to be exact, and apart from being brand-new property owners,  Paramedic Amber is suddenly overtaken by a huge, impossible-to-ignore urge to be a mother.  Which wife police constable Stevie is understandably gobsmacked about:  a baby is the last thing she is thinking of, particularly as the old lady they bought the house from (coincidentally called Dorothy) hasn’t vacated the premises yet.  And she doesn’t look in any hurry to do so, either.

       Stevie is feeling ever so slightly under siege, even more so when she meets their next-door neighbour Mrs Haggerston, a deeply prejudiced believer in the Old Order of Things.  Grimaldi Square might be a harder Gay nut to crack than first thought.  There is also a decaying Pub across the Square called The Price of Onions – it’s not as though Amber and Stevie’s life won’t be interesting, but everyday life will be very different from what they’d imagined, especially as Dorothy is taking her time to move.  Well, where is she going to move to?  And as time moves on, it is revealed that Dorothy has had a very full life of her own, with not a little tragedy thrown in. A sleazy ex-husband even makes an appearance, and it takes some time before he is dealt with satisfactorily enough.   (I can still hear the cheers ringing round the Square when he is finally paid what he thinks he is owed!)

       Sandi Toksvig has created her own loving little community in Grimaldi Square;  every character rings true and those who are beset by depression and anxiety – it’s time for Stevie to change her job – find that there are new gardens and new interests for those who thought their lives were almost over.  Well, being a friend of Dorothy has given Dorothy purpose as well;  she’s no longer just marking time till it’s time to go:  she’s got too much to do now changing the Square to suit all its occupants – even Mrs Haggerston!  This is a joyous book:  SIX STARS.  

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slash, by Gavin Strawhan.

 

            Slash:  the waste branches cut away from logged pine trunks in huge forests, much of it reclaimed from farmland, and now a thriving industry in New Zealand where Strawhan’s thriller is set.  Cyclone Gabrielle has wrought death and destruction on the North Island’s East coast and no-one knows what their future will hold – if anything.  Everybody is licking their wounds and hoping that the sun will shine again and that their missing loved ones will miraculously appear – the alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.

            Into this vale of tears comes ex-police sergeant Honey Palmer – yes, I did my usual trick of reading out of sequence;  fortunately, her previous adventures and misfortunes are well-documented (read ‘The Call’).  It’s clear that she is not doing well since she left the police, and working as a Private Investigator shadowing an errant hubby is not Honey’s idea of job satisfaction, in fact she’d rather be drowning her sorrows (and she has many) than watch said Hubby poke and prod his simpering E. A..  BUT!  It pays the bills, so bite the bullet, Honey.

            Until a young police constable and his father approach her (she has quite a rep!) with a request that she consider looking into the disappearance of their son and brother, missing now for several weeks, the problem being that the missing boy is no saint, has already served time for armed robbery and didn’t seem chastened by the experience.  To make matters more complex, an elderly retired couple have died a grisly and unexplained death originally blamed on Cyclone Gabrielle but the police are now treating the deaths as potential homicides, and the missing son as suspect #1.

            Honey would rather get back to Auckland and spend some wine time with her best friend Michelle, who has just been dumped by her latest boyfriend, the disadvantage being that Michelle really liked him, so she needs Honey’s shoulder; the sticking point being that when Honey reviews all the paperwork father and son give her she becomes intrigued, firstly by the shoddy initial police work, then the unfair emphasis on ‘we’ve got our man, no need to investigate further’.  Whatever happened to being innocent until proven guilty?  There are too many anomalies here for Honey to ignore;  surely a couple of day’s investigation will throw up some answers.

            And that’s true, but the answers reveal so much more than she expected, not to mention her own foolhardiness and risk-taking persona.  Honey is action, not reflection, to her cost.

Gavin Strawhan has given us an endearing, Kiwi-As protagonist in a meticulously researched thriller about the Pacific drug trade.  And you’ll never guess WhoDunnit!  Book #3 is on its way – soon, I hope.  FIVE STARS.