Short mystery stories from 2000, in Muller's series about Sharon
McCone, private investigator in San Francisco.
Muller introduces the book with an explanation: she started
writing stories from the point of view of Sharon's associates in order
to keep Sharon's character fresh in her mind.
"If You Can't Take the Heat" is a fairly straightforward start: Sharon
is hired by an air charter operator, one of whose pilots has reported
some repeat passengers behaving oddly. The primary case is resolved
with research, but Muller manages to put in a twist that's rare in the
mystery short.
"The Holes in the System" has Sharon's assistant Rae Kelleher trying
to work out where a non-speaking boy has come from. It's unusual for a
McCone story in that it mostly lacks a villain: everyone wants to
help, they just don't have the tools to do it.
"One Final Arrangement" has Mick Savage (and, just about, Charlotte
Keim) getting frustrated: they're sure their target murdered his wife
and is waiting out the seven years to have her declared legally dead
and inherit all her money, but he's been living quietly and giving
them nowhere to sink a hook. Until a bit more research reveals a
possibility…
"Up at the Riverside" has Ted buying a jukebox from a run-down old
hotel, and even if he didn't want to get involved in the owners'
dispute, he's got Sharon along to drive. Ted is, as Muller admits, her
authorial passport into the gay community of San Francisco, and this
one does a good job of invoking a 1970s atmosphere.
"Knives at Midnight" has Sharon working with her brother John to find
out why a "good boy" turned up in a parking lot in Tijuana with more
knife holes and less blood than is standard. That bit's relatively
easy; but how to bring the killer to justice?
"The Wall" is the longest piece here, and deals with a missing
(runaway?) girl whose therapy wall at home seems likely to provide the
most significant clues as to where she might have gone. This is a
gloomy story full of unhappy people, but I found it highly
satisfying—also, as the longest piece here, it has the most room to
grow.
"Recycle" has Hy Ripinsky working with Sharon to track down a missing
sculptor. Possibly it was the contrast with the previous piece, but I
found this one very thin.
"Solo" goes back to Sharon: one of Hy's flying students augured in on
his first solo flight, and Sharon looks into why. There's mention of a
medical report, but it doesn't look as simple as that, and now someone
is missing… this is very much a Sharon story, even at this short
length, and works well.
On balance, then, only one story that fell flat for me, and even now I
wouldn't call it a complete failure. If you like mystery shorts, or
you're after an introduction to McCone and her world (the
McConeiverse?), this is a decent choice, though I didn't find the
narrating voices as distinct as I might have hoped.
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