Fran's Reviews > Shamus Dust

On a bitterly cold, snowy Christmas morning in 1947 London, Councilor Drake received a phone call from City Police in reference to an incident at one of his properties. Drake summoned the assistance of American PI Newman to deliver apartment keys to the detective inspector waiting at the site. Why would councilor Drake offer an exorbitant fee to Newman for his services? So starts this hard-boiled, historical crime novel set in the City of London amongst a square mile of bombed-out buildings.

The incident...a torso lying twisted under a bench...near St. Bart's Church. The body was found by Nurse Greer who called in the murder before she left for work. Unable to locate the detective inspector, PI Newman used the key to enter the apartment and found "the Councilor's tenant was a collector of photographs...Not the kind of photographs that get taken at garden parties...". Nurse Greer's body would soon be found. Were the murders connected?

PI Newman, as narrator, gets more than he bargained for. Seemingly thwarted by corrupt police, he will not be denied as he navigates the following trail which includes:

*Archaeological photography showing outlines of possible Roman ruins

*Redevelopment plans for the Corporate Center of London, indifferent to indications of Roman
ruins

*A haberdasher crafting one-of-a-kind items

*High risk lifestyles as well as a marriage of convenience

*Willingness of corrupt police to pin the murders on a scapegoat...case closed!

*Sparks between Newman and the acting medical examiner

Truth be told, this was the right read selected for the wrong reason. This reader intended to choose a light-weight detective novel and was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly delighted with this choice! It was far from lightweight! Debut novelist Janet Roger has painstakingly researched and recreated a novel of the aftermath of World War II London. We are privy to the populace in all walks of life; those occupying the underbelly of society, as well as the greedy elite, exhibiting corrupt and underhanded behavior and dishing out murder and mayhem. To suggest that this read is just a case of Christmas Holiday Murders would be selling this whodunit short.

"Shamus Dust" is a literary/ historical fiction read as well as a well plotted crime novel. The descriptive passages transport the reader to the brutal frost of snowy 1947 London at Christmastime. A large cast of characters are interwoven within the story and add to the multiple twists and turns. The reader is always directed back to consider the evidence. Author Roger had created a slow burn of a "Chandler-like" novel requiring attention to detail for maximum enjoyment. Highly recommended.