The overlap between the skills of an investigative journalist and those of a spy is wide in Henry Porter’s gripping new thriller. His heroine, M.I.5 agent Slim Parsons, whose last undercover assignment ended in disaster, gets a new mission: infiltrate a muckraking Web site that the Security Service suspects is hacking into national-security databases. The fact that a few of the site’s staffers descend from some of Bletchley Park’s legendary codebreakers gives the book a historical dimension, while their truth-telling mission nudges Slim down a twisty path. Porter’s experience as a journalist makes for a deep appreciation of his spy’s dilemma.
This gently feminist, historical “what if ” novel will be catnip to fans of golden-age mysteries. It’s 1931, and writers Dorothy Sayers (who narrates), Margery Allingham, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, and Baroness Emma Orczy, calling themselves “the Queens of Crime,” team up to solve the real-life murder of a young British nurse in France. Marie Benedict lets her characters’ distinct personalities bloom as their literary skills translate into a genuine investigation.
A conspiracy theory catches fire in Alison Gaylin’s harrowing We Are Watching. After her husband is fatally forced off the road while driving their daughter to college, Meg Russo, the owner of a small bookstore, suspects his death was orchestrated. As strange occurrences begin to plague her and trusted friends turn into pod people, she realizes she’s not paranoid—her husband’s murder was the opening volley in a campaign to eradicate her and her family. The hate group’s theory is laughably bizarre, but oh, right: Pizzagate, Sandy Hook was faked, and Paul is dead. Gaylin’s chilling tale is right on point for our disinformation-fueled times.
Lisa Henricksson reviews mystery books for Air Mail. She lives in New York City
