Stone Cold Red Hot

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JUL 23, 2001

The "stone cold" in the title of British author Staincliffe's (Looking for Trouble) excellent fifth Sal Kilkenny PI mystery refers to the traces of a young woman, Jennifer Pickering, who went missing 20 years before. For some initially undisclosed reason, her parents deemed her a disgrace. Her mother refuses to have her name mentioned even now. But younger brother Roger, who loved her as a boy, hires Sal to determine what became of her. Jennifer disappeared without saying goodbye to anyone, and has not contacted any of her friends since. "Red hot" refers to Sal's second problem: a Muslim family from Somalia that is the target of neo-Nazi youths determined to drive them from their home. The Neighborhood Nuisance Unit hires Sal to observe the situation with a camcorder from a neighbor's house to get evidence against the thugs. It is immediately obvious that the local police are indifferent to the increasingly dangerous plight of the family. The two cases unexpectedly come together in a whirlwind denouement. Sal, an intelligent, workmanlike sleuth, tends to discern the facts rather than jump to conclusions. Staincliffe's depiction of Sal's domestic life is exceptionally good: she and her little girl live with her partner, Ray, who is also a single parent with a little boy. Another principal character is the city of Manchester, England, of which both author and detective are fond. This fine piece of craftsmanship is a very pleasant, well-paced read. FYI: Looking for Trouble was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasy Award.