Book Review: Death Writes by Andrea Carter

When solicitor Benedicta “Ben” O’Keefe gets a phone call from her parents’ neighbor, neither she nor her boyfriend, Garda sergeant Tom Molloy, hesitates to jump in the car and make the multi-hour drive to Dublin from where they live in Glendara. Pat Barnes had waffled over calling Ben, but had grown increasingly concerned at the surprisingly large number of people coming to stay in Ben’s three-bedroom childhood home. More importantly, neither of Ben’s elderly parents seemed entirely comfortable with the arrangement, prompting Pat to reach out to the person he thought most capable of helping.

Ben is relieved to find that her parents seem to be in no immediate danger, and that their many guests seemed to have cleared out even before Pat called. But their tenant Stuart Chambers gives off strange vibes that leave Ben feeling distinctly uncomfortable. When he takes off shortly after Ben and Molloy show up, the O’Keefes are all dismayed, though for very different reasons.

In an effort to distract her parents from dwelling on the strange events, Ben invites them up to Glendara to visit her new home. Though her relationship with her parents has been strained since the death of her sister, she still worries and cares deeply about them. Her feelings are underscored by her recent stint abroad:

I looked at them now, standing side by side to watch a set of double sculls slice through the water, while a man cycled along the path calling out instructions. There had been little conversation since we’d left[.] I wasn’t sure what to say. The adult child’s need to protect older parents was so much harder to manage, the need to balance it with a respect for independence, autonomy and agency. While I’d been in Florida, I’d worked in elder law and saw how difficult a line that was to tread, even for those whose motivations were pure.

Fortunately, the older O’Keefes are charmed by Glendara. Ben’s concerns at being able to keep them close while Molloy uses his contacts in the Garda to investigate Chambers are alleviated further by the announcement of Glenfest, their town’s annual literary festival. The organizers have managed the coup of booking prize-winning author Gavin Featherstone to headline. He’d been a recluse in recent years – so much so that Ben hadn’t even realized he lived nearby – but has a memoir forthcoming, to the delight of both his publishing house and his fans. Ben’s mom is one of the latter and is more than happy to stay in town in anticipation of seeing one of her favorite authors in person.

So it’s a terrible shock when Featherstone drops dead right as he’s about to publicly read an excerpt from his memoir. As one of the small town’s two solicitors, Ben isn’t entirely surprised to discover soon after that she’s inherited legal custody of his will from her predecessor. But when Molloy confides in her that the Garda suspect foul play, things take a darker turn, even before an alternate will surfaces. With rival heirs coming out of the woodwork, bringing Featherstone’s deepest secrets into the light with them, Ben will have to sort out whether any of them had revoked the very wills they’re championing. Murderers are legally barred from inheriting from their victims, after all.

This sixth installment of the Inishowen Mysteries showcases author Andrea Carter’s deft hand with multiple plot threads and entirely believable red herrings, as Ben has to apply her sharp legal mind to figuring out who will really inherit the famous author’s estate:

I thought back over the recording I’d watched with Molloy, and the strange way in which Featherstone had answered some of [his interviewer]’s questions. Then he’d been about to read from his new book, the memoir. I stopped. Hang on. A memoir. Was there something in that? […]

 

Suddenly I felt that tiny give, like the loosening of a jar you’re trying to open. That feeling you get when you’re defending someone and you spot a tiny inconsistency in a prosecution statement that shows a witness is lying about something insignificant. And if they’re lying about that, what else are they lying about?

Ben’s relationship with Molloy continues to merge their professional and personal lives, encountering obstacles that they tackle together like competent, if admittedly occasionally prickly, adults. The subplot involving her parents was also really well done, as the somewhat estranged family feels their way towards healing the rift that once kept them so far apart. Some of the pacing is a little odd, but overall this is a thoughtful, entertaining look at modern Irish families, small towns, and crime that’s well worth a read.