A Back Room in Somers Town – John Malcolm
The debut of the Tim Simpson series was published in 1984. An ex-rugby player, Simpson brings a lot of macho to his job as an investment and management consultant in a London merchant bank. One of his specialties is providing advice on art investments, especially modern British art. Bubbly and generous, his boss Jeremy is a refreshing change from the stereotypical cold-hearted conniving banker.
John Malcolm worked as antiques expert, engineer, and journalist. So his writing style is concise, well-paced, and reader-friendly, especially to those who like mysteries to be a little different. In this one, the action centers around a murder and the theft of work by Mary Godwin and Walter Sickert, two British modernists known for their edgy work in many genres.
On one hand, it is nice that it's free of the stereotype that jocks have to be lunkheads that know as much about banking as they don't know about art. On the other, its age spots are less than pretty, especially the male chauvinism.
But readers who like old-school mysteries set in the business world (P.D. James, Sara Paretsky, Emma Lathen) would probably like this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment