Murder and mystery are in full bloom (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Murder and mystery are in full bloom

8:55am Monday 16th January 2012 in Reviews By Telegraph & Argus

J J Jance – Queen Of The NIght (Harper, £7.99) ****

The Tohono O’odham nation celebrate a sacred event commemorating the Queen of the Night flower blooming in the desert. But this year, a couple’s celebration is destroyed by gunfire. The only witness is their three-year-old daughter. Dan, a member of the Shadow Wolves finds her. Dr Lani sees her own childhood trauma in this young patient, decides to keep the child safe while the killer is tracked down. The story takes a while to unravel; the depth of Indian folklore is interesting reading.

Ronnie Whitehead, 78, Crossflatts

Christie Dickason – The Noble Assassin (Harper Collins, £7.99) ***

Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford, is an Elizabethan courtier fallen on hard times. With King James I on the throne, Lucy is able to escape to Europe where she hopes to rescue the king’s daughter Elizabeth and bring her home, in order to gain the monarch’s favour and patronage. But why does the king find his daughter an embarrassment? And will Elizabeth welcome the arrival of her one-time friend, now in such reduced circumstances?

Rachel Bellerby, 37, writer, Addingham