Here are four fine novels with women in the lead role. One is a fine example of contemporary crime fiction, and one is a double helix narrative set in today’s London and the late 18th century. The third novel deals with dissociative identity disorder, while the fourth is a stirring account of forbidden love and friendship between two women in the 17th century.
‘The Fine Art of Invisible Detection’ by Robert Goddard
Recipient of the Diamond Dagger three years ago, an award that recognizes lifetime achievement in Crime Writing by the Crime Writers Association, which Robert Goddard was certainly deserving of for his skillful cross-plotting, this latest of his is a fine example of that special gift. It’s the kind of murder mystery that has us aching to just read one more chapter; perpetually at the end of our wits, wanting to know what happens next. And this one takes us from Tokyo to London, to Cornwall and Cambridge, and then to Iceland. And at the center of all this is a middle aged Japanese widow, who merely works as a secretary for a Tokyo private detective.