Saturday, August 2, 2008

Rainstone Fall-Peter Helton

Rainstone Fall
Peter Helton
Soho, Sep 2008, $25.00
ISBN 9781569475256

In waterlogged Bath, England the caller makes it clear he knows that artist Chris Honeysett and his two barn associates painter Annis Jordan and former safecracker Tim Bigwood have solved a couple mysteries (see SLIM CHANCE and HEADCASE). He informs Chris that he abducted a fifteen years old boy; if he wants to recover the teen alive and without bodily mutilation, Chris will commit thefts.

Unsure how to react to the macabre call, Chris finds his car is stolen. When the vehicle is recovered there is a corpse inside. Chris begins a desperate game of robberies to save the lad as he takes his caller seriously. However, he also with his sleuth partners tries to find the lad and his kidnapper.

The keys to this exciting tale are Bath in the wet season and Honeysett is still recovering from injuries, but caught up in a save the child or else scenario. He and his two sleuthing buddies make the tale seem genuine with their frantic efforts to rescue the teen if there even is one to save as they have doubts but cannot take a chance of doing nothing. Fans will enjoy Honeysett’s tour of rain soaked Autumn in Bath.

Harriet Klausner