Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. There will be spoilers.

A solid police procedural. The pace of the story changes frequently - it starts slowly, which I think really showcased MacNeice's detecting methods. He quietly takes in the scene of the crime, the sights, sounds and smells. The author reveals a lot about MacNeice in the first few chapters; for me this meant I was right at home in his pocket as he goes about investigating. As the story unfolds, various characters are pulled into the fold - his fellow detectives, the medical examiner - although some with smaller roles than others, I felt like I could see the author put all the pieces on a board, ready to be built (into I hope many books!!).

What I did not like about this story was the crime / mystery itself. It started out beautifully - a tragic end to a young violinist's life, her hand upon the record player .... her brain erased by acid injected into the ear. There was something about the death that was so refined. It continues, the father a dealer in rare books and documents (I admit, since I am a librarian, I got so excited at this point!!) ... then the let down. I typically like juxtaposition between scenes (so the refined death scene and the gritty scene at the marina); however I could not connect them in this case. That the death turned out to be about the brother getting the formula from the father to create biological weapons (so long to get there!) in a war between Romania and Bulgaria was .. anticlimactic and for me jarred with the death. It felt too weird - plus, throw in a bunch of other tensions, and I had the feeling I was an inch away from the kitchen sink. Then the suicide of the professional who orchestrated such a refined death - it just felt too twilight zone to me.

That being said - that I was unhappy with the crime / mystery had little effect - I still enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it. I am also looking forward to reading his next one - and from what I can tell, there are currently 3 others I can read. ( )

It was OK, not sure I fancy another though ( )

My sister loaned me this book which is the first in a Canadian mystery series. I thought I was pretty up on all the Canadian mystery writers but Scott Thornley was unknown to me. Nice to find a new interesting series.

Detective Inspector MacNeice is a homicide investigator in a fictitious Ontario town that is based on Thornley's home town of Hamilton. His wife, who was a violinist, died about 3 years prior to the start of this book. MacNeice has been visiting her grave some spot north of the city and is on his way back when he hears a call about a body in a cottage on Lake Charles. He is very near to the turn-off to the lake so he arrives first. He discovers a beautiful young woman dressed in a designer gown lying on the floor with her hand draped over a portable record player. A recording of the second Schubert Piano Trio is playing and every time the record arm hits the woman's hand it goes back to the beginning and starts over again. There are no marks of violence on the body and she has no identification on her. MacNeice does notice that she has a small bruise on her neck which he recognizes as the mark a violin leaves. Going on that small piece of evidence he believes she may be a graduate of a music school who was celebrating her graduation at the cottage when her life ended abruptly. A search for recent graduations turns up the woman's name. She was Lydia Petrescu, daughter of Antonin Petrescu, a man who immigrated to Canada from Romania. He runs an antique furniture which obviously does quite well judging by the house he lives in. His daughter had an apartment elsewhere so he didn't know she was missing and he was devastated by the news that she was dead. Even worse was what the pathologist had discovered about the manner of her death. A syringe of sulfuric acid had been inserted in her ear and the contents injected into her temporal lobe. The acid dissolved her brain killing her almost instantly. She would have been knocked out and have felt nothing but it was still a horrible way to die. Unfortunately, Lydia's body is not the only one to be discovered at the lake. It seems like a dangerous place to hang out. MacNeice is on the case and through diligent work plus superior investigative skills he manages to solve all the killings.

MacNeice is obviously still grieving his wife's death but he maintains an interest in other matters, particularly music and reading. I got a very good idea of his personality from the music he enjoyed in particular. I have never been a big Schubert fan but I have to admit that the trio piece is quite lovely.There are a number of versions available on YouTube. ( )

As I finished this book I tried to imagine how it came to be what it is. I have decided that Mr. Thornley first thought of, or heard about, the murder method. To use it best, he needed an unusual murder scene. As he began plotting the crime, one that grows more horrific as we read, he finds he needs a grotesque murderer with a grotesque motive in order to match the power of the grotesque murder.

I am not sure he entirely succeeds. To my mind the book would have been much much better if the plot were entirely domestic. Hermetic. One that did not involve sinister international intrigue. But never mind. In the process Mr. Thornley creates Mac MacNeice who is a masterpiece of a detective. For giving us MacNeice, I can overlook a plot that goes way over the top.

I received a review copy of "Erasing Memory: A MacNeice Mystery (#1) by Scott Thornley (Spiderline) through NetGalley.com. The book was first published in 2011 by Vintage Canada. ( )

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for a fair review. Erasing Memory is the first book in Scott Thornley’s MacNeice Mystery series. There are two other book in the series now and I think a fourth one is coming out soon. I should also mention I own the book both as an actual book and the ebook (2) plus I’ve given it as a gift. I really like this book. Detective Superintendent MacNeice is a complex and fascinating character and so is the mystery that he is trying to solve. This book will keep you up reading long past your bedtime with all the twists and turns. Fantastic book in a wonderful series. #ErasingMemory #NetGalley ( )