Bloodless Shadow by Victoria Blake had been sitting on my bookshelf for a number of years and when I finally brought it down to read this month I was in for a couple of surprises. The first was the timing of the book, for some reason I had gotten it into my mind that this was historical mystery but in actuality, it is the first book in a small series about a modern day British Private Detective. Instead of a light crime story this was a gritty dark story featuring a P.I. that has more issues than her clients. The second surprise was how much I enjoyed this book.

Set in London and Oxford, Sam Falconer is hired by the husband of a missing woman. As she investigates the woman’s disappearance she becomes convinced that this is not a woman that will be found alive. Everyone in the story has secrets, and when Sam receives a letter from her father, a man who has been dead for twenty years, she is forced for confront more than a few secrets of her own.

I found Bloodless Shadow to be a well plotted, developed and written mystery. The main character is an angry, troubled and unhappy young woman but by the end of the book she had confronted her past and had received some closure. It would be interesting to see what happens next but these mysteries are not readily available so, although I will keep my eye open for more, I doubt that I will be continuing with the series. ( )

I am not sure why I ended up reading the first Sam Falconer last but it was great like the others. ( )

Eerste deel van een geplande nieuwe serie misdaadverhalen met in de hoofdrol de blonde, tengere Sam Falconer (hommage aan private eye Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon) die in Londen het Detectivebureau De Zachte Weg runt, gespecialiseerd in het opsporen van vermiste personen. Sam (Samantha), voormalig wereldkampioen judo - in de gewichtsklasse tot 48 kilo - heeft een reusachtige rode kater Frank Cooper, en een intrigerend, duister verleden waar de lezer onmiddellijk nieuwsgierig naar wordt. Sam wordt ingeschakeld door haar broer Mark uit Oxford: de vrouw van zijn vriend is spoorloos verdwenen. Sam, die nog worstelt met haar Oxfordse verleden en met de traumatische vondst van een dood kindje in een eerdere zaak, vertrekt met tegenzin naar Oxford. Eenmaal daar wijzen alle sporen naar de universiteit, maar het academische wereldje werkt niet erg mee. En dan is er nog de onverklaarbare brief die ze krijgt van haar vader, die al twintig jaar dood is... Een met vaart geschreven, boeiend en spannend misdaadverhaal met veel Oxfordse sfeer, en een sympathieke hoofdpersoon met wie je graag verder wil in een volgend deel. Veelbelovend debuut van Victoria Blake, die geschiedenis studeerde in Oxford en nu in een Londense boekhandel werkt.

I enoyed this book mainly because of the little incidental bits and pieces that really made Sam come alive, especially the eccentric characters who surround her. I look forward to reading the next novel in the series soon. ( )

Samantha Falconer is a former world champion in judo, now a private investigator. She lives alone with her cat, Frank Cooper, and has a brother, mother and stepfather who live and work at Oxford. Sam's real father died when she was four.

Her current case involves a John O'Connor, a therapist, whose wife has gone missing, leaving behind her husband and two children. Sam doesn't really want to take the case, because of O'Connor's profession, but gives in. It isn't long until another woman turns up dead, and Sam discovers that she too had something to do with O'Connor. The case takes on some interesting twists and turns, not only to do with O'Connor, but with Sam's personal life as well.

For a series opener, not too bad. Some of it was kind of just so-so. I liked the backstory of Sam's past that was interwoven with the missing person story, and I liked the characters. This heroine is certainly different than most -- she is very very strong, and doesn't let anyone push her around, no matter who they are.

I'd recommend it to readers who prefer a strong female protagonist as the main character, or to those who want to try another British mystery series. At some point, I'll probably read the next book in the series. ( )