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Brock & Kolla #10
Dark Mirror
A student in the Reading Room of the London Library, Marion Summers, suddenly goes into a seizure, then slips into a coma and then dies. But what first appears to be a simple tragedy, is soon revealed to be much more sinister. During the autopsy, it's determined that she actually died of acute arsenic poisoning. Brought to the attention of the Serious Crime Unit of Scotland Yard, the newly promoted Detective Inspector Kathy Kolla, with the help of her superior, DCI David Brock, investigate the mysterious Summers, leading them to suspect her death was related to unexplained and unusual aspects of her recent life. The more they investigate, the more confounding the mystery becomes and more the clear it is that behind what really happened - and why - lies the most difficult-to-crack case Kolla and Brock have ever faced.
336 pages, Paperback
First published September 29, 2009
20 people are currently reading
294 people want to read
About the author
Barry Maitland
44 books185 followersBarry Maitland is the author of the acclaimed Brock and Kolla series of crime mystery novels, which are set in London, where Barry grew up after his family moved there.
His books have been described as whydunits as much as whodunits, concerned with the devious histories and motivations of their characters. Barry's background in architecture drew him to the structured character of the mystery novel, and his books are notable for their ingenious plots as well as for their atmospheric settings, each in a different intriguing corner of London.
Barry studied architecture at Cambridge University, and went on to work as an architect in the UK, then took a PhD in urban design at the University of Sheffield, where he also taught and wrote a number of books on architecture and urban design. In 1984 he moved to Australia to head the architecture school at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, and held that position until 2000. He now writes fiction full time, and lives in the Hunter Valley, Australia.
His books have been described as whydunits as much as whodunits, concerned with the devious histories and motivations of their characters. Barry's background in architecture drew him to the structured character of the mystery novel, and his books are notable for their ingenious plots as well as for their atmospheric settings, each in a different intriguing corner of London.
Barry studied architecture at Cambridge University, and went on to work as an architect in the UK, then took a PhD in urban design at the University of Sheffield, where he also taught and wrote a number of books on architecture and urban design. In 1984 he moved to Australia to head the architecture school at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, and held that position until 2000. He now writes fiction full time, and lives in the Hunter Valley, Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
February 10, 2025
DI Kathy Kolla and DCI David Brock were called to the London Library after a student, Marion Summers, collapsed and died after she'd returned from a lunch break. Marion's research on Victorian era artist, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, was deep and involved, and until Kathy discovered the use of arsenic in those long ago days, wondered how it was connected. Sundeep, the forensic pathologist, had told Kathy that Marion had been killed by ingesting the poison; but was it self inflicted, or was it murder?
Investigating Marion's family, Kathy discovered a step-father who was known to the law and a mother who was a drunk, with little care about her daughter. They also couldn't find where Marion had been living, as she'd moved three months prior and not given a forwarding address. There were plenty of suspects, but Kathy didn't feel quite right about any of them...
Dark Mirror is #10 in the Brock & Kolla series by Aussie author Barry Maitland and I enjoyed it very much. Dark, chilling and unsettling, the author knows how to set the scene! I've read 7 books in the series; this is my 8th out of 14 but as I haven't read them in any order (unusual for me), I can tell you they easily work as standalones. Recommended.
Investigating Marion's family, Kathy discovered a step-father who was known to the law and a mother who was a drunk, with little care about her daughter. They also couldn't find where Marion had been living, as she'd moved three months prior and not given a forwarding address. There were plenty of suspects, but Kathy didn't feel quite right about any of them...
Dark Mirror is #10 in the Brock & Kolla series by Aussie author Barry Maitland and I enjoyed it very much. Dark, chilling and unsettling, the author knows how to set the scene! I've read 7 books in the series; this is my 8th out of 14 but as I haven't read them in any order (unusual for me), I can tell you they easily work as standalones. Recommended.
May 17, 2014
This book and I were meant to be together.
I found it in the clearance section at one of the bookstores I frequent and thought, meh, looks interesting, the cover is neat. I like having books like these on my shelves to read when I'm sick or between other big reads. I was waiting for some library books to come in and needed something smallish for my commute, and so I took this one off my shelf to give it a shot. And that's when I realized we belonged together.
London? Cool. Never been, but dying to go.
Pre-Raphaelites? Wha? I didn't know that was a huge part of this story. I'm a fan, I was hooked.
Prague? Never been, but I will go to there. That's where my people are from and I read whatever I can about it. Another pleasant surprise.
Corsica? Where did that come from? I was just there again, no one even knows what Corsica is, and here it is in this random psychological thriller. Fucking fuck.
All of these details makes me one happy El. The only negative (for lack of a better term) is because I was unfamiliar with this author I didn't realize until I had already started that this is book #10. Out of 12. Shit. But it was too late, I had already started. (Worse, I had already marked it as Currently Reading on Goodreads which is like... almost the same thing as making a relationship Facebook-official.) So I already went and ordered the first two books in the series, even though I don't feel like I missed out on anything by reading this out of sequence - this is just how I am. So be expecting more reviews of these books.
This was fine, so far as psychological thrillers go. I like this stuff. This one was especially interesting to me for all the above-stated reasons, even though there are some moments where (since I know stuff about these things) I couldn't suspend disbelief, but that's okay. I was mostly disappointed in the inspectors themselves, feeling that they were a bit dense at times and a tad too pedestrian for their vocation. When I'm reading about inspector-sorts, I expect them to have some brains, and unfortunately they made some really sad decisions throughout the course of this book that made me a bit stabby. Not enough to prevent me from reading the other books in the series because, again, fun.
For the record, the Corsican flower in this book, with the poisonous properties? Exists by name, though not necessarily (from what I can tell) in a poisonous capacity. And, unfortunately, the red flowers that I was looking at while we were there a couple weeks ago are not the same flower. I hoped for a moment that I finally figured out what they were since they were everywhere but for some reason couldn't find it listed in a wildflower guide I looked in at one of the bookstores in town. And now I find out that the flower I was loving (and secretly hoping was poisonous during the reading of this) was just a plain ol' poppy. Derp. My imagination is outta control.
I found it in the clearance section at one of the bookstores I frequent and thought, meh, looks interesting, the cover is neat. I like having books like these on my shelves to read when I'm sick or between other big reads. I was waiting for some library books to come in and needed something smallish for my commute, and so I took this one off my shelf to give it a shot. And that's when I realized we belonged together.
London? Cool. Never been, but dying to go.
Pre-Raphaelites? Wha? I didn't know that was a huge part of this story. I'm a fan, I was hooked.
Prague? Never been, but I will go to there. That's where my people are from and I read whatever I can about it. Another pleasant surprise.
Corsica? Where did that come from? I was just there again, no one even knows what Corsica is, and here it is in this random psychological thriller. Fucking fuck.
All of these details makes me one happy El. The only negative (for lack of a better term) is because I was unfamiliar with this author I didn't realize until I had already started that this is book #10. Out of 12. Shit. But it was too late, I had already started. (Worse, I had already marked it as Currently Reading on Goodreads which is like... almost the same thing as making a relationship Facebook-official.) So I already went and ordered the first two books in the series, even though I don't feel like I missed out on anything by reading this out of sequence - this is just how I am. So be expecting more reviews of these books.
This was fine, so far as psychological thrillers go. I like this stuff. This one was especially interesting to me for all the above-stated reasons, even though there are some moments where (since I know stuff about these things) I couldn't suspend disbelief, but that's okay. I was mostly disappointed in the inspectors themselves, feeling that they were a bit dense at times and a tad too pedestrian for their vocation. When I'm reading about inspector-sorts, I expect them to have some brains, and unfortunately they made some really sad decisions throughout the course of this book that made me a bit stabby. Not enough to prevent me from reading the other books in the series because, again, fun.
For the record, the Corsican flower in this book, with the poisonous properties? Exists by name, though not necessarily (from what I can tell) in a poisonous capacity. And, unfortunately, the red flowers that I was looking at while we were there a couple weeks ago are not the same flower. I hoped for a moment that I finally figured out what they were since they were everywhere but for some reason couldn't find it listed in a wildflower guide I looked in at one of the bookstores in town. And now I find out that the flower I was loving (and secretly hoping was poisonous during the reading of this) was just a plain ol' poppy. Derp. My imagination is outta control.
January 13, 2018
Short, easy to read mystery in the Brock/Kolla series. Thank heavens the major protagonists do not suffer from personal angst as do so many of the detectives in some series and it is a straight forward look at the police work involved to solve a very unusual crime(s). A woman drops dead in the London Library Reading Room and it appears that the cause is arsenic poisoning. Arsenic was the choice of murderers (usually women) in the Victorian times when it was available in all forms for everything from brightening your complexion to upset stomach and could not readily be identified as the cause of death in most cases in which it was used. But nobody uses arsenic in the 21st century...it is difficult to obtain and easy to identify. It causes a particularly horrific and terrible death and the police are stumped. Then it happens again and the chase is on to find this particularly heinous murderer. A good read in a good series. Recommended.
March 28, 2013
Not as good as all his others. The plot is a little far fetched and the history part is very long winded and not that interesting. I once again did not guess the murderer and found that a surprise and was disappointed at the way in which Kathy was portrayed in this one, as not being all that smart and making some rather large mistakes. Hopefully, the next one I read will be more up to his usual best.
April 12, 2019
3.5* rounded down.
This one started out well, but then I lost interest a bit. Rafferty, the first victim's step-father, kept cropping up in the most unlikely connections, and the ultimate denouement was disappointing and seemed under-motivated.
As for the final paragraph - don't do it, Kathy!
This one started out well, but then I lost interest a bit. Rafferty, the first victim's step-father, kept cropping up in the most unlikely connections, and the ultimate denouement was disappointing and seemed under-motivated.
As for the final paragraph - don't do it, Kathy!
November 21, 2017
It was a pleasant surprise to get back into Barry Maitland's Brock & Kolla series with the Dark Mirror mystery. I'd read several while living in North Carolina and exhausted the supply at our local library. I neglected to check out the holdings in our Chicago suburb until recently, when I discovered a treasure trove of those I haven't read. Great!
Dark Mirror is kind of a typical police procedural. A murder occurs (or is it a suicide?), an investigation ensues, many suspects are looked at, the focus shifts between the suspects as more information comes in, and there's a surprise at the end. Novels in this genre need to have a hook, and Dark Mirror's is this: the murder is a poisoning with a rare substance, the victim is a poor grad student, and the suspects range from a blue collar knucklehead to a world-renowned university professor.
I'd forgotten how much I enjoy Maitland's writing. He's a sort of throwback- very Brit in feel, nothing spectacular, but more of a genteel tone and approach. There's a bit of rough action, but actually very little, and the investigatory work is first rate. The characters, especially the stars, detective Kathy Kolla and her boss, David Brock, are efficient, effective, smart, and likable. The author does a great job of character development. The plot isn't spectacularly tricky or anything, but I really enjoyed how the author peeled back the layers as the investigation proceeded, dropping well-disguised hints along the way.
A big 'welcome back', at least to me, to Brock & Kolla. I look forward to filling in the remainders of the series.
Dark Mirror is kind of a typical police procedural. A murder occurs (or is it a suicide?), an investigation ensues, many suspects are looked at, the focus shifts between the suspects as more information comes in, and there's a surprise at the end. Novels in this genre need to have a hook, and Dark Mirror's is this: the murder is a poisoning with a rare substance, the victim is a poor grad student, and the suspects range from a blue collar knucklehead to a world-renowned university professor.
I'd forgotten how much I enjoy Maitland's writing. He's a sort of throwback- very Brit in feel, nothing spectacular, but more of a genteel tone and approach. There's a bit of rough action, but actually very little, and the investigatory work is first rate. The characters, especially the stars, detective Kathy Kolla and her boss, David Brock, are efficient, effective, smart, and likable. The author does a great job of character development. The plot isn't spectacularly tricky or anything, but I really enjoyed how the author peeled back the layers as the investigation proceeded, dropping well-disguised hints along the way.
A big 'welcome back', at least to me, to Brock & Kolla. I look forward to filling in the remainders of the series.
June 9, 2009
Fans of Barry Maitland's Brock & Kolla series have had a wait on their hands. The last book - Spider Trap - was released in 2006, with a standalone book Bright Air in 2007. Leaving aside the eagerness with which we fans wait for the next book in a favourite series, there's also the slight nagging doubt always - has the wait been worth it?
In DARK MIRROR Kathy's been promoted and Brock seems to being forced away from front-line policing, more into administration. They are called into the investigation of the death of a beautiful young woman who dies horribly in the rarefied and beautiful surroundings of the London Library. Marion Summers has been researching a Pre-Raphaelite group of artists, wives and lovers circling around the Victorian artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The strange thing is that the poison that killed Marion is arsenic - once common in Victorian times, and particularly connected to one woman in Rossetti's circle. Not so common these days, and not so easy to obtain. The investigation soon finds that Marion is a woman who had things to hide, and sorting through the victim's own background and life proves nearly as difficult as identifying the murderer.
There's always been a strong sense of place in Maitland's books - he sets his action in London, and puts a lot of research into his locations, as well as the procedures and methods current in English policing. Part of the great attraction of DARK MIRROR is yet another quirky, unexpected location - the London Library is one of those delightfully idiosyncratic little private locations, tucked away in Piccadilly. A subscription only library, it is renowned for its central role in England's intellectual life, popular with both writers and readers. Marion's presence and work in this library provides a central focus for the investigation, and Kathy finds herself as intrigued with the circle that Marion has been building around Rossetti.
There is also a strong sense of the characters in these books - Kathy is a little unsure of herself since her recent promotion, and very wrong-footed by a most unexpected romantic attachment. Brock continues to serve as Kathy's main mentor, taking a more active role in directing the investigation as another young student dies of arsenic poisoning and Kathy struggles with an increasing tendency to identify with the victims. As confident as Brock is in his role as a policeman, he struggles as well with his personal life, and this investigation brings those two elements too close together for his comfort. With both central characters the touch of the personal isn't overpowering, but it does give the reader a chance to see a more human side of them both. That's nicely balanced against getting to know the victim, who Marion is and why she has maintained such control and secrecy over her own life creates a sense of connection with her that makes the investigation more poignant.
DARK MIRROR is everything that fans of this long-running series are going to enjoy, and the wait definitely wasn't wasted. Strong sense of an unexpected gem of a place (and another location from Maitland's London that you just want to see for yourself); a good police procedural with a touch of the personal; some moving on in the lives of the central characters; and a motive that's all too human and whilst sad, is also surprisingly cruel - it all just goes to remind the reader yet again about the futility of cold-blooded murder.
In DARK MIRROR Kathy's been promoted and Brock seems to being forced away from front-line policing, more into administration. They are called into the investigation of the death of a beautiful young woman who dies horribly in the rarefied and beautiful surroundings of the London Library. Marion Summers has been researching a Pre-Raphaelite group of artists, wives and lovers circling around the Victorian artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The strange thing is that the poison that killed Marion is arsenic - once common in Victorian times, and particularly connected to one woman in Rossetti's circle. Not so common these days, and not so easy to obtain. The investigation soon finds that Marion is a woman who had things to hide, and sorting through the victim's own background and life proves nearly as difficult as identifying the murderer.
There's always been a strong sense of place in Maitland's books - he sets his action in London, and puts a lot of research into his locations, as well as the procedures and methods current in English policing. Part of the great attraction of DARK MIRROR is yet another quirky, unexpected location - the London Library is one of those delightfully idiosyncratic little private locations, tucked away in Piccadilly. A subscription only library, it is renowned for its central role in England's intellectual life, popular with both writers and readers. Marion's presence and work in this library provides a central focus for the investigation, and Kathy finds herself as intrigued with the circle that Marion has been building around Rossetti.
There is also a strong sense of the characters in these books - Kathy is a little unsure of herself since her recent promotion, and very wrong-footed by a most unexpected romantic attachment. Brock continues to serve as Kathy's main mentor, taking a more active role in directing the investigation as another young student dies of arsenic poisoning and Kathy struggles with an increasing tendency to identify with the victims. As confident as Brock is in his role as a policeman, he struggles as well with his personal life, and this investigation brings those two elements too close together for his comfort. With both central characters the touch of the personal isn't overpowering, but it does give the reader a chance to see a more human side of them both. That's nicely balanced against getting to know the victim, who Marion is and why she has maintained such control and secrecy over her own life creates a sense of connection with her that makes the investigation more poignant.
DARK MIRROR is everything that fans of this long-running series are going to enjoy, and the wait definitely wasn't wasted. Strong sense of an unexpected gem of a place (and another location from Maitland's London that you just want to see for yourself); a good police procedural with a touch of the personal; some moving on in the lives of the central characters; and a motive that's all too human and whilst sad, is also surprisingly cruel - it all just goes to remind the reader yet again about the futility of cold-blooded murder.
March 3, 2012
I always look forward to reading a Brock and Kolla mystery; Barry Maitland always has a well thought out plot with many twists and turns. By now, I’m familiar with the two main characters (DCI David Brock and DI Kathy Kolla) but the new characters are always a treat to read. Dark Mirror is no exception. Maitland has created some great characters – from the murdered Miriam, whose life we learn about after her death to the suspects in her murder, such as her university lecturer. Maitland also creates a more unusual form of murder than your standard ‘in the library with a dagger’ – this time the murder is in the library (the London Library to be exact) but Miriam is poisoned by arsenic. Who did it? Was it the fellow library goer who took surreptitious pictures of her with his phone, her lover or her lecturer, who she was planning to expose?
You may think that the plot and the suspects is starting to sound a bit convoluted, but Maitland is an expert at not confusing the reader, but not dumbing it down either. Each character is painted with so much attention to detail that you won’t forget them. This is true of Brock and Kolla’s colleagues in the police force too. I find that some detective series suffer from ‘faceless’ sidekicks- those who have no defining features to retain them in your mind – but this isn’t so in this series. From the junior staff to the forensics, each new and recurring character is memorable, whether it be for their never-ending eagerness or intimate knowledge of arsenic poisoning.
Maitland’s books are always a page turner and Dark Mirror is no exception. This is a mystery on a higher plane than others in the genre. It’s detailed and beautifully styled. I’m looking forward to reading the latest book in the series, Chelsea Mansions, soon.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
You may think that the plot and the suspects is starting to sound a bit convoluted, but Maitland is an expert at not confusing the reader, but not dumbing it down either. Each character is painted with so much attention to detail that you won’t forget them. This is true of Brock and Kolla’s colleagues in the police force too. I find that some detective series suffer from ‘faceless’ sidekicks- those who have no defining features to retain them in your mind – but this isn’t so in this series. From the junior staff to the forensics, each new and recurring character is memorable, whether it be for their never-ending eagerness or intimate knowledge of arsenic poisoning.
Maitland’s books are always a page turner and Dark Mirror is no exception. This is a mystery on a higher plane than others in the genre. It’s detailed and beautifully styled. I’m looking forward to reading the latest book in the series, Chelsea Mansions, soon.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
September 22, 2012
Dark Mirror is my first exposure to the Kolla/Brock mystery series. A brilliant grad student, the beautiful Marion Summers, dies in ghastly fashion in the middle of the exclusive London Library. Marion was poised to present a shocking new theory about the Pre-Raphaelite artists and their women, and the role that arsenic played in their entangled lives and deaths. When arsenic poisoning is ID'd as the cause of Marion's, DCI Brock assigns newly promoted DI Kathy Kolla to this very puzzling case. There is no dearth of obvious suspects; Marion had some hidden entanglements of her own.
The story that unravels is one of the strongest police procedurals I've ever had the pleasure to read.
Author Maitland injects just enough detail into each main character, good guys and bad, to make them known as individuals with secrets and motives of their own. As facets of their professional and personal lives become clear, the mystery itself becomes more complex. Yet never does the plot become overly contrived, or the characters act or react in ways that strain credulity. Dark Mirror, in 329 quickly turning pages, contains everything that lovers of intelligent, intriguing mysteries could hope for. I'll be looking for more of Maitland's outstanding work.
The story that unravels is one of the strongest police procedurals I've ever had the pleasure to read.
Author Maitland injects just enough detail into each main character, good guys and bad, to make them known as individuals with secrets and motives of their own. As facets of their professional and personal lives become clear, the mystery itself becomes more complex. Yet never does the plot become overly contrived, or the characters act or react in ways that strain credulity. Dark Mirror, in 329 quickly turning pages, contains everything that lovers of intelligent, intriguing mysteries could hope for. I'll be looking for more of Maitland's outstanding work.
October 9, 2016
In Barry Maitland's Dark Mirror, the 10th installment in the Brock and Kolla mystery series, we'll be introduced to the dark side of the rich and famous in this compelling mystery. For Special Crimes Unit Detective Kathy Kolla, it all started with the mysterious death of Marion Summers. As Kathy and her supervisor, DCI David Brock, they look into her life and the days that lead up to her death from arsenic poisoning. They talked to everyone she knew at the university, including her family life, and lined up a string of suspects. The more disturbing details appeared, the most they were concerned, as they discovered secrets of her private life and her paperwork on the pre-Raphaelite art period. When they dug deeper, they learned more about the truth and who done it and why in the end with a shocking ending you wouldn't believe.
March 28, 2015
Okay, I had to keep reading to find out the detective's conclusion so it was engaging in that respect. I enjoyed a setting in the British academic world. The writing is clean but lacking a descriptive nature. Everything pulls together at the end for everyone but the reader. Though I was looking for another series, this one won't be it.
March 3, 2010
enjoyable but not as much as earlier books in the series.
October 8, 2018
Unfortunately, I didn't find this book nearly as good as some of his others. Just too much about the Pre-Ralphites, etc, etc. Just became monotonous after a while.
April 13, 2020
Bit of an odd one this, death by arsenic in the modern age, and in the London Library of all places.
Who would want to kill a student (Marion) doing her Doctorate on the Pre-Raphelites? Perhaps her tutor (world authority on the Pre-Raphelites, vain and not in agreement with the direction Marion's thesis was taking), or the strange man in the library who makes a habit of spying on her with his phone camera? Why would they though and why didn't anyone seem to know where she actually lived?
When we do find out where Marion lives, it's somewhere far beyond the financial means of a student from an ordinary background. She didn't win the pools, so either it's a sugar daddy or she's blackmailing someone - well those were my thoughts.
Kathy is now an Inspector, and Brock is filling in for his boss and so not much involved in the case to start with. Her investigations lead her to a student friend who also was doing research work for the same person as Marion - Sophie Warrender, Brock's girlfriend Suzanne's favourite author. So, of course Suzanne unintentionally gets caught up in things. She goes to visit Sophie and discovers she is living in the house next door to a childhood friends home where she often stayed, and not only that but is married to her childhood sweetheart - Dougie Warrender. It's this that has her being in the wrong place at the wrong time on more than one occasion.
Meanwhile, Sophie's daughter Emily and the student friend of Marion's Tina, set about trying to find out what happened to Marion, who poisoned her and why. Kathy, gets told to back off the investigation after it's decided by the coroner that it's suicide but being Kathy she didn't stop, and when Tina is poisoned with arsenic, the case is very much back under investigation and Brock is now involved.
I began to suspect who the murderer was, I was in the ball park, but not on the money. It was a slightly odd outcome, for a very mundane reason.
And annoyingly yet again, a man enters Kathy's life which she is quite keen on, seemingly by accident, but in the end not - paid to befriend her so that Marion's lover could get the inside track on investigations, and he turned out to be the now extremely wealthy Dougie Warrender.
The source of the arsenic was something of a mystery throughout, a few obvious sources that turned out to not be and you realise at the end that the source had been very subtly hinted at much earlier in the story.
Who would want to kill a student (Marion) doing her Doctorate on the Pre-Raphelites? Perhaps her tutor (world authority on the Pre-Raphelites, vain and not in agreement with the direction Marion's thesis was taking), or the strange man in the library who makes a habit of spying on her with his phone camera? Why would they though and why didn't anyone seem to know where she actually lived?
When we do find out where Marion lives, it's somewhere far beyond the financial means of a student from an ordinary background. She didn't win the pools, so either it's a sugar daddy or she's blackmailing someone - well those were my thoughts.
Kathy is now an Inspector, and Brock is filling in for his boss and so not much involved in the case to start with. Her investigations lead her to a student friend who also was doing research work for the same person as Marion - Sophie Warrender, Brock's girlfriend Suzanne's favourite author. So, of course Suzanne unintentionally gets caught up in things. She goes to visit Sophie and discovers she is living in the house next door to a childhood friends home where she often stayed, and not only that but is married to her childhood sweetheart - Dougie Warrender. It's this that has her being in the wrong place at the wrong time on more than one occasion.
Meanwhile, Sophie's daughter Emily and the student friend of Marion's Tina, set about trying to find out what happened to Marion, who poisoned her and why. Kathy, gets told to back off the investigation after it's decided by the coroner that it's suicide but being Kathy she didn't stop, and when Tina is poisoned with arsenic, the case is very much back under investigation and Brock is now involved.
I began to suspect who the murderer was, I was in the ball park, but not on the money. It was a slightly odd outcome, for a very mundane reason.
And annoyingly yet again, a man enters Kathy's life which she is quite keen on, seemingly by accident, but in the end not - paid to befriend her so that Marion's lover could get the inside track on investigations, and he turned out to be the now extremely wealthy Dougie Warrender.
The source of the arsenic was something of a mystery throughout, a few obvious sources that turned out to not be and you realise at the end that the source had been very subtly hinted at much earlier in the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2021
It's a typical day in the sedate Reading Room of the London Library. But the calm is shattered when a young graduate student, Marion Summers, experiences a seizure and dies. What could have caused a young healthy woman to die so dramatically? The medical examiner is able to provide the answer; arsenic poisoning.
Marion was working on a thesis about the art world and the use of poisons in the paints and in the lives of the artists and their wives and lovers. The academic who is supervising her work disagrees with her ideas and they are in conflict. Can he be the one who poisoned her? Marion comes from a poor background but lives in a luxurious apartment. How did she finance that? Her stepfather is also a suspect as he has a record of violence.
Detective Inspector Kathy Kolla has been recently promoted and wants to successfully solve this case. But when one of the suspects with connections reports her for harassing behavior, the case is given to her supervisor, DCI David Brock. Kathy continues to run down leads in the case, sure that she is getting close to the answer. As more women start to die from the same arsenic poisoning, can she or Brock get the answers before the killer strikes again?
This is the tenth novel in the Kolla and Brock series. Long-time readers of the series will be interested in this latest case and in Kolla's professional rise. Readers will learn about the pre-Raphaelite period of art and all the scandals in that sector, as well as gaining knowledge about poisoning cases. This book is recommended for mystery readers.
Marion was working on a thesis about the art world and the use of poisons in the paints and in the lives of the artists and their wives and lovers. The academic who is supervising her work disagrees with her ideas and they are in conflict. Can he be the one who poisoned her? Marion comes from a poor background but lives in a luxurious apartment. How did she finance that? Her stepfather is also a suspect as he has a record of violence.
Detective Inspector Kathy Kolla has been recently promoted and wants to successfully solve this case. But when one of the suspects with connections reports her for harassing behavior, the case is given to her supervisor, DCI David Brock. Kathy continues to run down leads in the case, sure that she is getting close to the answer. As more women start to die from the same arsenic poisoning, can she or Brock get the answers before the killer strikes again?
This is the tenth novel in the Kolla and Brock series. Long-time readers of the series will be interested in this latest case and in Kolla's professional rise. Readers will learn about the pre-Raphaelite period of art and all the scandals in that sector, as well as gaining knowledge about poisoning cases. This book is recommended for mystery readers.
June 28, 2023
I'm not giving anything away when I tell you that Dark Mirror is a primer on poison, most specifically on arsenic. The victim begins her death throes on page 3 and it is a most unpleasant demise. If you learn nothing else from this book, know that arsenic poisoning is a bad way to die. It is also very rare. Arsenic was once openly available over the counter. It was used in medicine and makeup and paint, to give a few examples. That victim on page 3 was a university student researching her doctoral dissertation. The subject matter was an examination of how arsenic affected certain historical artistic figures. Detective Inspector Kathy Kolla is put in charge of the investigation into this mysterious death. She also turns to her mentor, DCI David Brock, to get his input. The more they learn, the more suspects they consider, the more confusing becomes the crime. Kathy has to convince her superiors that this is a murder, not a suicide. That becomes easier after a second young woman dies in a very public setting. Arsenic strikes again. This book is well-researched and informative. It is also a fascinating story.
March 20, 2018
DARK Mirror hooks you from page one and keeps you dangling right until the “who done it and
why” revelation at the end.
Dark Mirror opens in the London Library where graduate student Marion Summers, a beautiful red-haired woman with secrets, collapses and dies.
She’s been researching the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a rather rakish, infamous group of Victorian artists centred on the fascinating Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
The poison that killed Marion is arsenic, common in Victorian times and with a strong link to
both a red-haired woman in Rossetti’s life and Marion’s research.
I love books that weave a modern mystery with a bit of history. After finishing Dark Mirror, I had to find out everything I could about the brotherhood and Rossetti.
why” revelation at the end.
Dark Mirror opens in the London Library where graduate student Marion Summers, a beautiful red-haired woman with secrets, collapses and dies.
She’s been researching the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a rather rakish, infamous group of Victorian artists centred on the fascinating Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
The poison that killed Marion is arsenic, common in Victorian times and with a strong link to
both a red-haired woman in Rossetti’s life and Marion’s research.
I love books that weave a modern mystery with a bit of history. After finishing Dark Mirror, I had to find out everything I could about the brotherhood and Rossetti.
April 30, 2018
This is an excellent police procedural with a nicely-developed, historically-themed plot. Elements of the detectives' personal lives are cleverly woven into the story. This is a good series, and it's getting better with every book I read. This one is tied with my previous favorite The Chalon Heads as the best so far. Unfortunately, for some strange reason, my library only has the even-numbered books, so I've missed half the installments. I highly recommend the series, and don't skip books like I've had too!
December 27, 2018
A young woman dies of violent seizures in a private library. When her autopsy is done, it's discovered she died of arsenic poisoning. Brock and Kolla investigate this puzzling death and slowly uncover some shocking secrets.
Good writing. A few places with rough language, but overall very readable and enjoyable.
Good writing. A few places with rough language, but overall very readable and enjoyable.
June 24, 2025
This is a murder mystery, police procedural, and in some ways a psychological mystery and the author was able to integrate those elements pretty well. While I had some trouble remembering who was who (there were a lot of characters in this book), I didn't expect the ending....and that is something I always think is good in a mystery.
May 24, 2017
haven't read this series before,really good,well plotted with surprises and tension.good police procedural
May 25, 2018
Best yet. So many suspects, it's hard to keep up. Enjoyable read.
Want to read
November 18, 2019Synopsis: DI Kathy Kolla of the Serious Crimes Unit is called in on the sudden death of a student by arsenic poisoning. Where did that come from?
July 9, 2020
Another page turner!
October 15, 2020
Just a crime re-read.
August 8, 2022
I came across this book in a swap-shelf library. If you like BBC police dramas you’ll enjoy this. Good writing. It’s not Endeavor but it’s an entertaining read
January 30, 2024
Pretty good. Never guessed "whodunnit." Well defined characters and engaging plot.
June 4, 2024
It started off interesting but dragged after a while. I finished it, but only just.
June 17, 2014
This is the 10th adventure of British police inspector Kathy Kolla and her mentor David Brock. On the whole this is a very good mystery/police procedural series - with one caveat particularly prevalent in the early books - and which unfortunately returns front and center here in Dark Mirror. That fault, portraying Ms. Kolla as an idiot, or at the very least, a 1950's B-movie actress.
The case here is an interesting one. A young female graduate student collapses in a library and soon after dies - the cause of death, arsenic poisoning. Newly promoted DI Kolla begins investigating and before the reader can say Agatha Christie, our heroine has a very tangled mystery on her hands. (Brock plays a decidedly supporting role in this book.) First the victim led what appears to be a double life and thus suspicion arises whether this was murder or a very theatrical suicide. Second there are a slew of suspects - a stalker, an "evil" stepfather, a very "involved" mentor at the University - and there is an unaccountable large sum of money floating around, so a possible "sugar-daddy" enters the fray. And last but not least there is an historical thread based on the deceased's doctoral thesis which plays into the mix.
Seemingly this should be more than enough to occupy Ms. Kolla for an entertaining mystery - but alas no. With her new promotion comes new responsibilities, and that's where our poor heroine falls - repeatedly - and for this reader - unnecessarily - on her face. Without much thought she sends an inexperienced subordinate directly into harm's way; unduly harasses a suspect; becomes emotionally involved in the case and - I don't want to "spoil" things here so I'm being purposely vague - breaks a cardinal rule of police work with her personal life . This last bit so blatant the reader can't miss it - yet Kathy does.
This is the caveat I wrote of earlier - Kathy's brain ceasing to function - and it's a shame, because all of the above "drama" is unnecessary, and in the end simply detracts from a fundamentally compelling story.
The case here is an interesting one. A young female graduate student collapses in a library and soon after dies - the cause of death, arsenic poisoning. Newly promoted DI Kolla begins investigating and before the reader can say Agatha Christie, our heroine has a very tangled mystery on her hands. (Brock plays a decidedly supporting role in this book.) First the victim led what appears to be a double life and thus suspicion arises whether this was murder or a very theatrical suicide. Second there are a slew of suspects - a stalker, an "evil" stepfather, a very "involved" mentor at the University - and there is an unaccountable large sum of money floating around, so a possible "sugar-daddy" enters the fray. And last but not least there is an historical thread based on the deceased's doctoral thesis which plays into the mix.
Seemingly this should be more than enough to occupy Ms. Kolla for an entertaining mystery - but alas no. With her new promotion comes new responsibilities, and that's where our poor heroine falls - repeatedly - and for this reader - unnecessarily - on her face. Without much thought she sends an inexperienced subordinate directly into harm's way; unduly harasses a suspect; becomes emotionally involved in the case and - I don't want to "spoil" things here so I'm being purposely vague - breaks a cardinal rule of police work with her personal life . This last bit so blatant the reader can't miss it - yet Kathy does.
This is the caveat I wrote of earlier - Kathy's brain ceasing to function - and it's a shame, because all of the above "drama" is unnecessary, and in the end simply detracts from a fundamentally compelling story.
November 16, 2012
Love my mysteries with a bit of history mixed up in them! This one was chock full of it, a part of literary history in Great Britain that I actually didn't pay a lot of attention to when I was in college for English Literature because I kind of thought the whole group of people were odd...I still do. This book is about a student who dies from arsenic poisoning. She was doing in depth graduate study of Dante Gabrielle Rosetti and his group, and some of them including his wife, were believed to have died of poisoning. The student, a Marion Summer, had research that was going to upset some established professors who were 'experts' on Rosetti, but also as Kathy and Brocks did more investigation into this poisoning...Marion had other men who had reason for wanting her dead, some very powerful.
Kathy is feeling at loose ends without a guy in her life, and meets an attractive guy on a weekend away from home with a girlfriend. This doesn't seem to have anything to do with her current investigation...but...
Then, another student dies from arsenic poisoning throwing a wrench into everything. Brock's lady friend also seems to know one of the suspect and his family from when she was growing up, and he's concerned when she becomes involved.
I enjoyed this Brock and Kathy Kolla story, more than a couple of earlier ones...it gave some interesting historical detail about Rosetti and his group that made me go and do some research on them online. They were an odd group, with very odd morals standards...but their paintings were beautiful! Their writings were not so great...but this book was a good mystery.
Kathy is feeling at loose ends without a guy in her life, and meets an attractive guy on a weekend away from home with a girlfriend. This doesn't seem to have anything to do with her current investigation...but...
Then, another student dies from arsenic poisoning throwing a wrench into everything. Brock's lady friend also seems to know one of the suspect and his family from when she was growing up, and he's concerned when she becomes involved.
I enjoyed this Brock and Kathy Kolla story, more than a couple of earlier ones...it gave some interesting historical detail about Rosetti and his group that made me go and do some research on them online. They were an odd group, with very odd morals standards...but their paintings were beautiful! Their writings were not so great...but this book was a good mystery.
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