Up in Flames

Casey and Catt Mystery #1

by Geraldine Evans

When Chandra Bansi and her baby, Leela, are burned to death, DCI "Will" Casey and his less than politically-correct sergeant, Thomas Catt, rapidly come under pressure from their superintendent to put a couple of skinhead thugs behind bars for arson.

Superintendent Brown-Smith, acutely aware, after the fiasco that was the failed inquiry into the murder of black, south London, teenager, Stephen Lawrence, that he is in the hot seat, is desperate for a speedy and politically-satisfactory solution to the case. Worried that his previously smooth and upward career progression will be irretrievably damaged, he places additional pressure on Casey.

But the investigation quickly unearths suspects other than the skinheads, suspects unlikely to endear him either to his superiors or the Asian community.

The resolution of the most difficult case of his career is not eased by the arrival of his impecunious hippie parents. Urgently in need of a temporary home, they selfishly concluded that decamping to Casey's peaceful haven will provide the solution to their current difficulties.

But their raucous, undisciplined lifestyle causes Casey sleepless nights at a time he most needs calm. Bedevilled at home by his irresponsible parents, bedevilled at work by accusations of discrimination from the usual quarters, Casey and Thom Catt must wend a circuitous path through all the additional problems the investigation throws up.

For instance, just how respectable is Chandra's businessman father? And what about her in-laws, who seem to have blamed their westernised daughter-in-law for the death of their only son? Other members of the victim's family also come under suspicion. Casey must use the utmost sensitivity in his handling of the case if he is not to cause unrest in the Asian community.

And, at the heart of the case is the fact that Chandra, a modern young woman, had been uncomfortably caught between two cultures. It's hard to say which is the more dangerous

Genres: Mystery, Procedural, Crime

210 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2004

About the author

aka Geraldine Hartnett.

I'm a British author and live in Norfolk, England. I write mystery/detective novels and have two series on the go: Rafferty & Llewellyn and Casey & Catt.

Series:

* Rafferty and Llewellyn Mystery
* Casey and Catt Mystery

I also write historical novels, of which my first is Reluctant Queen: The Story of Mary Rose Tudor, the Defiant Little Sister of Infamous English king, Henry VIII.

Reviews

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in a British police procedural series, by prolific author Geraldine Evans. I am interested to learn more about the partnership between the two main characters, and how they struggle to do their jobs within the constraints of a "too politically correct" police bureaucracy. Some insights are revealed into the personal histories of Casey and Catt, enough to prompt a reading of the next book in the series. Up in Flames is about solving a case in which a young Asian widow and her baby are killed in a fire. The elements of the plot provide a view of some aspects of Indian culture, centred around arranged marriages,and what is expected of brides, daughters-in-laws, and widows. Evans has obviously done a lot of research, and provides some insight into how difficult it can be be for third generation members of a culture to balance Westernized views with those more traditional beliefs of their parents, grandparents and their cultural community. To say more would reveal too much of the plot. I am looking forward to seeing how Evans fleshes out her main characters, and will check out some of her other titles, involving Rafferty and Llewellyn-another pairing within the police procedural sub-genre.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this author but this is debut of a new series that I found a bit repetitive and too heavy handed on the moralizing. In the first few chapters it was mentioned that the victim, a young Indian widow was unusual because she lived away from family and this was repeated in similar words at least five times. That there was a spate of arsons targeting Asians was also drummed into the reader, a few mentions would have been sufficient.

There is a second in the series,maybe the difficulties will be ironed out in it. I must admit the fact that the main detective had to be whacked out on pot to see the clues clearly did not help the story.

[John Houston · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating falls between a 2 and a 3. The story never really got going - it was a worthy and relevant topic - Hindu beliefs conflicting with Western culture and on the face of it the act of Sati (the practice among some Indian communities in which a recently widowed woman would immolate herself on her husband’s funeral pyre) may have seemed a fine basis for a novel but the subject matter for me seemed to get in the way rather than enhance the story and I'm not really sure why but it just didn't work. Casey the central character never really won me over either, I found him lacking in many ways and overall pretty bland and forgettable which was disappointing as initially I was looking forward to following several of the stories in the series but sadly this is as far as we go.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

When young widow Chandra Bansi and her baby daughter are burned to death in their flat, investigators DCI Casey and DS Catt are under a lot of pressure to solve the case ASAP - and without stepping on any toes in the Asian community. Their superintendent is only to eager to seize on the first available suspects that would help him defuse the politically precarious situation: two skinheads boasting of having committed the crime. Unfortunately, Casey and Catt are less than convinced of their guilt - and their suspicions point into a direction their superior won't like at all.

Intriguing police procedural delving into Indian customs and culture and the difficulties of belonging to two different cultures at once. Enjoyed this series opener and liked the characters.

[Sandy Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't bad! The two primary detective characters were a bit stiff, particularly Thomas Catt, but as an introduction to a new series it was fine and I'd be interested to read the next in the series to see if their personalities were more fleshed out. Will seemed to be in need of a decent therapist to get over his childhood and to unclench a bit. The "whodunnit" portion of the book was well done, I would have never suspected the character who actually did it!