Masks of Murder

by C.C. Canby

When Christine Mallard finds her husband, Detective Zeke Mallard, brutally murdered in their own garage, it is up to Zeke’s partner, rookie Detective Richard Lanslow, to solve the murder. In tandem with his new partner, veteran Detective Dean Brooks (a former detective in the Los Angeles Police Department), Lanslow begins an investigation. There are no clues, only the repeatedly stabbed body. Lanslow’s investigation soon reveals his former partner’s off-duty life is quite different than what the young detective had imagined. There is a beautiful young girl, and a jealous lover who quickly becomes a prime suspect—a young, street-savvy black man named Andrew White who harbors a deep hatred of white cops. We readers know, however, that Andrew has only witnessd the crime, not committed it, and that Lanslow and Brooks are on the wrong trail. And we even know the killer’s first name. Who is the man we know only as "Dorian," who later commits a second murder which, through bizarre circumstances, actually increases the detective’s suspicion of Andrew White? And who are the strange characters with whom Dorian consorts, including the mysterious "little man," beset with horrible dreams; the worrying giant named Conrad; the pudgy sage named Gary; and the lesbian named Linda? Things are not what they seem in this intricately woven plot.With the help of a famous criminologist, Detective Lanslow begins to grow skeptical of how the theory of Zeke’s murder case has been constructed. Acting on the advice of the professor, the case takes a turn that even Lanslow cannot believe, despite the evidence he and Brooks have collected—and comes to a crashing, jaw-dropping conclusion.

248 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Mary Stoetzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this 3.5 stars. It's interesting while researching for a murder investigation the many avenues it takes to find the exact facts needed to convict. I was not expecting the ending. Very interesting story.

[Carl Brookins · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a small suburb of St. Paul, a distraught wife stares at her husband’s equally distraught partner, detective Richard Lanslow. Husband and partner, detective Zeke Mallard, is dead, knifed to death in his own garage while bringing home the groceries.

With few clues, Lanslow and his new partner begin the tedious, painstaking, task of sorting through Mallard’s professional and personal life to solve the brutal murder. What they learn will startle and unnerve Lanslow as he discovers more about his dead partner and the identity of the murderer than he ever wanted or expected. But there is more here than a simple whodunit.

Abrupt and unexpected death doesn’t give the deceased any opportunity to tidy up loose ends. Author Canby in his debut novel adeptly makes this point while presenting a well-thought out false trail for his detectives to follow. Even with a second murder by the same perpetrator, the reader is confronted with knowledge that the detectives are logically following an erroneous trail, and yet cannot name the killer.

The book is short, concise and well written in a straightforward manner that takes us step by step to a surprising conclusion. The language is plain and carefully crafted. It evokes the time the period and frustration of the detectives who must deal with lies, dead-end logic and racial tensions. The plot moves on two distinct parallel planes, powerfully suggesting that we often do not completely know or understand even those in our lives who are closest to us.

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

MASKS OF MURDER – G
C.C. Canby – 1st book
When Detective Zeke Mallard is found brutally murdered in his own garage, it is up to Zeke’s partner, rookie Detective Richard Lanslow, to solve the murder along with his new partner, veteran Detective Dean Brooks. Lanslow’s investigation soon reveals his former married partner’s off-duty life includes a beautiful young girl, and a jealous lover who quickly becomes a prime suspect—a young, street-savvy black man named Andrew White.

I found the ending not as surprising as others might, would have liked a greater feeling of suspense and felt the wrap up a bit abrupt. For all this, this is a very credible first effort by a retired professor of sociology and social-psychology

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the books I reviewed professionally, this one is a murder mystery.

It kept you intrigued from the first page to the very last. Just when you thought you had it figured out, something changed and you knew you were wrong. A woman in the witness protection realizes that she will only survive on her own. Her family thinks she has died and the people chasing after her know otherwise. She's constantly in fear for not only her life but the life of her surviving sisters. She meets a detective that may actually be the man that can finally save her life and bring her back to normal. Will she take the chances to have a normal life or will she continue to run in order to keep her family safe?