A Private Inquiry

by Jessica Mann

Barbara Pomeroy, a planning adjudicator, is trying to balance home and career now that her son Toby, a kidney transplant recipient, is at last leading a normal boyhood in St.Ives, looked after by his father, Colin. Barbara is hearing a case about plans for a new nursery school, with supporting evidence from child psychiatrist Dr. Fidelis Berlin, when an anonymous caller threatens Toby's welfare if she doesn't reach the “right” decision. Meanwhile, at home, the glamorous Clarissa Trelawney is usurping Barbara’s place as wife and mother – until Clarissa is found gashed to death with a wine bottle. Did Barbara kill Clarissa out of jealousy? But who, really, was Clarissa? It is a question Fidelis must answer as in the end she unravels the tangled experiences, past and present, of the women, the children, and the authoritarian husbands. These various strands of Barbara’s difficult life, as she is suspected of unfaithfulness at home and dereliction of duty at work, are tangled up together until Fidelis Berlin swoops down to sort everything out, in the first of her appearances in Jessica Mann’s subsequent novels. A Private Inquiry was shortlisted for the crime writers’ annual Gold Dagger Award. Critics called it elegant and beautifully written, and said that it “should have a place of honour on the National Reading list.”

294 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Crime-writer Jessica Mann was born in London, England in 1937. She studied archaeology at Cambridge University and Law at Leicester University.

She is the author of a non-fiction book, Deadlier Than the Male: An Investigation into Feminine Crime Writing, about female crime writers from Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers to Ngaio Marsh. She contributes reviews and feature articles to many newspapers and magazines, is a regular broadcaster on TV and radio and tours regularly promoting her books at events and festivals.

Jessica Mann lives with her husband, an archaeologist, in Cornwall. Her latest book is The Mystery Writer (2006).

Reviews

[Ant Koplowitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Private Inquiry is the first Jessica Mann thriller that I've read; an author new to me so I approached this book with an open mind and was drawn to it by the intriguing description and the reviews by other Kindle readers. It's a well written story concerning an improbably named psychiatrist/psychologist (it's never made clear which she is, as the terms are used interchangeably, despite a conversation by one of the main characters about how so many people muddle the two terms!) called Fedelis Berlin and how she becomes embroiled in the death of her friend Buffy.

The other main character who I found more believable and sympathetic was planning inspector Barbara Pomeroy. It's Barbara who becomes the main suspect in the police's investigation into Buffy's death. Barbara's complex relationship with her husband and son is well described and convincing. The conflicts and turmoil of mothers who chose to work and bring up children are cruelly exposed and make for heart-wrenching reading at times.

The central mystery, once unpacked is a bit slight, to be honest, not helped by a slightly muddled timeline and a skimming-over of Berlin's too-easily-developed relationship with her new research assistant Sophie.

Still it's an easy read, not too demanding and Mann's descriptions and sense of place are both really good. I've bought two more of her books, so will be interested in comparing them and seeing how things develop.

© Koplowitz 2013

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crisply written tale of psychological suspense set mostly in Cornwall England. Interesting female characters and a clever plot made this well worth reading.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: arbitrator Barbara Pomeroy gets an anonymous threat against her son Toby, rule in my favour or else. Then a friend is murdered.

[Joanne Cheek · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Extremely dull and boring.