A Multitude of Sins: A Conan Flagg Mystery

Conan Flagg #2

by M.K. Wren

"I'll be on your patio at four o'clock. If you aren't there, I'll understand...."

This is the gist of the mysterious plea for help that Conan Flagg finds lying on the counter of his Holliday Beach Book Shop. The writer is beautiful Isadora Canfield, a concert pianist and daughter of the late Oregon Senator John Canfield, in whose will she would become a millionairess. Isadora wants Conan to find out who is keeping her under 24-hour surveillance, but she becomes strangely quiet when asked for details of her father's death and of how she had spent the weeks following. In fact she is disinclined to talk about the family at all - not her blind stepmother or her irrepressible stepbrother or her sadly altered stepsister, Jenny, who had once been a promising artist. Conan soon realizes that he and his gifted client are sitting on dynamite. He thinks he knows who has the matches, but he can't be sure. And proving it, is dangerous work, even for a pro like Flagg.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Audiobook, Crime, Action

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Martha Kay Renfroe was an Oregon writer, author of mystery and science fiction under the penname M.K. Wren. Her work included the "Conan Flagg" mystery series and the post-apocalyptic novel A Gift Upon the Shore, set along the Oregon coast.

Reviews

[Elaine Nickolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I could easily become addicted to Conan Flagg stories if they are all like #1 and #2. M.K.Wren weaves a story with just enough clue crumbs to keep the reader turning the pages. Conan takes on a client that believes they are being followed. Why would anyone be following her, and not too secretively? Does this have anything to due with the recent death of her father? But why? Conan calls in some helpers for this case and the story keeps getting more and more interesting.
Really interested in the next case for Conan Flagg and my latest new addiction fix.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in a fictional beach town in Oregon. M.K. Wren does a great job with this mystery but the bad guys were a little too obvious.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2* New author for me and didn't realize until reading it that it is #2 book in the Conan Flagg series. Conan is private detective that owns a bookshop. He decides to help beautiful Isadora Canfield when she asks him to find out who is following her and why. She is the wealthy daughter of the late Oregon Senator John Canfield and a wonderful pianist. Her memory of her father's death is a blank, she is plagued with nightmares, and someone is trying to prove her unbalanced. Set on the Pacific coast in Oregon during a dated time of having seat belts but no one really using them, of it being cool to smoke, of using typewriters and neatly corrected typos, and of using 2 way radios to communicate. Liked it and would like to read the first book in the series.

[Denise Spicer · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a beautiful young pianist begs Conan Flagg to help her find out who is keeping her under surveillance, he finds himself embroiled in the world of state politics, drug pushers and mental illness. This book has an interesting setting and characters (esp. redheaded operative Sean Kelly and Dr. Nicky Heideger) but a fairly predictable plot.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of this story is set in my hometown of Salem so it was fun to read merely from that point of view. The story however is well written and enjoyable...good pacing and no unnecessary violence.

[Yves Lefevre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Brilliant plot. A very good classical whodunit.