A Very Funny Mystery
|
Dirty Linen is by far the best novel of the first four in the Fred Taylor series. I commend to all those who like to see a little satire aimed at those who are pretentious.
Wealthy, reclusive art collector Clayton Reed wishes he were elsewhere while he looks over numerous undesirable auction lots being offered to finance a new museum. But his ennui soon turns to mere feigned boredom when he uncovers what could be a treasure trove of British drawings . . . which are somewhat on the scandalous side. Reed sends Fred Taylor to the auction to purchase this bag of drawn goodies (which seem to be wrapped in a valuable canvas by the same artist). Using a cat's paw, Marek Hrisco from Man with a Squirrel, to hide his interest, Fred scoops up the items for a pittance and pays far more to purchase a fake Constable to disguise his reason for being at the sale.
Meanwhile, Reed cannot wait to get his hands on the items. He decides to hole up in a motel (under the name Mr. Daygah) where the rooms rent and turnover by the hour. Before long, Reed has the belles de jour working on archiving the drawings while wearing little more than white cotton gloves.
This locale becomes more of a necessity, however, after the cat's paw is attacked and almost killed . . . and lawyers begin circling to put a halt to the auction conveyances. But possession is 9/10 of the law . . . if no one knows where the drawings are.
Meanwhile, Reed has some bee in his bonnet that requires the drawings be authenticated and clear title be established in five days. Fred engages an out-of-work English literature major to help him, Molly also does research, and gradually the source of the scandalous drawings becomes clearer. But who will stop the homicidal maniac who is running amok?
The scenes in the motel, at the local yacht club and Molly's mother's house are a stitch.
Mr. Kilmer really let himself go with the names for those characters who don't deserve much respect, and you'll find yourself happily giggling over these as well . . . whether it's Mr. Sanhedrin (head in the sand), the hotel concierge; Parker Stillton (nosy lawyer), Reed's relative; or Bobby Rotwell (the deceased's son).
The book also offers some humorous surprises near the end that I cannot say anything about.
If I liked the book so much, why didn't I grade it higher? Mr. Kilmer has once again given us more gratuitous violence than was necessary to tell his story . . . and the unraveling of the provenance is a bit too involved to be totally satisfying.
|
|
Best Fred Taylor art mystery to date
|
|
Boston art collector Clayton Reed sends his agent Fred Taylor to Westport, Massachusetts to bid on erotic art being put up for bid as part of the auction of the late Lord Hanford's collection. The Runnymeade Museum will benefit from the proceeds. Fred successfully purchases the drawings, which are the works of the famous nineteenth artist Joseph Turner at an extraordinary low price. However, before they can toast their victory, problems surface for Clayton and Fred. Hanford's son slaps them with a law suit, demanding the return of the collection. A rival collector is putting brutal pressure on everyone associated with the purchase to inform him what they know about the works. Fred begins his own investigation to ascertain why these drawings, which are atypical of Turner's landscape work, have become suddenly hot. However, it is a shop assistant working on his thesis who uncovers the link that includes a Victorian age murder. The fourth Taylor art mystery is the best book of a well-designed series. DIRTY LINEN is fascinating as 1999 characters look back at genuine mid-nineteenth century events, which are wrapped inside a stimulating modern tale. Fred remains an interesting character, but his support cast add much to the crisp story line. Especially of note is author Nicholas Kilmer's clever use of secondary players to unravel much of the mystery. This "historical" art who-done-it is a masterpiece of the sub-genre. Harriet Klausner
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada