Maybe it’s my dark sense of humor, but Mother’s Day seems an appropriate day to post the review of a book in which a dead mother leaves behind a mess for her estranged daughter. Gordon Brown, writing as Morgan Cry, takes readers to Spain’s Costa Blanca in the crime caper Thirty-One Bones.
Effie Coulstoun moved from Scotland to El Descaro, Spain, bought a run-down pub, and hosted a motley group of expats and retired mobsters. Then she assembled a team of those expats who called themselves Ex-Patriots, a group who were regulars at Se Busca, her pub, so they could pull a large land development scam. When she fell over dead in the midst of one of her negotiations, she left that group, led by her disbarred lawyer, George Laidlaw, all wondering where their 1.3 million euros were.
When Daniella Coulstroun, Effie’s daughter, arrives for the funeral, she knows nothing about her mother’s shady dealings. She doesn’t know any of the people involved; the twins who were once models, the racecar drive, the former pop singing sensation, the drunk accountant. She has only spoken with her mother several times in recent years, and they had an argument the only time Daniella visited. But, the entire group, along with a mobster who wants his protection money, are waiting for Daniella. Where’s their money? If she doesn’t come up with it, George promises he’ll have someone break thirty-one bones in Daniella’s body.
Daniella might not have known her mother well, but she is Effie’s daughter. She’s a shrewd woman. She may make a few mistakes because she doesn’t know her way around a pub or her way around a shady community. There may be a reason, though, that she’s been able to work in an insurance call center for years. She understands a good con. And, Daniella just might have a few tricks that she’s willing to try.
I love a good crime caper, but I had a hard time with this book. Daniella really was the only likable character. The book wasn’t as charming or funny as I expected. I did enjoy the police interviews that were interspersed between chapters. Those were amusing, each ending with the answer, “It’s complicated.” So, is the story. But, if you love a good crime caper, you might want to try it. Everyone’s idea of humor is different, and I’ll admit I don’t always find the same things funny as others do.
Morgan Cry’s website is https://gordonjbrown.com/
Thirty-One Bones by Morgan Cry. Arcade Crimewise, 2021. ISBN 9781951627669 (hardcover), 312p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I read a .PDF to review for a journal.
Too bad. It sounded like it had potential.
Jackie has recently noted that “It’s complicated” has replaced “It is what it as” as the most heard comment on television.
Jeff, Give it a try. You never know. Others might enjoy it more than I did. And, it does appear to be the first in a series.
I don’t watch enough TV to notice, but I believe Jackie.
It is what it IS
It is what it is— was my mantra to cope with what I went through regarding my late wife then and now. I use it to to refer to the things that can not be fixed or changed. I could not fix that. I would, if I could, in a heartbeat and whatever consequences be damned.
Anyway, that mantra I use to cope seems to have been picked up by a lot of folks in books and tv in the last few months. Some folks have also decided to start criticizing the term and claim it reflects white supremacy, racism, and other garbage including patriarchy. Utter nonsense. I often find the folks who say that are folks that are not as old as the jeans in my closet and seem to love inspirational feel good sayings that solve nothing.
It Is What It Is— it can not be fixed, altered, or changed and it sucks.
Oh, geez, Kevin. White supremacy, racism, and other garbage? I agree with you. And, in your case, I know it does suck.