CERRI ELLIS - MOSTLY MYSTERY REVIEWS

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	Curiosity may have killed the cat, but Cerri Ellis never let a little thing like fear stop her from playing sleuth. When she's not snapping photos of ghosts, solving riddles or sifting through dusty tomes in library catacombs, she writes articles and book reviews for magazines and web sites. Her hobbies include reading mysteries, herbal gardening, and searching online and estate auctions for arcane curios. She is currently at work on a paranormal thriller set in Southern Appalachia.

DeKOK AND THE DEATH OF A CLOWN
A.C. Baantjer
Speck Press, December 2005, $14.00, 184 pp.
ISBN 1-933108-03-7

When a priceless antique jewelry collection turns up missing, Inspector DeKok and his young partner Vledder are assigned to the case. With the low homicide rate in Amsterdam, they are resigned to working lesser crimes. As they debate whether the burglary victim told the truth, they are called to check out the death of a clown found on a pier beneath the Crier's Tower, a huge knife protruding from the man's back.

Although the cases seem unrelated, the clues start to add up with the body count.
DeKOK AND THE DEATH OF A CLOWN is the English translated version of the popular European detective series starring Inspector DeKok. The title character is reminiscent of Maigret and Poirot, very astute, with a certain wry humor. However, readers may find the leisurely pace, lack of action and predictable plot not worth the effort.

Cerri Ellis

MEMORY OF A MURDER
by Earl Staggs
Quiet Storm Publishing, December 2005, $15.95, 230 pp.
ISBN 0-977007030

Adam Kingston, former FBI agent, is a psychic who solves crimes that stump both the police and the Bureau. When a homeless amnesiac comes to him searching for answers, Kingston realizes this might be his deadliest and most elusive case yet.

He must piece together an odd assortment of clues and fight a growing attraction to skeptical homicide detective Brenda McCort. Together, they unravel a sixteen year old murder case.

MEMORY OF A MURDER hooks you from the beginning and leaves you guessing until the end. The book is tight, yet fluid, the characters drawn with a deft hand. Staggs has created a brilliant masterpiece of literary misdirection that will delight mystery fans.

Cerri Ellis

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