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Hunting for Hemingway by Diane Gilbert Madsen |
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| (Midnight Ink, $14.95, NV) ISBN 978-0-7387-1953-5 | |
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| After visiting her former boyfriend David, insurance investigator DD McGil finds herself the chief suspect in his murder. David claimed to have been in possession of the early writings of Ernest Hemingway that his first wife is said to have lost on a train to Switzerland in 1922. DD had been hired to authenticate the writings and how David may have come to have them in his possession, but now the papers are missing, David is dead, and DD is the sight of the police (and the IRS who is doing an audit of her taxes).
DD has left the world of academia behind, but now finds herself immersed in it once again, reminded of all the petty jealousies and cut-throat behavior she realizes she didn’t miss. Soon she also finds herself involved with stolen software and Mitch Sinclair, but this proves not nearly as interesting to DD, or to readers, as the missing Hemingway manuscripts and does little to move the plot along, other than to provide a possible new love interest for DD. This is the second mystery to feature DD McGil, but readers who missed the first one are done a disservice as Aunt Elizabeth is not present with her good humor; other characters and DD’s past are glossed over as if everyone is in the know. DD likes all boys and her investigations often seem just to be a platform to find her next potential love interest. DD is very smart and has a quick, dry wit, and we learn about her through her internal conversations she conducts with herself.
The missing Hemingway papers and their possible existence has intrigued scholars for years and provide a good background for a mystery and subsequent murder. The investigation into David’s death is fairly straightforward and there are few surprises. Those whose interest is piqued by the premise of this mystery will be able to read more about Hemingway’s first wife Hadley, including the loss of the manuscripts, in a novel being published in early 2011, The Paris Wife --Jennifer Monahan Winberry |
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