A Memory of Murder (Jan Christopher Mysteries)
It’s April 1973, and assistant librarian Jan Christopher is date-stamping the books local Chingford students are borrowing, then intercepting decorators laden with ladders, paint pots, and paraphernalia, three days before they’ve been scheduled to start lightening library walls from avocado-green to pale primrose yellow. That evening, 11-year-old diminutive Sally Armitage, last seen at the library, goes missing, and Jan finds a tin of Lyle’s Golden Syrup, the first of a series of clues that harken back to a time she has repressed in memory—the day her father was shot to death at the doorway of their home when she was five years old.
A Memory of Murder is episode 5 in the Jan Christopher cozy mystery series, begun in 2021. It mimics author Hollick’s own history as a Chingford librarian, a 13-year period when she became captivated by the Dark Ages and King Arthur and led to her historical fantasy trilogy, Pendragon’s Banner, published in 1994. This book has all the trappings of a cozy mystery: an extremely likable main character who sometimes strays from the mannered straight and narrow, shares insights with detectives – her uncle Chief Inspector Toby Christopher and her fiancé Det. Sgt. Laurie Walker – and puts pieces of the puzzles together. Adding to the flavor: snippets of trendy life in the 1970s, including the definition of Dr. Who’s Tardis, the BBC series that increasingly time-warped fans since its first appearance in 1963. The resolution of Sally’s disappearance does telegraph itself to readers, and the motive behind the memory-nudging clues is a bit strained. Still, it’s comfy enough for fans who look forward to the next Jan Christopher adventure.
