Allison LaMothe and W.M. Akers deliver healthy doses of nostalgia with two journalist-turned-sleuth mysteries. LaMothe tackles New York City in 1992 (Tower Records, anyone?) while Akers takes readers all the way back to the urban decay of the Big Apple in the early ’70s.
In LaMothe’s Dirty Metal, journalist Parker Snow has been moved to the organized crime beat after the fall of the Soviet Union brings the Russian mob to New York. She’s supposed to stay in her lane and report on mob dealings, but when she witnesses a murder on the subway, she can’t get the victim out of her head and investigates the killing against her editor’s orders.
In To Kill a Cook, food writer and gastronome Bernice Black discovers the severed head of her mentor, chef Laurent Tirel, preserved in aspic the same day she learns her column is getting the ax. Ever savvy, Bernice pivots to crime writing since she’s already involved (as the person who found the body) in the chef’s murder.
In both cases, the historical setting for the mystery is a large part of the draw, as both Parker and Bernice live in a world where print media is still alive and thriving. In Parker’s case, it’s gossipy tabloid stories that sell, and she’s a woman who knows how to hit the pavement to talk to leads and establish trust with sources. She’s independent, free of both cellphone and email, and chronically leaves her pager at home. That independence isn’t always for the best, though; she’s dealing with her own trauma and an increasing need for benzodiazepines to cope.
Bernice is a more upbeat, wittier character than Parker. Her love of cooking and food means that she has an in with anyone who’s ever enjoyed a good meal, and she knows her way around New York’s kitchens, from food carts to five-star restaurants. Her character is less burdened by personal trauma, but Akers still weaves the effects of recession and urban decline into this otherwise snappy whodunit.
Both of these novels offer the analog sleuthing that’s cherished by many mystery readers and journalism fans, where stories are filed over the phone and a writer can chase a lead without being immediately reachable by her editor. Both Parker and Bernice are compelling protagonists whose knowledge of their city comes from interacting with everyone from mob bosses to gossip mavens to homeless people. That depth of setting cements these mysteries beautifully in their respective times.
