MYSTERY

Death's Dark Shadow: A DCI Monika Paniatowski Mystery

by Sally Spencer
Severn. Mar. 2014. 204p. ISBN 9780727883476. $28.95. M
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Doña Elena never regains sure footing after suffering the worst possible atrocities, including the abduction of her infant child, during the Spanish Civil War. When Franco's long dictatorial reign finally ends with his death in 1975, she escapes to England, having learned recently a key detail about her family. Unfortunately, she becomes a victim again and is murdered in Whitebridge; DCI Monika Paniatowski investigates. Monika's local contacts know more about Elena than they let on, and she is led a bit astray. It's only by engaging her former mentor, DCI Charlie Woodend (who has retired in Spain), that Monika manages to tie together an extraordinarily painful story that spans several decades.
VERDICT Case number seven (after A Walk with the Dead) is a quietly compelling story for those intrigued by war crimes and the resulting fallout. Spencer's admirable Paniatowski character has spun off strongly from the popular DCI Woodend series.
Reviewed by Teresa L. Jacobsen , Mar 01, 2014
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