[.ca] Death of a Sunday Writer: A Lucy Trimble Mystery (ISBN 0888822278)

Amazon.ca:
Making her detecting debut in Death of a Sunday Writer, Eric Wright's Lucy Trimble Brenner proves to be as adventurous as she is naive, leaping on the chance for dramatic life changes. When Lucy, having already traded a bad marriage for life as a small-town librarian and bed-and-breakfast proprietor, discovers that she's the sole heir to her recently deceased private-eye cousin, David, she quickly decides to take over his business--at least long enough to solve one mystery: A man like Trimble, mixed up with the kind of people he knew, could never, in all Lucy's literary experience, have died accidentally. The fact that she had not found any particular reason why he might have been killed, could (and should) be turned on its head. David Trimble's effects include a mystery manuscript that, Lucy suspects, is actually a fictionalized account of the dead dick's less-than-kosher activities. Meanwhile, the green gumshoe starts picking up some paying customers and finds out that she actually has a knack for sleuthing--even if she does make a few embarrassing goofs. If Lucy's gung-ho introduction to the private investigation business seems somewhat improbable, Wright--best known for his Charlie Salter series, including The Last Hand--portrays the Toronto she seems destined to inhabit with gratifying accuracy, while Lucy's supportteam of newfound friends and associates sparkles with promise. Lucy makes her second appearance in Death on the Rocks. --Deirdre Hanna

Death of a Mystery Plot:
After reading Death of a Sunday Writer, my desire to read a Canadian mystery novel is suffering a severe lack of vital signs. Maybe I was mislead into believing this was a mystery novel - but believe me, there is not a shred of mystery between its glossy covers. Lack of details, lack of description, lack of suspense. I was reminded of the stories I used to read in grade school - pleasant enough but not too demanding.