Murder in a Good Cause

John Sanders and Harriet Jeffries #3

by Medora Sale

Shortly before wealthy, demanding actress Clara von Hohenkammer keels over at an unexpectedly dramatic reading in her Toronto home, she argues with nearly all of her avaricious clan, her odious business manager and a few untrustworthy retainers. The murder weapon is cyanide-laced tisane. Sale ( Murder in Focus ) brings back the rather irritable romantic duo of homicide inspector John Sanders and freelance photographer Harriet Jeffries, who, as a guest at the victim's fatal soiree and a reluctant confidante of her mixed-up daughter Nikki, is admirably placed to investigate. Meantime, a group of Basque separatists are stealing from the rich and casually killing anyone in its way. Sanders and Jeffries bicker repeatedly, then kiss and make up, occasionally taking time out to sleuth. This very basic whodunit wraps up events much too conveniently.

Genres: Mystery

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

AKA Caroline Roe

As Medora Sale, Caroline Roe has written six police procedurals, including an Arthur Ellis Award winner. These books are set in and about Toronto and feature homicide detective John Sanders and architectural photographer Harriet Jeffries. As Caroline Roe, Medora used her PhD research on religious diversity in medieval times to re-create the character of the Bishop of Girona's Jewish physician, a 14th-century doctor with important patients and a nose for wrong-doing.

Medora is a past president of both Crime Writers of Canada and the international board of Sisters in Crime. She lives in Toronto with her husband, Harry, when they are not researching background material in Spain.

Series:
* John Sanders and Harriet Jeffries

Series contributed to:
* Malice Domestic

Reviews

[Betsy]

Another mystery which could have been better than it is, but is weakened by the relationship between the detective and the unlikeable woman he's involved with. And of course, she just has to play a major role in the solving of several murders. Give me a break. Plus, there is the current ubiquitous political angle, which mixes with the money aspects. Hey, I know there are only so many plots out there, but they seem to be rehashed endlessly. This one takes place in Canada so that's a bit different, but not enough to encourage me to read another.

[Hemavathy DM Suppiah-Devi]

Great plot, and interesting characters. I could see this story adapted as an episode of an American or Canadian police procedural drama. But sadly I didn't really warm to Sanders, and disliked Harriet even more. Harriet was just too whiny and selfish, and Sanders spent so much time chasing Harriet it was a wonder he even managed to crack the case. They were such a self absorbed couple, that Nikki, whose mother had just been murdered, asking for company was considered sponging. Milli was definitely a more likeable, and empathetic character. But Sale is an excellent crime writer, and I will definitely read more books by her.

[Amy Lavender Harris]

Because I don't read much genre fiction, I'm never sure what to expect from detective / mystery novels. Am I supposed to guess the ending? Must it resolve in some logical (or at least intelligible) manner?

I opened Murder in a Good Cause with low expectations, looking mainly for a mindless read and having chosen it only because it was set in Toronto. As I finish reading it I've already started hunting down Sale's other work.

While reading Murder in a Good Cause I feel I've gotten a good sense of what a reader should expect from a mystery novel: interesting characters, a complex plot, and an intertwining set of scenarios that leave one wondering about the resolution until the final pages. Murder in a Good Cause is far more than a police procedural (which is how it is typically described): it's an interesting novel about a wealthy sub-set of Toronto's population and a solid study in how to write (and read) detective fiction.

I'm in the final pages and have enjoyed this novel quite a lot. It's very well written (apart from a couple of hiccups in the early pages, when she repeats language; e.g. "throbbing with sincerity," itself a phrase that should have been turfed in the editing stage). I do not care for the occasional wooden attempts at erotic writing (as in the infrequent romantic scenes between the novel's protagonists), but on the whole this is a highly enjoyable read, and complex enough for a thoughtful reader. I would have liked to see some further development of background aspects of the plot (many of these threads are intrinsically interesting), but such a thing would have made this a different kind of novel.

P.S. Medora Sale reportedly has a PhD in medieval history <-- interesting authorial trivia.