Law & Disorder

Camilla MacPhee #6

by Mary Jane Maffini

One of Canada’s best-loved sleuths returns in her sixth hair-raising adventure. Victims’ advocate Camilla MacPhee is following the trial of Lloyd Brugel, a ruthless criminal kingpin charged with a fatal firebombing. Shes looking forward to seeing him convicted, but when his sleazy counsel is found dead, it conveniently delays the proceedings. The lawyer, no saint himself, was drowned and shot. In case that message was too subtle, an old joke featuring dead lawyers shows up. Camilla soon learns the victim was not the only member of the Ottawa legal profession whose death was heralded by a tasteless attempt at humour. Is Brugel reaching from behind the bars of the regional detention centre to manipulate his trial and to exact revenge? Camilla does her stubborn best to head off the killer, hampered by her annoying assistant, the police, her bossy sisters and the arrival of her possible stepdaughters-to-be for the Dragon Boat Races.

Genres: Mystery, Canada

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Aka Victoria Abbott with her daughter Victoria Maffini.

Mary Jane Maffini was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, and has her BA (Hons) and MLS from Dalhousie University. After a career in libraries such as The Brewers' Association of Canada, Statistics Canada, the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, and a wonderful ride as a co-owner of Prime Crime Mystery Bookstore, she has settled into a life of crime, surrounded by her two miniature dachshunds, the ghost of her beloved Corgoid Smudge, and her long-suffering husband. She's a former President of Crime Writers of Canada, and a former member of the board of directors of the Canadian Booksellers Association. She's a frequent speaker on writing mysteries and on the importance of Canadian crime fiction. In real life, although she is a member of the Ladies' Killing Circle, she has never killed anyone.

Reviews

[rabbitprincess · Rating 3 out of 5]

* * * 1/2

A solid mystery in the Camilla MacPhee series. Certainly an original premise, and the pacing was pretty good, and I was kept guessing for most of the book. It was also nice to check in with all the other characters in Camilla's world. This is of course true with any other mystery series, but it is especially nice for me because the city of Ottawa is also kind of a character, given the ongoing street-name-dropping. "Hey, I've been there! I know that place! Fictional office X must be based on real place Y!" and so on. Or perhaps I am just too easily amused by seeing familiar street names printed in actual published mystery novels.

Character development does occur to an extent in this book. Camilla moves forward in her relationship with her significant other's daughters, or at least in how she is able to handle their presence and work out her presence in their lives. Her actual romantic relationship evolves a bit too, and that's always nice. The other characters are fairly static. Mrs. Parnell is still as unflappable as ever, even with a broken hip. Alvin is still absent-minded and inclined to launch himself headlong into various creative projects. Camilla's sisters are still busybodies and inclined to interfere in her life. Mombourquette is still relatively hostile to Camilla's amateur sleuthing. For a series reader, having most of the characters maintain some form of status quo is probably comforting. That's why one reads cozy series, after all, as a chance to escape from the world, even if the book is set in the city you happen to live in.

I did think there was rather a lot more expository writing than I recall from previous MacPhee books, which grated somewhat, but apart from that it was solidly written with very vivid characters and highly original plot elements (there could perhaps have been some more dragon boat racing, but the story provides plenty of reasons for our first-person narrator to be absent for much of those proceedings). If you like the Camilla MacPhee series, pick this one up.


This book came to my attention when it was reviewed in the Globe and Mail by Margaret Cannon on November 28, 2009.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS

One of the best books if not THE best book in the Camilla MacPhee series.

The trial of low life thug, Lloyd Brugel, is drawing to an end and Sergeant Leonard Mombourquette and Camilla are looking forward to at long last a guilty verdict. But that is not to be...it appears Rollie Thorsten is missing from the court room. Rollie Thorsten being Brugel's attorney.

It was shortly before this that Camilla had started to receive jokes about lawyers in the mail. First the joke would arrive followed the next day by the name of a person. It all didn't make much sense ...that is until the name of Rollie Thorsten turned out to be the first victim.

The murder of Brugel's attorney followed by the resignation of the junior lawyer, Jamie Kilpatrick, forces a decision by Judge Lafontaine to recess the case until the defendant can secure another attorney. This gives Brugel time and time is just what he needs to cut his future sentence down by remaining in jail. Camilla and Mombourquette agree that Brugel appears to be behind this murder...but is it that simple?

Camilla is finished with Justice for victims or at least the office is a thing of the past. Alvin Ferguson is living (rent free) in Camilla's home. Alvin 's personality is in full bloom as he has decorated the walls with murals of Italian countryside and taken on the art of cuisine cooking. So we, the reader, are in for a treat in the Alvin department.

The character with the most fun personality ever is, of course, Mrs. Violet Parnell. Camilla re-enlists Mrs. Parnell's skills in sleuthing and Mrs. P takes her character to another level at the ALF she's currently living in.

One of the most important factors in the Camilla MacPhee series is her sense of humor. It's a laugh your socks off mystery and a cozy at that. Loved every page and highly recommend "Law and Disorder" and the entire Camilla MacPhee series.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was truly excellent. Although it is the latest in a remarkable series revolving around an attorney named Camilla and her allies, this book, as with the rest of the series, stands alone in it's plot, mysteries, and action. You can not predict anything and be correct.

The Chapter headings lead you to suspect what is going to happen, in order, that Ms. Maffini can surprise you!

I can only hope that there is a further continuance of Camilla as I've grown to adore her!

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sixth in the Camilla McPhee series which is set in Ottawa.

There are lots of twists and tangles to try to throw you off. It seemed to start off slow but picked up.

The ending ("whodunnit") is unexpected and seems to come out of the blue. But it worked for me.

[Lorie Lee Steiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Jane Maffini - the devious comedienne of Canadian crime writers. Always a pleasure to read, and Law & Disorder is no exception.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite authors! And a Canadian! Combination of great characters and a swift plot make Law & Disorder another winner.

[Kerry Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of this series. Too much "cutesy" dialogue, both internal and external. No one is that funny when talking in their own head.