A Shot in the Dark: A Twitten Mystery (A Constable Twitten Mystery)

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There seem to be quite a few light hearted, comic crime series around at the moment; mainly set in the Fifties, rather than the Golden Age, between the wars, period. Steine was no hero though, as on the day of the massacre (which saw 45 opposing mafia gang members killed) Steine (on hearing that the villains were all armed) arranged to stop by the local ice cream parlour with the rest of his team, thereby ensuring that they missed the main event.

Both characters also yearn to be fully themselves despite both having muddy pasts, but that desire to be better reads so strongly on the page. Ely’s capstone project exploring Jewish spiritual expression leaves her vulnerable as she engages with the abandoned rituals of her youth; meanwhile, an opportunity for Wyatt to reconnect with estranged family leaves him in need of an understanding confidant. He believes that mess and contradiction are not only unavoidable but necessary for life to “retain its savour”, though how that might work in politics he doesn’t know. They don't talk about anything except their sobriety, photography, and how much they want to be together but CAN'T until the last quarter of the book.After nearly 5 years of sobriety she moves back to NYC (where she has not been since being effectively excommunicated) to study under a photographer she admires who has just started teaching at "Parker" (it is Parsons of course. I loved both the MCs as they grapple with family trauma and past addictions (both are recovering addicts). Finally take a look at the cover with a nicely striped red and white deckchair in the foreground, Brighton pier beyond it and the seagulls above in a dark cloudy sky.

Regardless, if a cozy mystery with a grand swath of farce is your cup of tea, then this book is definitely for you. The seedy elements in the book simply failed to work for me, but I'm certain others would enjoy the book more than I did. He’s also got the diarist’s gifts of curiosity and enthusiasm, albeit for a throwback vision of football – that prelapsarian era of muddy pitches and wooden rattles before money tore the game away from its traditional roots.The book is on the more emotional side of romance, as both characters are in recovery from addiction, and both of them have been kicked out by their families.

The narrators, Gilli Messer and Scott Turner Schofield, did a lovely job with the various voices and accents. Thankfully, although the body count previously was high in the Middle Street Massacre the lives lost were those in ravel gangland hoods. We're told from the get-go from Wyatt that Ely can't be together because she was his student and also tries to keep things professional -- but then they keep texting immediately, and they hang out all the time and learn more about each other after the first night. I am being deliberately light on details so that anyone who chooses to read the book does not have any of it spoiled by having information in advance of when it was intended to be delivered. Very happy that the second book in this series will be released next month The Man That Got Away: A Constable Twitten Mystery 2.

And as Wyatt's walls begin to break down, each artist fights for what's right in front of them - a person who sees them for all that they are and a love that could mean more than they ever imagined possible.