Here’s
a fascinating trilogy of stories that follow the burgeoning career of a
fledgling private investigator in the United Kingdom. Annie Raymond is a sharp
young girl out of a small town not far from the Scottish border, who looks at
her contemporaries and yearns for something more. Now she’s in Hull, a small
city just south of Scotland on the Eastern side of the U.K.
Her
dad is a local cop and Annie’s desire is to have a career as a private
investigator. She’s been recruited to a job in a tiny agency in Hull. It will
be her introduction to life as an investigator and her training ground. This
story is called “Like False Money,” the second which takes place several years
later with a different cast of characters is called “The Jawbone Gang,” and the
third, set in a later time after Annie
has moved to a larger agency in London, is called “The Doll Makers.”
Even
though the three stories cover a span of many years, nearly all the action
takes place in and around Hull. Annie Raymond interacts in meaningful and
logical ways with youngsters, adults and even some on the verge of conclusions
to their long lives. The crimes she investigates and solves are varied and
unusual. There’s a lot of description of people and places in this book, all
adeptly handled such that it adds to tension and the narrative pace. Never will
you find characters misplaced or misread, the writing is strong, consistent and
enthralling.
Annie
Raymond is a fine investigator, and an excellent protagonist. There are
additional volumes to her life and career and her stories are attractive and
addicting. I have no hesitation strongly recommending Annie Raymond as a
private investigator readers will enjoy coming to know and follow.
