Starred review from July 14, 2014
In her fiendishly clever 29th Gregor Demarkian novel (after 2013’s Hearts of Sand), Edgar-winner Haddam once again brings Agatha Christie’s magic tricks into the 21st century. The brilliant ex-FBI agent, who consults for law-enforcement agencies, must try to exonerate his dear friend Fr. Tibor Kasparian, a popular priest for the Armenian chuch in his Philadelphia neighborhood, who has been accused of murder. Father Tibor was found in the chambers of Judge Martha Handling, holding the bloody gavel used to bash her head in, and a video later turns up showing him wielding the weapon. Furthermore, Father Tibor declines to aid in his own defense, refusing to speak with Gregor or anyone else about what really happened. The truth may lie with the victim’s rumored involvement with the Administrative Solutions of America, a private prison company. The solution is both surprising and logical, demonstrating that Haddam has few peers at playing fair. Agent: Donald Maass, Donald Maass Agency.