A Sleuth of Size who does not Apologize By Michael McLean | December 1st, 2006
Larger than Death by Lynne Murray, St Martin’s Minotaur; 0-312-97277-6
A woman must be a warrior when her body moves from the voluptuous to the Reubenesque; culturally we do not approve of or accept those who are not rail thin and muscular. Josephine Fuller, the unrepentant sleuth mentioned above, is full figured, proud, and not afraid to use the muscle of sharp intellect and even sharper tongue. Larger than Death, our introduction to Murray’s investigator, presents the reader with a woman of rare spirit and determination, one determined to live a “Fuller” life. (as she herself tells her new boss) Jo has just divorced, found a dream job investigating possible philanthropic donation recipients, and has just completed her first little job of charity investigation. Deserving and needing a little R and R, she goes to visit her best friend, Nina West. Arriving on Nina’s front doorstep, Jo finds the police. Nina is DOA, her throat slit; making her the apparent victim of a serial killer preying on the full figured women of the Seattle area. Enraged that this could happen to Nina, Jo is determined to find the one responsible.
Somehow things are not what they seem. There are things about this killing that do not add up to the serial killer; a phone call, a last letter from Nina, and the mysterious removal of the police seal from Nina’s apartment. Was it the serial killer? If not, who should Jo suspect? The old friend from Nina’s hometown, Andy, who runs a diet and weight-loss center that stands for everything Nina opposed? Her new boyfriend, Mulligan, to whom Jo herself is instantly attracted, and who is oddly, equally instantly attracted to Jo? (after all, his previous lover died only two days ago.) The creepy computer geek, Eric, who lived in the apartment below Nina, claims that she and Mulligan had been fighting a lot, but Mulligan tells Jo (with honesty, as a promise, or simply as a happy memory?) that the noises that Eric heard were far from a fight. Is the computer geek in Eric that innocent sexually, or is it to lead Jo away from the fact that Eric wields a knife a bit too freely? Should Jo suspect Nina’s long time friend, Joan, who also seems to be attracted to Mulligan? (he will eventually tell you, in the last two pages, why he would appear to have no first name.) Or even more interestingly, could it be someone from Eastways Spiritual Paths? Nina once belonged to this cult-like foundation, but now seems to be running a halfway house for its former members. The final suspect is the biggest surprise to Jo – Nina’s illegitimate son, William Crain. Jo had not known of his existence, but is that why she keeps coming back to him as a possible suspect? Is it because he was raised by Eastways members? Or could it be because he has killed his foster father and is on the run?
Nothing stops Josephine Fuller; not being followed by a mysterious pick-up truck, nor being attacked by someone with a really big knife. In the end, Jo manages to find out what Maxine, Nina, Isabelle Zangrilli, Dr. Morton, and the Reverend Gordon Bliss all have in common, finds William Crain and gets him to agree to turn himself in, and lastly, manages to find the serial killer. But has she found Nina’s killer?
Murray presents her reader with well drawn characters, and intricate plot, and a sense of humor that runs the gamut from tongue-in-cheek to sarcasm. The book is an intense, yet somehow fun read that will leave you ready to spend more time with Jo Fuller; a sleuth of daring and humor, who owes no apologies to anyone.
Michael McLean