The proof of my innocence

Coe (Bournville, 2023), a leading British satirist, presents a clever whodunit shaped by his trademark razor-sharp wit and skewering social-political commentary. Phyl is back home after graduating university, working at a fast-food job at Heathrow while she figures out her life. When her mum's Cambridge friend Christopher dies suddenly and mysteriously, Phyl is inspired to write a mystery novel. Coe brilliantly plays with the tropes of the genre while slyly poking fun ("Now, a mediocre writer of such mysteries will invent some unlikely contrivance such as a secret passage"). The stories within the story are told in the manner of cozy mysteries, dark academia, and autofiction with winks and nods aplenty, all of which masterfully advance the plot with misdirection. A section set in 1980s Cambridge features a secret society known as the Shadow Chamber and a pale-skinned, black-haired enchantress named Lavinia Coutts. The contemporary section features an old estate, Wetherby Hall; detective Pru Freeborne (read it as proof reborn); and a metafictional novel, My Innocence. A smart yarn with biting humor, ingenious clues, and a satisfying twist.

Coe's delectable whodunit (after Bournville) combines shadowy right-wing politics and literary intrigue. It's 2022 and British magazine editor Christopher Swann is on the verge of exposing a right-wing think tank's plot against the National Health Service. After conservative prime minister Liz Truss is sworn in, the think tank holds a conference in an English country house, which Swann attends. There, he's mortally attacked, leaving behind a cryptic note. On the case is Pru Freeborne, an eccentric DI who's about to retire. What follows are three novels within the novel, in the respective styles of a cozy mystery, dark academia, and autofiction. In them, the murderer's identity, method, and motive vary, as Pru explores whether Swann was killed for having dirt on the conference attendees and their nefarious plot. Added to the mix is Phyl, an aspiring writer and recent university graduate who met Swann shortly before his death, while he was visiting Phyl's parents. As Phyl goes down a rabbit hole, she becomes convinced that Swann's killing is somehow connected to that of long-dead author Peter Cockerill (a reclusive Cockerill expert had also attended the conference and might have had his own reason to silence Swann). Coe's metatextual games are as fun as the caper plot. This is a blast. (Apr.)