The Accomplice

This book by Elizabeth Ironside is supposed to be a mystery novel, but it is by no means typical. Yes, there is a body found. Yes, there is a police investigation. But the real meat of the novel has to do with the relationships among its characters.

Most of the players in the book are Russians living in England. Some of them embrace the English way of life while others are reliving the past. I wasn't kept on the edge of my seat, but I remained fully engrossed in the plot.

The best comment in the book comes from the overzealous policeman, discussing his obsession with a certain unsolved case and his assumptions about the perpetrator. "It's either true but you can't prove it, or it's a fantasy you have created. Either way, it drives you mad...If it's true and you do nothing about it, you're sharing in the crime. You're an accomplice."

This comes at high recommendation from me, though, since I know how it ends, I probably won't be reading it again.

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