Good ferry reading I just finished: Nicci French’s Until It’s Over. I’ve always enjoyed this writing pair’s mysteries (Nicci French is the pseudonym for the writing partnership of married journalists, Nicci Gerrard and Sean French), and this one didn’t disappoint. Previously, they’ve used the climbing community as they’retheir backdrop; this mystery is set in a community of bike couriers in London, England. Also as in some of their other novels, the mystery draws some of its tension from gender relations, with some attention to class as well. It’s more Ruth Rendell than, say, Ian Rankin, with character development and psychological exploration being as important, really, as plot, and with the plot itself seeming rather an accumulation of accidents. Still, there’s a satisfying twist, and the resolution is quite convincing. That it comes to seem anticlimactic and inevitable is a strength, I’d say, rather than a disappointment. See what you think — it’ll keep you pleasantly distracted on your next ferry crossing or plane ride.
