Who would have thought the old-style puzzler mystery is still alive in the days of CSI and serial killers and jaundiced PIs? Freeze Frame by Peter May is just that. The fourth in a destined-for-long-life series featuring Enzo McLeod, a forensic analyst tackling cold cases from the files of a journalist, Freeze Frame is written in the civilized and clear old-fashioned style of Ellery Queen, ribbed with modern sexual frankness. In this outing, Enzo journeys to a small island off the coast of Brittany to tackle the two-decades-old murder of an entomologist. The victim left behind a cryptic message suggesting his still unaltered study contains clues, and when Enzo starts fossicking for clues, laid out like an Agatha Christie puzzler, violence emerges again. The author’s plotting and pace are first rate, and all the characters, major or bit part, leap from the page. If the unravelling of clues has an air of artificiality, well, that’s the nature of puzzler mysteries, and the climax, while not a complete surprise, is suitably startling. I read the entire book in one sitting, as all good puzzlers deserve.
An intriguing, enjoyable read. 3 stars.