The Lemur    by Benjamin Black Order:  USA  Can Picador, 2008 (2008) Softcover, CD     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth John Glass, born in Dublin, has married a New Yorker. Giving up his job as a journalist, he has agreed to write a biography of his domineering and highly successful father-in-law, Big Bill Mulholland. Pretty cushy? Well, maybe not. Glass is considering hiring a researcher to do background on the subject of the biography when that researcher is shot and killed. The man had hinted that he had some juicy info that he was sure Big Bill wouldn't want published. Blackmail? Maybe so. Good plot? You bet. Interesting characters? Sure, they make the story. John Glass proves to be a sympathetic player. He tries to do what is right, not always succeeding. His mistress is interesting in that she accepts their relationship but asks for no more than that. His wife is an enigma. She holds her own in the world, but caves when her father makes demands. Benjamin Black must love New York. He sees the beauty of the Big Apple and expresses his feelings eloquently without disrupting the pace of this interesting short book. Action moves forward in good form and concludes with a shocker. I would have wished for a longer book but I realize that Black presented what he had to tell and more words would have obfuscated what is just right. Author of Christine Falls and The Silver Swan, Black has written another compelling novel in The Lemur. I hope there is more of his writing in the works. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews