Review: Colours of Death

I rarely take advantage of the ebook giveaways offered by BookBub, but this one caught my eye, and I'm glad I downloaded it. I hadn't heard of Robert New before (which probably makes sense considering his name) and so the prospect of giving a fellow Australian author of fair-play mystery puzzles a go was one I couldn't let slip by...like an elusive clue! Colours of Death was more than I hoped it would be. Sergeant Thomas is a likeable protagonist who in true Sherlockian tradition bedazzles us with insight into the workings of his brilliant mind. There's also entertaining banter and splashes of wit as he navigates cases with his team of admirable colleagues. These elements, alongside the backstory of his upcoming wedding, give the reader a relatable and human hero we can believe in.

With nine short mysteries adhering to the theme of "colours" in this collection clocking in at just under a hundred and ninety pages in the edition I read, the pacing is spot on. These are stories for fans of the puzzle mystery, particularly those readers with a penchant for forensics. Numerous readers have called my protagonist, Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable, a modern-day Sherlock Holmes, and I think Sergeant Thomas is also worthy of that accolade, perhaps even more so taking into account the nature of the mysteries in this casebook.

I'm looking forward to further glimpses into the workings of Robert New's mischievous mind and cracking more cases alongside the intrepid Sergeant Thomas. My hat is well and truly off, Mister New!

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