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Summary: The Malcontenta: A Kathy and Brock Mystery by Barry Maitland
Review: After having read and enjoyed "The Marx Sisters" by Barry Maitland, I was eager to read "The Malcontenta". While entertaining, it is not as excellent as his previous work.Kathy and Brock still make a good team and I am looking forward to reading more of these books. "The Malcontenta" is set in a Health Spa. I have found, over many years, that although Health Spas and Cruise Ships would seem to be ideal settings for mysteries, they usually disappoint. Nonetheless, this is a good read and I would not hesitate to recommend it, particularly to lovers of English mysteries.
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Summary: The Malcontenta: A Kathy and Brock Mystery by Barry Maitland
Review: After having read and enjoyed "The Marx Sisters" by Barry Maitland, I was eager to read "The Malcontenta". While entertaining, it is not as excellent as his previous work. Kathy and Brock still make a good team and I am looking forward to reading more of these books. "The Malcontenta" is set in a Health Spa. I have found, over many years, that although Health Spas and Cruise Ships would seem to be ideal settings for mysteries, they usually disappoint. Nonetheless, this is a good read and I would not hesitate to recommend it, particularly to lovers of English mysteries.
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Summary: Excellent entertainment.
Review: Australian author Maitland surprised the world five years ago with the Marx sisters, a wonderful little book about a neighbourhood in London and the human relationships between a number of immigrants against the historical background of the last house of Karl Marx. This book introduced us to DCI Brock and DS Kolla. In the Malcontenta we see them back in a more sophisticated novel with a lot of room for development of other charachters. The plot is very good and well paced. A murder in a high profile clinic is given to DS Kolla to investigate but in a later stage she is pulled from the investigation and the investigation is closed. Not satsified with that Kathy involves Brock and this leads to a whole new set of events in and around the clinic. Maitland has this wonderful talent of taking you ( luring you even..) into a situation where nothing much seems to happen, where you start to feel as if you were listening to one of Poirots explanations and than...Boom it happens. This makes splendid reading. This novel, more than the first, is also excellent in describing the backgrounds, the theathre, of where it all happens. In the description of the clinic you have the feeling of reading The Magic Mountain with different characters and in his description of the gay scene heis poignant and fair. It is a pity that it takes such a long time to bring these books to the market. I bought the book four years ago in Australia and have re-read it again after all the publiciy on these pages. It is well worth reading, however and I will certainly pick up the number three in this series as well.
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Summary: Suspenseful procedural with wry style
Review: British author Maitland's second Detective Sergeant Kathy Kolla and Chief Inspector David Brock mystery, "The Malcontenta," finds young Kathy chafing at mundane duties in the country, on rotation from her London base. Jumping at the chance to investigate the death of a physical therapist at an alternative-medicine spa, her zealousness in seeing murder where her superiors have determined suicide soon lands her in trouble. Taking the case to Brock, she is delighted when he agrees to investigate unofficially, from the inside, as a patient. The narrative switches to Brock's point-of-view as he enters a regimen of fasting and acupuncture under the watchful eye of the charismatic, pretentious director and his coldly efficient wife while asking nosy questions of suspicious and vulnerable patients. A second, horrific death, which points a bloody finger at Brock, spins the narrative back to Kathy, who is abruptly suspended and thrown onto the resources of her heretofore nonexistent private life (introducing new characters who will certainly flesh out the background of the next book). The pair teams up again for a spectacular and surprising finale with plenty of fast footwork and bloody drama. Likeable protagonists, effective secondary characters, a wryly humorous style and a well-paced plot make Maitland's (The Marx Sisters") series a growing pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful procedural with wry style
Review: British author Maitland's second Detective Sergeant Kathy Kolla and Chief Inspector David Brock mystery, "The Malcontenta," finds young Kathy chafing at mundane duties in the country, on rotation from her London base. Jumping at the chance to investigate the death of a physical therapist at an alternative-medicine spa, her zealousness in seeing murder where her superiors have determined suicide soon lands her in trouble. Taking the case to Brock, she is delighted when he agrees to investigate unofficially, from the inside, as a patient. The narrative switches to Brock's point-of-view as he enters a regimen of fasting and acupuncture under the watchful eye of the charismatic, pretentious director and his coldly efficient wife while asking nosy questions of suspicious and vulnerable patients. A second, horrific death, which points a bloody finger at Brock, spins the narrative back to Kathy, who is abruptly suspended and thrown onto the resources of her heretofore nonexistent private life (introducing new characters who will certainly flesh out the background of the next book). The pair teams up again for a spectacular and surprising finale with plenty of fast footwork and bloody drama. Likeable protagonists, effective secondary characters, a wryly humorous style and a well-paced plot make Maitland's (The Marx Sisters") series a growing pleasure.
Rating: 
Summary: The Malcontenta
Review: In spite of the rave reviews, I must have been one of the few that did not find Barry Maitland's first Kathy and Brock mystery, "The Marx Sisters", all that wonderful. The mystery itself was promising but the novel, in my opinion, tended to meander all over the place, and to get bogged down at times. Having confessed to that, I'll admit that this second Kathy and Brock mystery, The Malcontenta", is really good. Tightly paced and with very good character and plot development, this novel really gave you that 'at-the-edge-of-your-seat' feeling. Bored with her temporary assignment to the Family and Juvenille Crime unit, Sergeant Kathy Kolla jumps at the chance to investigate a suspicious death at the Stanhope Naturopathic Clinic. From the very first Kathy has to contend with the clinic's staff and administrators whose first priority is naturally to protect the reputation of the clinic, themeselves and their rich and influential clients. Did the physiotherapist, Alex Petrou, commit siucide or is it a case of murder? Things are not adding up for Kathy, and Petrou himself seems to have been abit of a shady character. But just as it looks as if the case is about to break, Kathy is pulled off the case and reprimanded for incompetence. Frustrated and not at all sure of what she should do, Kathy turns to Brock for advice and help, especially when the Petrou's death is glossed over as an unfortunate accident. Both Kathy and Brock begin to suspect some sort of cover up that reaches into the higher echelons of the county police. But how far up and how many are involved? This mystery novel is a truly good read. I encourage those few who like me found "The Marx Sisters" disappionting to give this novel a go. You will not be sorry.
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Summary: The Malcontenta
Review: In spite of the rave reviews, I must have been one of the few that did not find Barry Maitland's first Kathy and Brock mystery, "The Marx Sisters", all that wonderful. The mystery itself was promising but the novel, in my opinion, tended to meander all over the place, and to get bogged down at times. Having confessed to that, I'll admit that this second Kathy and Brock mystery, The Malcontenta", is really good. Tightly paced and with very good character and plot development, this novel really gave you that 'at-the-edge-of-your-seat' feeling. Bored with her temporary assignment to the Family and Juvenille Crime unit, Sergeant Kathy Kolla jumps at the chance to investigate a suspicious death at the Stanhope Naturopathic Clinic. From the very first Kathy has to contend with the clinic's staff and administrators whose first priority is naturally to protect the reputation of the clinic, themeselves and their rich and influential clients. Did the physiotherapist, Alex Petrou, commit siucide or is it a case of murder? Things are not adding up for Kathy, and Petrou himself seems to have been abit of a shady character. But just as it looks as if the case is about to break, Kathy is pulled off the case and reprimanded for incompetence. Frustrated and not at all sure of what she should do, Kathy turns to Brock for advice and help, especially when the Petrou's death is glossed over as an unfortunate accident. Both Kathy and Brock begin to suspect some sort of cover up that reaches into the higher echelons of the county police. But how far up and how many are involved? This mystery novel is a truly good read. I encourage those few who like me found "The Marx Sisters" disappionting to give this novel a go. You will not be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: The Malcontenta: A Kathy and Brock Mystery by Barry Maitland
Review: It goes without saying that tight plotting, suspense, and a good prose style are key components in writing a mystery novel. Barry Maitland's second mystery, "The Malcontenta", has all of that. But what makes it an enjoyable five-stars is the wit and the characterization. Maitland sees his world from a distance, a perspective which allows him some irony and wry humor as the novel unfolds...and gives him the latitude to create a bevvy of characters who are charming, intriguing, and very human. This is a suberb mystery. Don't miss it.
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Summary: Great Fun, Good Mystery
Review: It goes without saying that tight plotting, suspense, and a good prose style are key components in writing a mystery novel. Barry Maitland's second mystery, "The Malcontenta", has all of that. But what makes it an enjoyable five-stars is the wit and the characterization. Maitland sees his world from a distance, a perspective which allows him some irony and wry humor as the novel unfolds...and gives him the latitude to create a bevvy of characters who are charming, intriguing, and very human. This is a suberb mystery. Don't miss it.
Rating:
Summary: Solid read, buy the paperback version....
Review: THE MALCONTENTA by Barry Maitland will keep the reader thoroughly entertained on a long flight or wait at the doctor's office. The book has several strenghths and a few minor weaknesses. First, Maitland creates relatively strong settings. Maitland teaches university level architecture and in THE MALCONTENTA he has inserted interesting material about 18th Century architecture -- the Italian influence on the English country house (Palladio)-- which will appeal to anyone familiar with the Italinate influence on the Neoclassical Age in England. And, despite what the reviewer says, the house in this story is based on an Italian design (Palladio) -- the original in Vicenza and known as The Malcontenta. Second, Maitland does a pretty convincing job of developing his characters, though some are more adequately drawn than others. One character in THE MALCONTENTA, a woman with a serious illness is quite real and her discussions with Brock are so authentic I felt as if I was overhearing a conversation. Maitland won't keep you in suspense for long. He has too many characters and they fall all over each other and drag down the action (Kathy's room mates and co-workers should be thinned out). The plot of THE MALCONTENTA is fairly believable although there are some nonplausible moments. I just don't think good cops travel without cell phones. However, Maitland is far better at avoiding mad plot twists than many of his contemporaries who boggle the mind at times. All in all, this is a good and entertaining book, and I like it well enough to read other books by Maitland.
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