First one I've read in this series, but it is obvious that there are others that precede and follow it, given the details of characters' backstories. On its own, it works well enough as a traditional murder mystery. No sex, no violence, kind of nice for a change. Reasonably believable, though the whole plot moves quickly both in few pages and in the characters' timeline. Just light detective reading. ( )

Good, eh. A Canadian mystery novel, set in Ottawa, so it was fun to read because it was a familiar setting. Good pacing, figured out ending half way through but still fun to read on a windy rainy Sunday. ( )

Beautiful Lie the Dead is the eighth Inspector Green book by Barbara Fradkin. When a young woman, shortly to marry, goes missing and then the body of a woman is found in an Ottawa snowbank, it takes a little while for the police to discover that the dead woman is not the missing one, but the two are nevertheless linked. Why did the bride disappear, first to Montreal and then apparently off the face of the earth? Inspector Green must travel to Montreal for the answers, which appear to lie buried deep in the past.... I've been enjoying this detective series, set primarily in Ottawa but sometimes moving to other parts of Canada; this one was especially fun for me since I live in Montreal. The mystery is complex but fairly clued, and the culprit was unexpected, which is always a plus in a mystery! It's not necessary to know the earlier books in the series to enjoy this one, although of course having the back story is always preferable. Recommended - although how anybody could prefer Lester's smoked meat concoctions over that of Schwartz's famous deli is beyond me! ( )

Barbara Fradkin is a shamelessly local author, writing about Canadian scenes and stories and for that alone, I like her. Too often Canadian writing is hidden in other locations to appeal more to the American market, or written by new immigrants about the land they left. I don't understand it, when Canada is so interesting in its own right. That said, some of the local colour gets in the way of the story. I don't need to know the actual view from the window of a specific deli to get the picture...
The Inspector Green stories are quite lovely in and of themselves. The Inspector is a thoughtful man in some ways, and enough detail about police functioning is included to make it clear Fradkin knows whereof she speaks. You feel you are in good hands and can relax into the story.
This particular story includes the Canadian mandatory winter, with heaps of snow and such, and the muddled history of out of wedlock births in the not too distant past. I enjoyed it.
For my money, though, Louise Penny's books provide more gristle and thoughtfulness. ( )

Excellent police procedural that takes place in Ottawa with stops in Montreal and smaller Canadian towns as Inspector Green marshalls the members of the Major Case Squad to locate a woman missing, but feared dead, only to discover the relationship between her fiance, the rich mother, the man’s long dead father, and a woman, later identified as Lise Grevelle, found dead on the street who had known the missing woman.

To say any more would turn this into a spoiler. Very enjoyable, well written, suspenseful, and seemingly realistic police procedures. ( )