Professionals Reading Bingo: Case Fic

[jat-sapphire.livejournal.com]

As the square says, this story is focused on a case.


This is "Masquerade" by Chris Quinton.

Cowley wants to check a series of industrial-espionage cases in which connections of research scientists are being blackmailed to hand over information that is later sold. One of the scientists is an old friend of Cowley's whose son was disowned for being gay. The son happens to look a great deal like Bodie. A place connected somehow with the blackmail is a nightclub owned by another old friend of Cowley's. As I type this, it seems awfully convenient, but I honestly never thought of it until now. Both of the nightclubs this fellow owns specialise in 1930s music. Bodie can play piano. Ray has "an untrained tenor" voice.

This story has as number of familiar tropes, but the plot is complex and busy, including a few pleasant neighbors, variously pleasant or annoying members of the band, and a secondhand piano with woodworm.

I find Chris Quinton's writing pleasant and the stories absorbing.

Comments

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh I love this one - and I had no idea it was up at A03, so that's exciting too! *g* Chris Quinton (Tarot) is an excellent Pros writer, and I do wish she'd written more for us!

[jat-sapphire.livejournal.com]

I know! I feel the same. Huh, there seems to be quite a lot of Pros fic that has been added to AO3 sort of lately!