Desert Spring: A Claire Gray Mystery

Now, with the sad demise of the Mark Manning series, we can rejoice that we have Claire Gray. Not only are they well-plotted, they also give us a deadly accurate view of life in Palm Springs. None has been better than Desert Spring. I look forward to many more.

In his playful (pun intended) tenth novel, Michael Craft fuses the intricacies of the classic mystery genre with the overall structure of dramatic theater to create a wild entertainment. Claire Gray is facing the end of her first academic year at Desert Arts College, as well as the probable end of her relationship with her younger leading man, who is set to star in his first feature film. She publicly laments this loss, and quips that she wishes the director dead, so when his body is discovered in her pool after that night's party, guess who's the prime suspect? Briefly reluctant to involve herself in yet another murder investigation, Claire sets out to clear her name and finds that only she actually liked the director, and the list of suspects grows by the moment. Written simultaneously with Craft's stage play "Photo Flash", "Desert Spring" borrows heavily from the theater world, and this only cements the lively quality of his storytelling. The book is determined to be both fun and serious, without being dour, and greatly surpassed my expectations.

Living in southeastern Wisconsin, I was among those fortunate enough to see Michael Craft's play, "Photo Flash," when it premiered in a local production last fall. Like the rest of the audience, I found it to be a delightful, humorous romp and a solid whodunit. When I learned that the play was actually the basis of Craft's new novel, "Desert Spring," I couldn't wait to read the book. And I was not disappointed. The story works even better in book form, with added characters, extended intrigue, and a much more intimate look at the main character, Claire Gray. If you haven't yet explored this series, you're missing a wonderful reading experience. Highly recommended.

She was a famous Broadway director, well known and respected, who took a sabbatical to write her own play Traders which won a Tony and was nominated for an Oscar when it was made into a film. At age fifty-four, she was recruited by Glenn Yeats, who founded and is now president of Desert Arts college, two hours noth of LA, to be the chair of the theatre department. One day when she went to get her car tinted, she met twenty-six year old Tanner Griffin and immediately saw his star potential. While she coached him in acting they become lovers and together they put the college on the map. On the last day of the production of Traders, Claire hosts a cast party and a going away party for Tanner who has signed up to act in a movie in Hollywood. The party is a smashing success but when most of the people call it a night, Hollywood producer and screenwriter Spencer Wallace is found dead in Claire's swimming pool. Tests show he was poisoned and probably was pushed into the pool and circumstantial evidence points to Claire as the suspect although there were many other people at the party who wanted him dead. her own Claire once again starts her own investigation with the stakes being the restoration of her good name and finding out who the perpetrator is who is trying to frame her. Michael Craft, the author of the fascinating Mark Manning series has another winning, although totally different in tone and content, series to his credit. Claire Gray proves you're never too old for romance or a career change. She knows her strengths and there is no false modesty about her yet the audience will notice that at rare and unexpected times, she has moments of vulnerability which makes the reader like her all the more. DESERT SPRING is a sophisticated and entertaining amateur sleuth novel. Harriet Klausner