THE WIDOW GINGER

The Widow Ginger
by Pip Granger
$24.95
August 2003
Poisoned Pen Press


The Widow Ginger is not your ordinary mystery in that you know a crime will happen, you know who the criminal is, you know what the crime will most likely be, and you know who the victim will probably be, but you don't know when it will happen. All of this is through the eyes of a precocious eight-year-old named Rosie. The tension that exists between the characters in this delightful visit to 1954 in Soho while waiting for the crime to happen is wrenching with realism through both the dialogue and the masterfully developed characters in The Widow Ginger.

In this sequel to Not All Tarts are Apples I found Rosie, the eight-year-old still true in spirit and character in that her loving relationship with her adopted grandparents and all the regular customers of their cafe demonstrated a virtual time machine back to 1954 with the dialogue putting the reader as an anticipated visitor there. Each character was so well-developed and truly demonstrated Pip Granger's unusual gift for colloquial conversation. A glossary is even included to help the reader, if needed, with many of the common phrases of 1954 England from Soho.

The Widow Ginger was carrying around an old grudge and looking for an opportunity to dish out his revenge. This character was so well described the developed that anyone reading the book would quickly recognize this villain if we saw him. To balance his evilness, Rosie's grandparents embrace their protective arms around the entire neighborhood.

My only criticism of this book was that I found that it would be difficult to understand the characters without having read Not All Tarts are Apples. The character personalities were so well established in the first book that is was only lightly revisited in this sequel. I do question if I would have enjoyed it as much if I had not read the first book. So I don't see this book as a stand alone, but as part of a set with the books being read in order.

This book is a must read for anyone willing to enter a time machine back to 1954 and to live in a loving neighborhood with real people who come together for each other.