First in a series featuring paranormal investigator Nathaniel Gye. In this opener, Gye is visited by one Sheldon Myles, who made his fortune in law. His wife, June, it seems, is ready to go to the police to confess to a murder that the police had ruled an accidental death. The death had occurred at a rather flamboyant party held by Sheldon & June at their home, and now June is ready to go and turn herself in. Why? Well, it seems that she's been listening to a hypnotist who took her back in time and now she can "remember" that she killed someone; Myles wants Gye to investigate this hypnotist and convince his wife she killed no one. But once Nat starts his investigation, things heat up with all concerned and there are those who do not want him nosing around. Nat must find out what the heck is going on here.

Not too bad for a series opener; I'd have liked it better without all the turmoil between Nathaniel and his wife in their private life, but that's just me. I'm one of those readers who just want to get to the point. There's a lot of clues, a lot of red herrings, a lot of suspects and to his credit, I thought I had the mystery all figured out early on but I was wrong. The writing is pretty good and the mystery will take you on a very winding road until you get to the finish.

Recommended for those who like mysteries in general, British mysteries, and mysteries that add a wee bit of the supernatural into the mix. ( )

Tripletree by Derek Wilson introduces us to Nathaniel Gye, paranormal investigator. Nathaniel is a Cambridge lecturer in paranormal psychology and a minor television personality. His wife, Kathryn, is the editor of a popular magazine.

In July 1994, the Gyes are invited to Coln St. Ippolyts Manor, an old manor house in the Cotswolds which was recently purchased and renovated by two London barristers, Sheldon and Juniper Myles. The Myles travel in all the best circles and have invited 150 of the crème de la crème to their housewarming party. Nathaniel isn't too keen on attending, but Kathryn insists, since the Myles want a write-up in her magazine, and she wants her husband to suffer along with her.

During the course of the evening, things begin to go wrong, such as the grand fireworks display being set off prematurely. Just when they thought nothing more could go wrong, a woman is found murdered in the ornamental lake. In no time at all, evil spirits are being blamed for not only the fireworks, but the murder as well. After all, the owner of the manor during the Civil War was the evil Sir Simon Bygot, who was hung on his own gallows at the top of the hill. (The manor house is often called Tripletree because of the three chestnut trees on that hill and the gallows.) Sheldon Myles asks Nathaniel to come back to Tripletree to speak with his wife. Juniper has been seeing a hypnotherapist and is convinced that she murdered the woman in the lake. Myles wants those rumors to cease immediately. Nathaniel reluctantly agrees and finds himself drawn into a caldron of witches, greed, egomaniacs, suspicious villagers and charlatans.

I think most people would look at the dustjacket and think, "Yuck! Paranormal investigator? Here we go with ghosts and cold spots and ectoplasm and all that!" Truth is, Nathaniel is the type of investigator who goes around debunking all that stuff. As a result, the "woo-woo" factor is practically non-existent. I think I was looking forward to reading about an evil house, à la The Haunting of Hill House. I didn't find that at all, but I wasn't disappointed. I loved watching Gye's mind at work while he pieced things together. What was said, what wasn't said, peoples' body language, etc. He's sharp. ( )