Original caricature by Jeff York of Erin Clark, author of THE ETIQUETTE OF MURDER (copyright 2026)
Writing a mystery isn’t easy. The author must not only tell a compelling story with risks and stakes beyond normal life but also develop characters who are recognizable as human beings and as cogs in the thrill machine. Finally, a mystery author must play fair with their audience, ensuring the clues to solving the case are readily accessible, but not so obvious that readers can figure them out well before the climax.
All of which makes reviewing the new book THE ETIQUETTE OF MURDER all the more enjoyable, as the new release by first-time writer Erin Clark manages to be true to these necessities and even find a clever, singular voice in doing so. Quite an accomplishment for a freshman effort. Clark’s story concerns the murder of a customer who was taking detailed etiquette lessons from a “Miss Manners” type in hopes of navigating the world of business dinners more successfully. Clark is smart to put that victim in amongst a group of adult students to keep us guessing which amongst them might be the murderer. She also develops the etiquette instructors well, giving them nuance and complex backstories that keep them on the suspect list. (Somewhere, Agatha Christie is smiling.) It’s written with great detail and grammatical precision, and the elevated style Clark uses in her prose matches the story’s elevated dinner behavior.
Perri Clare is the main character, the hostess with the mostess, charging top fees to teach C-suite wannabes how to use utensils properly, where to place one’s elbows at the table, and even how to tear off a hunk of bread from a French loaf without polluting the entire breadbasket with germy fingers. The scene where the suspects gather for a class at a hoity-toity restaurant and try to impress Perri with their table manners is not only tense, as we suspect something will go awry, but also hilarious, as Clark gives the set-piece plenty of laughs while she tweaks those traveling in the “one percent.”
Among the suspects are a married couple, a former nanny, an ad exec, and the restaurant staff. Clark shows great discipline in what she shares and what she withholds; something happens to one of those gathered, but it isn’t until a few chapters later that the would-be murderer’s malfeasance catches up with the victim. Clark is toying with us, like a cat batting about a mouse, and the story is all the more delicious for the delays.
It wouldn’t be a murder mystery without a detective on the scene, and Clark creates a good one in Grant Tennison, the story’s hunky, almost cowboy-esque copper. He’s tall, lean, witty, and just cynical enough to let the audience know he’s done this kind of investigation more than once. Then Clark does two things I wasn’t expecting, and both are inspired. First, she has the attraction between Tennison and Perri play obvious to all parties, foregoing all the typical ‘repressed sexuality’ that often mars such stories. Second, she has Tennison welcome Peri’s and her bestie/business partner Daphne Fields’ thoughts on the investigation. He’s big enough to welcome any and all good suggestions from the two women’s amateur inklings. How refreshing!
I worked with Erin 20 years ago in advertising, and she gently spoofs that crazy business throughout. Perri used to be an account executive, as was Clark in her day, and the heroine can’t help but pull out a whiteboard to jot down the case’s knowns and unknowns as she and Daphne try to “Jessica Fletcher” it all. Clark’s novel also takes plenty of worthy shots at the douchey ad exec among the suspects, creating some of the novel’s best, most knowing chuckles.
Clark also appreciates Chicago history and architecture, and her descriptions of such add even more depth to the proceedings. The anecdotes carry authority and gravitas, but in a breezy way that never bogs things down, much like Perri’s full-on approach. The violence in the story is kept to a minimum, as Clark clearly wants this to be a fun read, never gruesome or gratuitous. I worried about Perri’s dog as her owner became more entrenched in the investigation, but thankfully the pooch is there to be cute, not a casualty.
Perri Clare is an attractive, impressive businesswoman, a crackerjack armchair sleuth, and a character who could easily become a recurring figure in mysteries. (Again, somewhere, Agatha Christie is smiling.) I think you’ll smile too after reading this brisk, smart mystery with its potent mix of danger, delights, and dinner courses. You might just want to eat it up with a spoon.
