A Routine Infidelity by Elizabeth Coleman

Publisher's Synopsis

Private investigator Edwina ‘Ted’ Bristol deals in the cheating husbands and missing chihuahuas of Melbourne, but yearns for the heart-stopping excitement of real crime.

When Ted discovers her sister, Bob, has fallen prey to an internet catfishing scam, she sets out with her beloved miniature schnauzer and shrewd sidekick, Miss Marple, to catch the swindler. Meanwhile, when conducting routine surveillance on a couple suspected of having an affair, she uncovers a plot to embezzle millions.

As Bob’s case takes a series of bizarre twists and turns and the embezzlement investigation escalates into murder, Ted finds her own life in peril. Will she crack her first criminal case before it’s too late?

My Review of A Routine Infidelity by Elizabeth Coleman

A Routine Infidelity is the debut novel by Australian author Elizabeth Coleman. Featuring newly minted PI Edwina (Ted) Bristol, this pacy crime caper blends a perfect mix of borderline craziness, light-hearted banter and serious detective work while also managing to throw in a darker, more guilt-ridden past once you get to know Ted a little better.

At first glance, it appears that we’re in for a fairly standard PI story. Ted Bristol is the principal, and sole, employee of Edwina Bristol Investigations (EBI). She’s a self-proclaimed kick-arse PI who, despite her diminutive size can hold her own when it comes to facing people down. She’s just starting out and is in the building phase of her business as a civil investigator with much of her work consisting of surveillance of possible insurance scams, cheating spouses and serving papers.

But it becomes apparent that there are a few aspects of Ted that sets her apart from her peers. The first is her sidekick, Miss Marple, a miniature schnauzer with a rather diffident attitude. The second is her weekly recreational activity of participating in Swordcraft, a medieval battle game that takes place every Saturday night (she’s a warrior elf). Throw in the fact that she has 7 older brothers and one older sister, she works next door to a maybe-psychic, she’s enjoying a friends-with-benefits relationship with Joel because she has commitment issues and she still can’t speak to her father 30 years after watching her mother drown. Yep, a lot is going on.

While working on what appears to be a reasonably straightforward case to confirm that a husband is cheating on his wife, Ted believes she’s stumbled across a much bigger corporate fraud scam. Sensing this to be the big break that EBI needs to attract future clients, she works it hard and walks straight into danger. And that’s where things really start to get interesting.

I really enjoyed A Routine Infidelity, firstly because of the slightly offbeat humour dotted throughout as well as the rapid-fire action. But mainly for the multi-dimensional subplots that continually added a freshness to the storyline. The traditional private eye work was a good start, but then the hint of the mystical gave it a solid woo-woo feel, the overly large family provides boundless potential for antagonistic showdowns and finally, the hint of a budding romance or two.

Just when it seemed this would be a purely plot-driven mystery we are taken to a darker place to find that Ted is hiding a guilt-ridden past. An exploration of what took place 30 years ago and its effects on her now, plus the impact it had on older sister Bob provides much needed character development.

This is clearly the first book in a series with a tantalising case in the offing providing an appetite whetting ending. I’ll be looking forward to the next case taken on by Edwina Bristol Investigations.