Operation Masonic by Helen C. Escott

The fifth novel in the Operation series, Operation Masonic by Helen C. Escott is another crime thriller that delivers!  Mortimer Williams, the Freemason's Grand Master, is found murdered on a stormy November night in a downtown theatre company building recently purchased from the secretive Freemasons Society. When Inspector Nicholas Myra of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary shows up to survey the crime scene, questions begin to swirl. Why is the victim dressed in full Freemason regalia, laid out in a secret room known as the Chamber of Reflection? What does a cryptic note, written in Latin and left next to the corpse, say? Are the three tools found close to the body part of some sort of sacrificial ceremony? Little does Myra know that he is about to embark upon a murder investigation that will take him through thousands of years of history and symbolism, uncovering secrets and scandals rooted in rumour with elements of truth. 

A page turning thriller that you won't be able to put down, Escott does a superb job at weaving fact and fiction through this Newfoundland style Da Vinci Code mystery. The cast of characters are both familiar and new to readers of the Operation series. Inspector Nicholas Myra, who we've come to both respect and love in previous narratives, opens up and the reader becomes intimately aware of his struggles with PTSD.  And if we don't already know that police officers are human too, enter Constable Donna Whiffen. New to the Major Crimes Unit, and a cracker jack cop, Whiffen reminds readers that maintaining a work life balance with a child of autism is challenging for anyone. These subplots help to keep the story interesting and the reader grounded in reality.

 Surrounding the murder mystery is a unique closely knit group of characters who all seemingly have a motive for wanting Morty dead. From Morty's domineering wife, to his estranged brother, his oddball neighbours, and local church historian, Operation Masonic is a classic who-done-it that will keep you guessing to the end. Perhaps the biggest secret is the one held by Morty but all is revealed in the end and the charitable businessman who met with an untimely passing is able to finally rest in peace. 

Operation Masonic by Helen C. Escott is a tightly woven crime thriller that is well researched and intriguing. Readers will delight in the mystery but long after the book ends one question will remain; Are the Freemasons a secret society or just a society with secrets? Operation Masonic is a Flanker Press publication.