Tue 9 Dec 2008
Archived Review: GRAHAM THOMAS – Malice Downstream.
Posted by Steve under Authors , Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Crime Fiction IV , Reviews[5] Comments
GRAHAM THOMAS – Malice Downstream.
Fawcett Books; paperback original; 1st printing, December 2002.
Graham Thomas is a Canadian writer (British Columbia) who seems to have the British down pat, both the countryside and the countrymen. This is the fifth case for Detective-Chief Superintendent Erskine Powell, all paperback originals, and in the age of bloated mysteries running up to 400 pages or more, they’re lean and mean at a mere 200 plus.
In Malice Downstream Powell is found recuperating from a previous injury at a small village called Houghton Bridge, known almost only for its superb chalk stream fishing, and home of the renown Mayfly Club. Taking his mind off his almost healed leg, and to a lesser extent his failing marriage, Powell also finds murder, with roots in the past. Totally out-of-bounds in taking a hand in investigating a case he shouldn’t be, he’s obviously the epitome of a busman on holiday.
The detective work is solid if not flashy, with a villain rather obvious from first meeting, but if fly-fishing is an art you’re interested in, this is the book for you. And even if you’re not, if you can enjoy reading about the enthusiasm that someone else has for their near-obsessive hobbies, then this is also the book for you.
Overall a male-oriented book, but still very cozy in nature. Snug and insightful, in a minor key sort of way.
[UPDATE] 12-09-08. Until I looked him up in the Revised Crime Fiction IV, by Allen J. Hubin, I did not know that Graham Thomas was a pen name, but it is so. I’m guessing, of course, but perhaps Kosakoski did not sound “British” enough to someone whose opinion mattered.
Using his entry in CFIV as a basis, here below is a complete list of the Graham Thomas mysteries. Chief Supt. Erskine Powell is in all of them.
Note: In the original version of this review, I stated that Malice Downstream was the sixth in the series. It does not appear to be so, nor was there ever a sixth.
THOMAS, GRAHAM. Pseudonym of Gordon Kosakoski, 1950- .
Malice in the Highlands. Ivy, pbo, Jan 1998.
Malice in Cornwall. Ivy, pbo, June 1998.
Malice on the Moors. Ivy, pbo, Aug 1999.
Malice in London. Ivy, pbo, April 2000.
Malice Downstream. Fawcett, pbo, Dec 2002.
May 9th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
Thank you for your kind comments. Unfortunately my husband died on May 5, 2008 after completing 5 novels. He was Canadian but in his spirit, he was a Brit. He is still very much missed by his family.
Cheers
Becky
May 9th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
Becky
Thanks so much for getting in touch. I enjoyed the one book I read very much, and while five is a good number, I wish he’d written more of them.
Best regards
Steve
December 9th, 2014 at 9:50 am
Hello Becky,
My mother was a Kosakoski (changed to Kosky later on). My grandfather, Alexander Kosakoski was a Canadian (Winnepeg, Manitoba)before coming to the States.
I was going through some old family photos, and I found a baby picture of Gordon Thomas Kosakoski, age 6 months in 1950. This is obviously a relative- I wonder if this is the same man as your husband. If so, please do contact me- we’re family!
Here is the link to my genealogy website: http://www.tribalpages.com/family-tree/kmbeard123/282/52/Alexander-Kosakoskie-Family.
The password is ancestor.
– Kathleen Beard
March 2nd, 2015 at 11:25 am
Hi Kathleen
So good to hear from you. I haven’t any idea why i looked up this page but there you go! Gordon is indeed the same person that you have a baby picture of! i wasn’t able to figure out how to contact you on the website. Maybe there is another way? It would be fun to be part of the family connections!
Best wishes
Becky
May 21st, 2016 at 1:14 pm
I have purchased and read the 5 “Malice” mystery novels. I later found that Graham Thomas was a pen name and Gordon Kosakoski was deceased. We have lost a unique talent, husband and father.He has however left us with a legacy which will live on in his books. Thanks