MORE MYSTERIES | A synopsis

"Confessions of a Deathmaiden," by Ruth Francisco (Mysterious Press, $23.95)
Los Angeles-based author Ruth Francisco so convincingly builds the world of "deathmaidens" in her debut that readers will be scrambling for their dictionaries and surfing the Internet to find more about this branch of hospice.
Save your time. A deathmaiden strictly is a figment of Francisco's quite vivid imagination that she weaves into this quite original, often compelling, but flawed mystery. A deathmaiden is called by the hospice during a terminal patient's final hours to help the person "pass into the next reality." Without drugs or other "assistance," the deathmaiden -- "a midwife for the dying" is "a silent profession, unmentionable, yet omnipresent as the quiet of night."
It's not a job, it's a calling -- at least that's what Frances Oliver believes. The foundation of her work is built upon her compassion for the dying and her ability to "see" their fears about death and even know when they are not ready to pass on. Assigned to help a young Mexican boy in a coma, Frances realizes that he is not brain dead. "He was waiting for a reason to live. He was afraid to awaken. He felt happy and safe where he was." Frances leaves his bedside for a few minutes and the boy dies. She is convinced the boy didn't die naturally but was murdered.
Frances quickly becomes an amateur sleuth as she looks into smuggled antiques, medical research and the institute where she was trained, traveling from Los Angeles to the rebel-controlled Mexican village where the boy was born. For Frances, "Confessions of a Deathmaiden" becomes a journey of self-awareness as much as a search for a killer.
Supported by Francisco's often elegant prose, "Confessions of a Deathmaiden" features a complex, sympathetic heroine, an inventive plot and a fresh approach to the amateur sleuth genre. The author brings a distinct noirish view of L.A. and Mexico. A touch of mysticism and spirituality enhance the story.
As unique as "Confessions of a Deathmaiden" is, the novel is bogged down by an overabundance of coincidences, obvious foreshadowing and cliched villains.
Tipping her hand too soon as to the plot's secrets, the author tries to cram so much into her novel -- including the ethics of organ "harvesting," Mayan legends, corporate greed and the invisibility of the poor and indigenous people -- that the novel becomes weighted down and muddled.
Still, "Confessions of a Deathmaiden" offers an innovative approach by a creative writer.
"Amelia Peabody's Eygpt: A Compendium," edited by Elizabeth Peters and Kristen Whitbread (Morrow, $29.95)
New readers and faithful fans of Elizabeth Peters' long-running series about Egyptologist Amelia Peabody will find much to enjoy in this lovely coffee-table book. Taking its cue from the 15 novels, this compendium is as much about Amelia, her family and work as it is about the Victorian and Edwardian times, fashion, women's rights, tourists and Egyptian discoveries.
Peters, who has a Ph.D. in Egyptology, delightfully mixes fact with Amelia's fictional world and brings an insight to both. Even Barbara Mertz, which is Peters' real name, contributes an article to Amelia Peabody's "Eygpt: A Compendium."
The Amelia Peabody series began in 1975 with "Crocodile on the Sandbank," which immediately made Peters one of the most respected mystery writers. Through the years, the series has aged gracefully as have the characters, because Peters has wisely allowed her characters to mature. To see just how far the characters have come, miniprofiles, complete with photos (check out Rames' baby picture!) of Amelia and company -- as well as several historical figures -- are featured.
"The Last Man in Berlin," by Gaylord Dold (Sourcebooks, $25)
The search for the killer of transvestites in 1930s Berlin takes place against a dark and violent backdrop in Gaylord Dold's "The Last Man in Berlin." Clashes between Nazis and Communists, and both groups and the government, are constant.
In this chaos, Detective Harry Wulff is not only stalked by the killer, he's politically suspect because both his boss and his lover Johanna are Jewish in a Berlin that is slowly being strangled by the Nazis.
Dangers multiply when Wulff is also asked to find the spy in police headquarters leaking anti-Nazi information.
While the book could have used a truly functional period Berlin map and more period detail, it's a solid, sometimes exciting thriller.
"Eye of the Abyss," by Marshall Browne (Thomas Dunne, $23.95)
Franz Schmidt is no ordinary auditor in a German banking house. He's descended from a famous knight of the Teutonic Order, and he has already had a run-in with the Nazis because he tried to save one of their victims.When the Nazis establish a powerful connection with his bank in 1938 and the Gestapo threatens the bank's Jewish secretary, Schmidt finds himself instinctively trying to help her despite the potential danger to his family. What follows is a series of breathtaking risks.Despite one very cliched character, Marshall Browne's "Eye of the Abyss" is a superb page-turner with a terrific sense of the era.
"Dollmaker," by J. Robert Janes (Soho, $12)
A shopkeeper's death in 1943 brings French detective St.-Cyr and his German partner Kohler to Brittany in "Dollmaker" by J. Robert Janes.The suspected killer is a German submarine officer who had business dealings with the victim, and the author skillfully charts all the shifting cross-currents between conquerors and the defeated.The novel's main strength is its vivid depiction of a remote but significant corner of Occupied France in 1943 that's worn down by resentment, deprivation and bombings. But the author switches point of view too often at the expense of coherence, and his characters talk to themselves far too much.
Source: Knight Ridder Newspapers