Notes on a Missing G-String - Published August 2019
A low-key jazz guitarist finds himself embroiled in a bitter feud between a high-class escort and a gangland boss in Kent’s novel.
Five years after surviving a shipwreck in the Gulf of Alaska, musician Jason Davey is back home in London, enjoying a relatively tranquil life as a resident guitarist at the Blue Devil nightclub. Then a visit from an old friend, fellow cruise ship worker Sal Jones, leads him down a path that takes him a long way out of his comfort zone. Sal’s friend, sex worker Holly Medford, had £10,000 (and a G-string) stolen from her locker while she was working at a local “gentlemen’s club.”She needed the money to repay a debt to notorious gangster Arthur Braskey, who’s growing increasingly impatient. Someone needs to track down the cash before Holly finds herself in real danger, and because Jason has done a little amateur sleuthing before, Sal thinks that the guitar player would be the ideal man for the job.
The £10,000, though, turns out to be a mere drop in the ocean—and Arthur is a less-than-sympathetic creditor, as Jason learns the hard way. Despite the novel’s rather garish title, it’s a fairly impressive crime thriller. Jason is a well-crafted reluctant hero, and Kent’s writing is slick and engaging throughout. Jason has appeared in her fiction before—in 2012’s Cold Play and a later novella—and this entry is a little slow to hit its stride, as the loss of £10,000 and a lingerie item seems a rather modest premise for a crime novel; it’s not until around the halfway mark that things really start to escalate. However, this is a minor gripe, as even when the case seems underwhelming, the prose is strong enough to carry it through. There’s a tangential plotline involving Holly’s brother and a member of Jason’s band that becomes too conveniently relevant to the main story, but this doesn’t detract significantly from what is otherwise a skillfully crafted crime novel.
A highly entertaining caper set in a sleazy London underworld.
Published by Kirkus Reviews - May 2020
Lost Time - Published August 2020
Cath 'n' Kindle Book Reviews
Reviewed 27 September 2021
The Ormsby Review
Reviewed 14 March 2021 Read this detailed review of Lost Time on The Ormsby Review.
Publishers Weekly
Reviewed 8 February 2021 In Kent’s accomplished sequel to 2019’s Notes on a Missing G-String, musician and amateur investigator Jason Davey has joined a reunion tour of Figgis Green, a British folk band that his parents belonged to and had its heyday in the 1960s and ’70s. In Hampshire, Duncan Stopher, an enthusiastic fan of Figgis Green, approaches Davey, who has a reputation as a sleuth with a gift for resolving missing-person cases. Duncan claims to have a lead on a decades-old cold case—the disappearance of Pippa Gladstone, a 16-year-old who vanished in Spain in 1974 while on vacation with her family. Duncan has found a photo from a Figgis Green concert that shows Pippa in the crowd months after her family last saw her. Before Davey can do much digging, Duncan is stabbed to death, and he becomes the prime suspect. The plot twists are logical, and Kent nicely balances plot and character. More series entries would be welcome.
Goodreads Reviews
Reviewed 18 September 2020 Jason Davy agrees to perform in a last band tour with his mother, Mandy Green. She is a founding member of the Figgis Green band. Her husband is dead, so her son, Jason, has agreed to replace his father on the final tour. Jason is also an amateur sleuth with a reputation for finding missing people.
Most of the story concerns the band members practicing and arguing incessantly. Jason also has a culinary chronical blog where he posts pictures and details of all his meals. I found that boring and silly.
During a break, Jason is approached at a restaurant by a man who identifies himself as Duncan Stopher. He petitions Jason to search for a young girl who disappeared when sixteen years of age in 1974. A short time later the same man is found murdered, but his name is not Duncan Stopher. Jason planned to refuse the case but is intrigued that the dead man assumed an identity to approach him. With his curiosity aroused, Jason starts his investigation. Soon after Jason is attacked when he enters his hotel room. The thug is surprised when Jason beats the hell out of him. Then mysterious people appear to clean the room and dispose of the attacker.
The story is more of a cozy mystery in the vein of Miss Marple than a hardcore murder mystery.
Toward the end, a plot is exposed that will unravel plans of a person aspiring to high office.
Before the ending Jason has to deal with thugs, the police, and Britain’s M15 intelligence service.
The story contains some hardcore cursing and no sex scenes.
The editing and sentence structure are unusually good.
Character Development is good for the main characters and okay for support characters.
Details and research are good and carry the story
The plot is fresh, intricate, and complex but too involved in the workings of a band for my taste.
The writing style is relaxed but contains many false leads and conflicting evidence.
Reviewed 13 November 2020 At its heart, this is a mystery with an amateur sleuth trying to solve a case. In this specific instance it involves a girl who went missing several decades ago and was never found. The setting for all of this coming about is Jason Davey, our amateur sleuth, filling in for a reunion and final tour of a band that was fronted by his parents years ago, He’s been recruited to fill in for his dad who has been dead a few years. That makes for some interesting situations. Because Jason isn’t his dad it requires adjustments be made by all concerned musically as well as emotionally at times. Even though the band in the story is fictional, the author has them singing what are often real songs, albeit obscure songs at times, from real songwriters. I found myself laying down the book to go investigate a song that got mentioned once or twice. Music nerds, consider yourself forewarned. To be clear, while this might seem like a distraction, it pulled me into the spirit of the story that much deeper. Then I’d come back from my musical interlude and Jason would move a step closer to solving the mystery as he uncovered one more strange clue that I’d have never anticipated, taking us to a conclusion that also surprised me.
Reviewed 8 September 2020 Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Notes on a Missing G-String (Book 1 in the series), I looked forward to this second instalment. But I did wonder if Ms. Kent could possibly surpass the tension and pace of her previous work. I needn’t have worried. The storyline is an intriguing one filled with musical stage drama, subterfuge, crisp dialogue, and unexpected plot twists. I strongly recommend setting aside large uninterrupted blocks of time to read this unputdownable novel.
Reviewed 8 December 2020 Lost Time is perfect for people who love music and mysteries. This started off a little slow for me, but once we got to the mystery things began to pick up. I think the beginning would have been a little easier to get into if I was more into the music scene, honestly. If you're a music lover you'll undoubtedly love how music is intertwined with the mystery. There are enough twists to keep you guessing and turning pages until the end.
Reviewed 1 October 2020 Thoroughly enjoyed this story of the Figgis Green reunion and the mystery of missing girl. Nice twists and all round good read.
Reviewed 17 January 2021 This author has a cool style and her writing is humorous. It was nice to laugh out loud because of the situation but also the wit of her characters
Amazon Reviews
Reviewed 3 September 2020 I received my book yesterday and read it yesterday and finished it today. I will read it again tomorrow! I have read all of Winona's books over the years but this latest series of Jason Davey mysteries are so so good. Lost Time has a wonderful plot, a mix of fascinating characters and a mystery which will hold you until the last chapter. She writes with her own compelling style and you can tell she researches every story thoroughly. I can recommend this to every lover of crime mysteries, read Lost Time then try Disturbing the Peace and Note on a Missing G-String! you will soon become a fan!
Reviewed 21 September 2020
Reviewed 21 September 2020
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Reviewed 11January 2021
Reviewed 8 September 2020 Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Notes on a Missing G-String (Book 1 in the series), I looked forward to this second installment. But I did wonder if Ms. Kent could possibly surpass the tension and pace of her previous work. I needn’t have worried. The storyline is an intriguing one filled with musical stage drama, subterfuge, crisp dialogue, and unexpected plot twists. I strongly recommend setting aside large uninterrupted blocks of time to read this unputdownable novel.
Big Al's Books & Pals
Reviewed 8 November 2020 At its heart, this is a mystery with an amateur sleuth trying to solve a case. In this specific instance it involves a girl who went missing several decades ago and was never found. The setting for all of this coming about is Jason Davey, our amateur sleuth, filling in for a reunion and final tour of a band that was fronted by his parents years ago, He’s been recruited to fill in for his dad who has been dead a few years. That makes for some interesting situations. Because Jason isn’t his dad it requires adjustments be made by all concerned musically as well as emotionally at times. Even though the band in the story is fictional, the author has them singing what are often real songs, albeit obscure songs at times, from real songwriters. I found myself laying down the book to go investigate a song that got mentioned once or twice. Music nerds, consider yourself forewarned. To be clear, while this might seem like a distraction, it pulled me into the spirit of the story that much deeper. Then I’d come back from my musical interlude and Jason would move a step closer to solving the mystery as he uncovered one more strange clue that I’d have never anticipated, taking us to a conclusion that also surprised me.