A Routine Infidelity (Elizabeth Coleman, Pantera)

Small-time private investigator Edwina ‘Ted’ Bristol spends her days serving court documents and exposing cheating spouses, but she longs for the dangerous and exciting kind of high-profile crime case that will take her business to the next level. When a routine case of infidelity leads to a plot to embezzle millions, Ted thinks she’s finally hit the big time. Meanwhile, she discovers that her big-hearted sister, Bob, might have fallen prey to a catfishing scam. Ted, fired up by personal injustice, sets off with her miniature schnauzer sidekick to seek retribution. In her debut novel, Elizabeth Coleman—one of the screenwriters of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries—has created a quirky and feisty protagonist whose frosty exterior hides her unacknowledged personal trauma. While there are some amusing elements, such as the eccentric internal banter between Ted and her dog, A Routine Infidelity overall lacks subtlety. The three main threads that make up the story are disappointingly predictable, leaving few twists and turns for readers to unravel. While Ted is in her 30s, the tone off the book feels surprisingly older, with characters over-describing the use of technology and perpetuating archaic stereotypes (Ted dismisses her feelings because she might be getting her period, another character blames her suspicions about her husband’s infidelity on her perimenopausal state). Chapters that switch focus from Ted to minor characters add to the confused tone and make it difficult to pin down a target audience for the book. A Routine Infidelity ends with all the loose ends seemingly tied up and the hint of a sequel to come.

Chloë Cooper is a librarian and freelance writer based in Meanjin. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Reviews