Kelly, Jim 1957-

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KELLY, Jim 1957-

PERSONAL: Born 1957; partner of Midge Gilles; children: (with Gilles) Rosa.

ADDRESSES: Home—Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. Office—Financial Times, 1 Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HL, England.

CAREER: Journalist. Financial Times, London, England, education correspondent.

WRITINGS:

FICTION

The Water Clock, St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2003.

The Fire Baby, St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Jim Kelly is a journalist whose first mystery novel, The Water Clock, was shortlisted for the Crime Writer's Association John Creasey Award. The novel introduces the reader to reporter Philip Dryden, a man who is deathly afraid of water after falling through icy water as a child. Compounding his fear even more, Dryden's wife, Laura, is left comatose after the car they are traveling in is forced off a road and into a body of water. After the accident, someone rescued Dryden but for some reason left his wife in the car. Two years later, Dryden still visits his wife every day in the hospital while he works on a weekly newspaper in a small town in Cambridgeshire, England. Still searching for the person who rescued him, Dryden, aided by the cab-driving Humph, begins investigating the case of a body retrieved from a river and soon ties it to another rotting corpse found on a cathedral roof. A Kirkus Reviews contributor noted The Water Clock has "intriguing characters and locale and [a] wryly believable newsroom background." In Publishers Weekly a reviewer noted that, "on balance … this is a solid mystery from a promising new talent." Emily Melton, writing in Booklist, commented: "Strong characters, a riveting plot, plenty of humor, and an eccentric hero add up to a fine debut."

In The Fire Baby Dryden and his sidekick Humph become involved in an old murder case, a 1976 plane crash, illegal immigration, pornography, and a new murder. In an interview on the Penguin Group Web site, the author said, "The Fire Baby is about the damage that can be done by lies." Dryden continues his faithful visits to his wife and there meets Maggie Beck, a woman dying of cancer who befriends Dryden and gives him a tape to deliver to her daughter and American boyfriend. The revelations on the tape about Maggie's life and the things she knows sets Dryden on a road to solving several crimes while he encounters a cryptic message from his comatose wife. "This novel far outstrips most conventional mysteries," wrote Connie Fletcher in Booklist. A Kirkus Reviews contributor felt the author "manages to elevate soap-opera situations by means of crisp writing." Writing in Publishers Weekly, a reviewer commented that Kelly "proves that his outstanding mystery debut … was no fluke in this gripping sequel," and "excels at portraying shattered lives with great insight and sensitivity." Judith Cutler, writing for Shots online, noted that Kelly "unfolds his narrative in a bleak, literate style." The reviewer went on to comment, "The measured pace increases tension when it should, relaxes into almost affectionate humour when it can. The denouement is as right as it is frustrating."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 15, 2003, Emily Melton, review of The Water Clock, p. 394; December 15, 2004, Connie Fletcher, review of The Fire Baby, p. 713.

Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2003, review of The Water Clock, p. 1158; October 15, 2004, review of The Fire Baby, p. 987.

Library Journal, December 1, 2004, Rex E. Klett, review of The Fire Baby, p. 95.

Publishers Weekly, October 13, 2003, review of The Water Clock, p. 60; October 25, 2004, review of The Fire Baby, p. 30.