Sudden Departures

Formerly a detective chief superintendent of the British police, Ross builds his witty and authentic novels around George Rogers, who plays the detective role in Fate Accomplished , Burial Deferred and this labyrinthine adventure. An unsigned note to the chief of police in Abbotsburn warns of a planned murder that the officers won't be able to prevent; no further details are provided. Soon afterward, Andrew Lattimore dies when his car explodes, which prompts a search for his promiscuous wife Audrey and her new lover. Questioning Lattimore's beautiful neighbor, Eleanor Caine, Ross suspects an affair between her and the murder victim. The detective and his colleagues gradually piece together minuscule clues from Lattimore's family members, his employers and others, and arrive finally at an electrifying conclusion. Intimations of further developments will make fans eager for the next Ross special. (Nov.)