Death Takes Time: An Inspector Alvarez Mystery

Once again the long-suffering Inspector Enrique Alvarez of Majorca is pitted against his demanding boss in Madrid and his bossy sister-in-law-and, in this latest case (after Murder Confounded), three puzzling murders. An Englishwoman dies in a fall from her terrace in the south of France. The police suspect foul play, but their only evidence is a rental car from Majorca. Told to trace the car, Alvarez is diverted by the sudden death, from a heroin overdose, of an English resident of the island. Alvarez learns that the dead man was not an addict shortly before a third body is found, shot to death. After uncovering a blackmail plot that may connect the three victims, the inspector faces a seemingly impossible timetable for the murders. He also must confront his infatuation with Honor, the heroin victim's former lover. An unauthorized trip to England gets Alvarez in deep official trouble before he works out the kinks in the Mobius-strip time line of the deaths. And there's a final surprise involving Honor in this latest demonstration of Alvarez's easy charm. (Dec.)