Chief Inspector Hennessey and Sergeant Yellich return in another engaging mystery from seasoned British author Turnbull (Fear of Drowning; Deathtrap; etc.). Set in Yorkshire, this well-crafted whodunit is a must for police procedural fans and Anglophiles alike. No one sheds any tears when Nathan Ossler's housekeeper finds him in his study, slumped in a chair with the front of his head missing. Nasty, controlling and foulmouthed, Ossler was a blackmailer who threatened almost everyone he had contact with, from the Cambridge-educated headmaster of the local comprehensive school to the immaculately dressed major. In a methodical and thoughtful investigation, Hennessey and Yellich soon discover that none of the several murder suspects is as he or she appears. Then another victim turns up, and the two detectives find themselves hurtling toward a surprising and clever conclusion to the case. While Turnbull offers an intriguing puzzle and evokes the walled city of York and environs in all their glory, it's his characterizations, particularly of Hennessey and Yellich, that make this novel memorable. Privy to their thoughts and conversations, as well as details of their personal lives, we get to know and embrace them as part of our literary family whom we eagerly wait to hear from again. (June)
