Murder, Majorcan Style

At the start of this easygoing entry in Jeffries's long-running Inspector Alvarez series (A Question of Motive, etc.), a phone call from Tomeu, a colleague in the Mallorcan police department, interrupts the inspector's reveries about the delicious supper his housekeeper, Dolores, will have waiting for him at home. Tomeu asks Alvarez to investigate the apparent suicide of a wealthy Englishman, "Se%C3%B1or Sterne," found slumped over the wheel of his Jaguar in the garage of C'an Mortex, his seaside mansion. At C'an Mortex, the inspector examines Sterne's body and, bolstered by a doctor's inconclusive postmortem, speculates that someone frightened Sterne to death. Alvarez must deal with the victim's abusive grown children, the taunts of Superior Chief Salas, and C'an Mortex's reticent household staff as he muddles his way toward a solution. While newcomers may find the insult-laden banter wearisome, established fans should be satisfied. (Aug.)