Black Eye [Hardcover]

Neville Steed (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Insouciant and intrepid Johnny Black narrates this first entry in a new series on English country life murders in the 1930s by the author of the Peter Marklin mysteries. A pilot grounded by injuries, Johnny earns only the "odd crust" as a private eye until Diana Travers asks him to investigate her brother-in-law, Michael Seagrave, who, she believes, arranged the accident that killed her sister and made him a rich widower. Posing as a vacationing couple, Johnny and his lady-love, Tracy Spencer-King, track Seagrave to a resort where they confirm Diana's suspicions. Next on the murderer's list are Johnny and Tracy, who save themselves with astonishing derring-do. Steed has created a British-style Nick and Nora Charles, whose grand adventures feature early sports cars, movie stars, the absence of modern expletives, seductively discreet lovemaking rather than raw sex, and other can't-miss appeals to nostalgia buffs.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 221 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1 edition (January 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031203797X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312037970
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,977,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, traditional detective yarn, May 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Black Eye (Hardcover)

In the mid-thirties a young Englishman returns home from the colonies and decides to open a private detective agency in the provincial coastal town. He has the right connections among the upper classes, but no experience. He must get a paying case before his small savings run out. In spite of that he splurges on the posh american roadster, offered for sale by the friendly car wrecker. Soon though he gets his chance, when a young lady hires him to investigate the death of her sister, possibly at the hands of her lounge lizzard hubby, a sleek, murdeous villain with shady past. Investigation starts and soon the hero finds himself in the middle of car chases, aeroplane flights, avoiding the murderous white slavers and helping damsels in distress. After a close shave with the watery death he manages to bring the villains to justice. This book is written in the style of traditional English crime fiction from the thirties and I enjoyed it greatly. The characters are full of life and interesting. Action is fast and gripping. Lets hope that there will be more cases of the Black Eye detective agency in print soon. Good stuff.