Customer Reviews

Coffin Knows The Answer (Commander John Coffin Mysteries)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Having read so many of Gwendoline Butler's 'John Coffin' series, I was eagerly anticipating a great read. Unfortunately, the book does not deliver. Gratuitous grisly imagery, and a great deal of self-absorped (and questionable) sentimentality on the part of Coffin - used to poor effect because the resulting text never makes you connect with the characters in this mystery. Not a recommended read for those who have not been introduced to Coffin's appealing detection in other works by Butler.

This is a rather short police procedural type mystery novel. The crimes are multiple and horrid. The supporting characters seem pretty bland, minimally competent, & even a bit depressing. The main characters aren't much better IMHO. The ending is rather sudden. I had my suspicions (some few clues are provided) but somehow not very satisfying. This was my 1st Coffin Series book & 1st G. Butler one as well. I know another of her books made the Black Dagger series--must be better than this one.

If one is to believe her blurbs Gwendoline Butler has written good mystery stories. COFFIN KNOWS THE ANSWER is not one of them. Even #1 appears to realize this, departing from her standard five-star rating. Sleuth Coffin is a crashing bore.

To call this a police procedural is a joke. CC Coffin tells DCI Phoebe Astley to take charge of an important case and then gives her his Pekinese to walk. A rumor wafting mysteriously around police headquarters in the early pages alerts the reader where to look for the villain -- but not the cops. We are shown the detective team assigned to the case mostly sitting aimlessly in meetings devoting most of their time to talking about the boss and his wife. Chief Commander Coffin and DCI Phoebe are the only police officers the reader sees doing legwork. And in the end it would appear to be chance encounter rather than good police work or detection that brings the murderer down.

The story is a showcase of bad trends in current mystery fiction:
1. Making the sleuth and his/her loved ones the prime target of the criminal.
2. Piling up corpses like cordwood.
3. Providing only flimsy or preposterous motivation for a horrendous series of crimes.

This is the first time I've given a two-star rating to a book because I usually check books more carefully before I read them. I don't know what I was thinking because I read a couple of Coffin books before and decided never again. Nothing has improved since then. This woman can't even write consistent intelligent sentences; I kept having to go back to see how the current sentence related to the sentences before. Poor copy editing didn't help either.

The characters were flat and I swear there were more cops than suspects. The plot was weak and the denoument - well I guess the writer just got bored and stopped. Give thanks for small mercies.

For his tremendous work as Chief Commander of Police in London's Second City, John Coffin can now use Sir in front of his name as he has been knighted. However, instead of an opportunity to rest on his laurels John's recent flirtation with fame haunts him. Apparently two dangerous thugs have challenged John in a game of cat and mouse that includes his wife actress Stella Pinero as bait.

A pediophile stalker has written letters of exploits that showcase porno photos of children sent to the Second City police force. The other evil is a serial killer raping and murdering his victims, but leaving behind no useful evidence. Stella becomes a target for both criminals as the pediophile sends her letters with photos and the killer threatens to kidnap her and actually does. Stella escapes with proof that the alleged two culprits is actually one person committing both types of crimes. To keep Stella safe and halt the increasing homicide count, John and his staff must stop the perpetrator immediately, regardless of cost.

The Second City tales are always some of the better police procedural novels and the newest one, COFFIN KNOWS THE ANSWER, will join that meritorious list. The story line consists of intriguing interwoven subplots that focus on two strings of crimes and the impact on the personal lives, especially Coffin, of the police officers involved in solving and stopping the violence. Though well written, the climax seems disappointing in comparison to the preceding tale. Still, much stronger than most sub-genre entries, fans know that Coffin will find the answers to their reading needs.

Harriet Klausner

A pedophile stalker has sent a package to actress Stella Pinero containing letters and porn photos of children he had abused. Her husband is Chief Commander John Coffin who is already investigating a series of brutal murders that are scattered across London. John even knew one of the victims. It quickly becomes obvious the two cases are linked. Coffin asks DCI Phoebe Astley to help. Then Stella is kidnapped and the bodies are stacking up.

*** A pretty good mystery here, but way too obvious. The reader will easily figure it out early in the book. However, watching Coffin and Astley do their job was fun to watch. ***

This is the first time I've given a two-star rating to a book because I usually check books more carefully before I read them. I don't know what I was thinking because I read a couple of Coffin books before and decided never again. Nothing has improved since then. This woman can't even write consistent intelligent sentences; I kept having to go back to see how the current sentence related to the sentences before. Poor copy editing didn't help either.

The characters were flat and I swear there were more cops than suspects. The plot was weak and the denoument - well I guess the writer just got bored and stopped. Give thanks for small mercies.

Police chief John Coffin is obsessed with his wife, Stella, but that doesn't mean that his fears for her are unfounded. When a serial killer starts his work, Coffin notices that the victims all seem to have a tie to his wife. When nasty pictures and body parts show up addressed to his wife, Coffin sets his Second City London police force into action. That action, unfortunately, seems mostly to be going to meetings where they report that nothing has happened, but nothing eliminates Coffin's certainty that Stella is at the center of the crisis.

Author Gwendoline Butler uses a completely English vocabulary. American readers like myself can almost hear the English accent and phrasing coming through. Frequent head-hopping sometimes makes the story hard to follow. Given the level of introspection in the many point-of-view characters, it is surprisingly difficult to summon up much sympathy for any of the characters--criminal or police. While it is occasionally tempting to agree with the mysterious killer that the self-obsessed Stella could be done without, casual serial killing is certainly not the answer. The cure is almost certainly in Butler's delete key.

For me, an exciting police procedural should have at least some of the following elements: (1) clever police work; (2) a plan of attack on the part of the police; (3) potential suspects (red herrings); (4) some sort of relationship amongst the members of the police; (5) sympathetic characters; (6) realistic details that show research into actual police procedure; (7) clever or witty dialogue; (8) a well motivated criminal. I think the minimum number of these elements should be about two. COFFIN KNOWS THE ANSWER doesn't quite reach that milestone.