Diminished by Death (Black Dagger Crimes) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Jonathan Ross (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: John Curley & Assoc; Lrg edition (December 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0862208246
• ISBN-13: 978-0862208240
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for the Squeamish or Weak-Kneed, June 28, 2007

By 

John F. Rooney - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diminished by Death (Paperback)

Born in 1916, John Rossiter, writing under the pseudonym of Jonathan Ross, is a retired British detective superintendent, who has written gritty crime novels featuring his series detective, Chief Inspector George Rogers. With his assistant the dandyish, snuff-snorting detective inspector David Lingard, the tough-minded Rogers gets deeply enmeshed in a complex murder investigation. It's a grisly, gory, complicated plot, fast-moving, with a cast of distinctly unpleasant characters.
A spooning couple in a rowboat under a bridge is interrupted when a bloody knife is dropped into their rowboat. From that point on, it's a roller coaster ride of a procedural where the squeamish dare not go. It involves a plethora of adulterous and voracious wives. The autopsies alone will be enough to make your flesh crawl. An exhausted Rogers gets a broken leg and a shotgun blast for his troubles. His police crew is well-drawn.
I've always been intrigued by Ross's hard-boiled British police fiction, and this one will keep readers involved and, at times, appalled by Rogers savage take on life. Certainly not a coy British cozy. Highly recommended.