From Publishers Weekly
Chief inspector Wilfred Dover ( Dover and the Claret Tappers ) of Scotland Yard continues to wreak havoc in this hilarious mystery. The immolated body of a middle-aged man discovered in a Muncaster garbage dump propels the inspector and his whipping boy, detective sergeant MacGregor, on a lurching investigation. A blue bead found in the stomach of the deceased leads the duo to Rankin's Holiday Ranch at Bowerville-by-the-sea, where the dead man took his last supper at a conference held by the Steel Band, a terrorist group of which the victim was a member. Just when Dover and MacGregor find the link between the killing and the organization, the Special Branch squelches the case. Ever watchful for a chance to advance himself, Dover (who, despite evidence to the contrary, has a good brain) forges ahead to solve the case. Broad wit, sharp insight and a thrilling denouement give this comedy real punch.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
The last of the Chief Inspector Dover novels, published posthumously, finds the curmudgeon mucking about in the Muncaster Municipal dump, where the charred remains of a Mr. Knapper lie. By following the trail of the blue bead in Knapper's tummy (the form of payment at the Rankin Holiday Ranch at Bowerville-by-the-sea), the slothful, dyspeptic Dover and his long-suffering assistant MacGregor uncover a right-wing terrorist group, masquerading as a harmless stamp club, that deemed Knapper a traitor and killed him. Before Dover belches his way to a wildly improbable conclusion, an infiltrator from Special Branch almost blows the Inspector's cover; the Official Secrets Act impedes the investigation; and Dover, as usual, antagonizes the innocent and guilty alike. Not nearly as funny or inventive as Dover and the Claret Tappers, but an appropriately testy memorial to ``the most unwanted man'' at Scotland Yard. --
Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.