One of the century's great innovators in British crime fiction offers "more humor with a twist of bitter lemon" (Library Journal) in a tale in which Scotland Yard Detective Dover is a victim of kidnappers, who demand not only a stout ransom, but the release of two prisoners--a multiple bigamist and a nymphomaniacal shoplifter.
--This text refers to the
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
First published in England in 1976, this is Porter's fourth hilarious tale featuring Wilf Dover, the most inept detective at Scotland Yard. A gang called the Claret Tappers kidnap lazy, obese Wilf and great is the rejoicing when demands for his ransom are refused, "on principle"--but the celebration is premature. Instead of killing Dover, the captors release him, to the despair of his colleagues. Poor Sgt. MacGregor anguishes over resuming the partnership with the sluggard as they are assigned to find the kidnap gang. Doing all the dreary work, which includes the care and feeding of Wilf, MacGregor gets nowhere and the Yard chief is about to close the case when the abductors strike again. Now they are holding the baby grandson of an MP and, this time, the long-suffering sergeant gets a bit of his own back. The extortionists insist that Dover alone deliver the ransom and he is propelled into situations horrible beyond his worst fears. The author navigates skillfully between scenes of inspired slapstick and nerve-twanging tensions, topping the entertainment with a sly surprise.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Sign, can't go lower than one star,
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This review is from: Dover and the Claret Tappers (A Chief Inspector Dover Mystery) (Chief Inspector Dover Mysteries) (Paperback)
I have resisted the "Dover" novels for years as they sounded utterly dreadful to me. But recently I had a chance to get two of them for free so decided it was worth a try. Hmmph. "Free" was still too high a price as I'll never get back the time I lost reading this book.
Heaven knows I love humor, and funny books. But Dover grates on my nerves like fingernails on a blackboard. I should have trusted my better instincts. I can't, for the life of me, see why people like these books. But I guess that's what makes life interesting. Dover is just plain sickeningly incompetent, with no redeeming qualities at all, unlike Dalziel of the wonderful Reginald Hill series.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Fun!!,
By Book Lover (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Dover and the Claret Tappers (A Chief Inspector Dover Mystery) (Chief Inspector Dover Mysteries) (Paperback)
I just love Joyce Porter's mysteries with her overweight, incompetent detective, Chief Wilfred Dover of Scotland Yard.
The Boston Globe reviewed this book as "The best fictional detective in a month of Sundays, and Joyce Porter, its creator, the best female mystery writer since Agatha Christie". I totally agree. This is a great series and laugh-out-loud funny.
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