If You Go Down to the Woods (A Lennox Kemp Mystery) [Hardcover]

M R D Meek (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Lennox Kemp Mystery | Publication Date: June 1, 2001

Newtown Woods: throughout the centuries children have disappeared and now schoolgirl Elinor de Lisle has been missing for twenty-four hours. When her body is found, Lennox Kemp gets involved with the case, and the whole community has to endure media attention and police intrusion -- particularly a young sufferer of multiple personality syndrome . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mystery fans know there's nothing cozier than curling up with a good murder in the shire, as in Lennox Kemp's 11th case which is as cozy as a pair of warm slippers on a winter's night. Lennox and his wife, Mary, live in the suburban town of Newton, which has so far escaped the urban ills of London, but the locals are beginning to worry about a teenage gang ostensibly led by a young woman, Lily Egerton, whom respectable people suspect of procuring drugs. So far the gang's "crimes" (as the neighbors see them) have been no more than pranks, but when a girl is found murdered in the gang's den in the woods, the police come after Lily. Lily's a bizarre character who appears to change personalities at will which leads some to believe she's a genuine case of multiple personalities. But is she a murderer? If not and there's a very real possibility she might be she's at least the key to the mystery. British author Meek (Postscript to Murder; This Blessed Plot; Touch and Go; etc.) is a plot magician who knows how to distract the reader from the significant facts until she's ready to reveal their importance. She plays fair with her clues. The astute reader can follow the same process as the detective and arrive at the killer's identity. Smart but never pedantic or pretentious, Meek is certain to please those who appreciate the traditional English police procedural.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The murder of a young girl puts Newton folk on edge. Lennox Kemp, series solicitor/sleuth (Postscript to Murder), and pregnant wife Mary become involved despite themselves. A bright, appealing work by a talented British author.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 217 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers; World ed. edition (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727856472
• ISBN-13: 978-0727856470
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,982,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't Go Down to the Woods at Night with Mischief on Your Mind, September 5, 2009

By 

John C. Legg (Charleston, WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: If You Go Down to the Woods (A Lennox Kemp Mystery) (Hardcover)

I didn't like IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS as well as I had initially hoped I would, therefore the 3 out of 5 star rating. The book was well written and logically thought out, but the woods never were dark enough for my tastes. The main character was too flawed to be likable, and her connection to the much younger victim was tenuous at best. Sometimes I found myself rooting for the ugly, over-zealous cop to suceed in his vendette to bring down the main character and her gang. And I never really believed the main character could pull off being the leader of a mostly all-male gang. There were funny/humorous things about the book as well: The over-due library book complete with threating library fine letter used as a bookmark; The reason the victim's stepfather couldn't father a child: mumps; The author, an 85 year old british woman, having a character state: "The relief was like letting go of a long-held piss."