Fear of Drowning [Hardcover]

Peter Turnbull (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 14, 2000

For years, a middle-aged, middle-of-the-road couple, Max and Amanda, had enjoyed each other's company in their modest home. With adult children, the two seemed to have everything they could want: health, some wealth and happiness. Until one day when they vanish, leaving behind no trace.

Called in for the case, Detective Inspector George Hennessey, whose own life bespeaks horrible tragedy, automatically suspects foul play. His hunch proves a keen one when the bodies of the missing couple turn up in a shallow grave. But this macabre discovery is only the beginning of a case that will test the mettle of the entire police force. For one thing, no murderer would have killed them for their money since the couple had lost a small fortune right before their death. For another, the couple, apparently unbeknownst to the other, had been involved in illicit liaisons. For some reason, their only son has been acting strangely and to top these off, in the midst of the fracas a family secret arises.

In search of a road to answers, Hennessey instead finds a maze littered with conflicting clues and misinformation. And instead of lacking any suspects at all, the detective finds there are all too many people who had wished the deceased couple harm.

A compelling and grittily authentic novel from the author of the acclaimed P Division series.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"There's nowt so queer as folk," Sergeant Yellich tells his boss, Chief Inspector George Hennessey of the City of York Police, near the start of this gripping police procedural, the first in a projected series from this polished British author (The Man with No Face, etc.). "That's a gem of Yorkshire wisdom, is it?" replies Hennessey, who will shortly find himself preoccupied with the peculiarities of human behavior while investigating a double murder. Max and Amanda Williams, a respectable middle-aged couple, are missing, days after dining out with their grown children, Rufus and Nicola. Their cottage in the village of Bramley on Ouse stands spotlessly empty, almost too clean. Then a local countryman happens across a shallow grave containing two bodies with fatal head wounds; Rufus identifies them, more in anger than in sorrow, as those of his parents. A pair of suspects comes to the fore: Tim Sheringham, a health-club proprietor who was having an affair with Amanda and had just broken it off, and Michael Richardson, an Irish builder who was facing ruin because Max owed him a huge sum. The devil-may-care Max, while outwardly prosperous, was broke; indeed, as Hennessey and Yellich eventually discover, the man managed to squander a fortune inherited from a brother who mysteriously drowned in his bathtub ten years earlier. Though the killer's identity becomes obvious before the climax, Turnbull closes on a quietly chilling scene of confession, the perfect end to a subtle novel rich in character, as well as in Yorkshire wit and wisdom. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

From popular crime novelist Turnbull comes this first installment of a new series featuring Chief Inspector Hennessey of the North Yorkshire Police. The author, known for his realistic police procedurals, hasn't ventured too far afield here: this is the story of Hennessey's step-by-step investigation of the murder of a husband and wife. What makes a good police procedural work--and what makes so many inferior ones fail--is not the procedural details themselves but the way the author constructs the characters. Since procedurals rely heavily on dialogue, the speakers (especially the lead) must be compelling, and the things they say must be worth hearing. On both counts, Turnbull succeeds completely. Hennessey is a man we want to know more about, and the supporting players are uniformly interesting. This is most definitely a formula novel, but Turnbull uses the formula as it was meant to be used. Procedural fans should look forward to the next novel in the series. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 169 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (August 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312261586
• ISBN-13: 978-0312261580
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,492,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent polcie procedural, July 15, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fear of Drowning (Hardcover)

In Yorke, England, the neighbor felt something seemed off kilter within the Williams bungalow. The neighbor called the police who conclude that Max and Amanda Williams apparently disappeared. Detective Inspector George Hennessey begins to trace the trail left by the Williams although his gut expects the worse.

Not too long afterward, the murdered corpses of the Williams couple is found in a shallow grave. George picks up the pace of his inquiries, especially since no one seems to gain anything from the death of the duo. As he digs past their serene surface, he begins to uncover darker secrets involving Max and Amanda that they probably never shared with each other.

Peter Turnbull, already renowned for police procedurals, introduces a new series that will garner the author new acclaim. The story line in the opening Hennessey tale, FEAR OF DROWNING, is superb as the plot centers on the police struggling with a difficult case to solve. Hennessey is an intriguing protagonist suffering from his own demons while the support cast, especially his partner, provides local flavor. Mr. Turnbull has another triumphant tale that will thrill sub-genre fans.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not in the same league, December 24, 2000

By 

Charlotte Vale-Allen (CT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fear of Drowning (Hardcover)

Peter Turnbull's Glasgow series has been one of my special favorites since the first book. That said, Fear of Drowning, introducing a new series and new characters, simply doesn't compare. While the writing is as good as ever, and the characters are well-drawn, there's an air of fatigue hovering over this slim tale--as if the author has run out of energy. It's very disappointing. There are no surprises, the solution to the murders of Max and Amanda Williams is pretty well telegraphed, and then the book simply ends. Clunk.

If you're expecting the intensity and quality of Turnbull's previous books, you won't find it in this one. It reads almost as if it were written by someone else, someone lacking the compulsion to look at the dirt in the cracks the way the old Peter Turnbull did.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fear of Drowning~*, January 19, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Fear of Drowning (Hardcover)

FEAR OF DROWNING by Peter Turnbull grabs the reader attention right away. In this suspenseful mystery novel, Detectives Hennessy and Yellich, investigate the strange disappearance of the Williams'. While investigating their disappearance, Hennessy and Yellich find themselves piecing together evidence and connecting clues, finding that the worst thing that the worst thing that could have happened to them happened. Unlike most mystery novels authors, Peter Turnbull takes you behind the scenes at the police station. He shows the reader what the police have to do while investigating the crimes, reading the evidence, and finding the person who committed the crime. I really enjoyed reading this book. The author had a way of pulling the readers into the story and making you want to know what happens next. One thing about this book is that it is really slow moving, meaning there isn't a lot of action. I would recommend this book, to anyone who enjoys reading mystery books, or anyone who would enjoy a good read.