The investigation into the brutal murder of a Blackpool policeman in the middle of the holiday season was never going to easy, but the case itself is not Woodend's only problem. There is trouble at home: his new boss, DS Ainsworth, is just waiting for an opportunity to stick a knife in his back; his invaluable assistant, Bob Rutter, had been replaced by a new sergeant more intent on advancing her own career than helping him -- and the Blackpool police themselves seem to think it might be better if the killer were never found . . .
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Book Description
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
It will come as no surprise to the astute reader that Spencer (The Dark Lady) was born and raised in Cheshire, as her murders have a genuine catlike creepiness about them and her bloodcurdling finale leaves one with a maniacal grin. Her seventh Charlie Woodend procedural is a walk on the wild side of Blackpool, Britain's R-rated Disneyland for the working classes. Det. Insp. "Punch" Davies has been found brutally murdered under the amusement pier. Everyone seems to think old Punch was up to something he shouldn't have been, and no one wants Woodend to find out about it. Likewise, they are most anxious that his investigation not hurt the tourist trade. He and his new partner, Monika Paniatowski (who has problems of her own as the first woman detective sergeant on the force), are faced with a case no one wants solved. In no time, the case involves several other cases Davies was investigating, one of which may provide the motivation for his murder. Spencer is an accomplished craftsman who serves up a good puzzle and deftly solves it with intelligence and insight. She manages a large cast of characters and a detailed portrait of Blackpool without losing the thread of her story. The book is a bit too leisurely to begin with and Woodend too pedantic to like very much, but it does carry a jolly good sting in its tail that should give the reader a shiver or two.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.From Library Journal
Ex-Scotland Yarder Charlie Woodend, banished to Whitebridge, Lancashire, gets a murder case his first day on the job. Someone has killed a bobby under a pier in the seaside resort of Blackpool, where Woodend's methodically unorthodox investigative procedures prove effective against a memorable mixture of side-show barkers, fortune tellers, petty thieves, narrow-minded police, and profit-motivated shopkeepers. At the mercy of his chip-shouldered new boss, and bereft of his usual sidekick, Woodend badgers his assigned partner, a woman, into her best efforts. Unique settings and psychological details supplement Woodend's usual antics: a surefire series addition.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling mystery--1960s in northern England,
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This review is from: The Golden Mile to Murder (A Chief Inspector Woodend Myst) (Hardcover)
Detective Chief Inspector Charlie Woodend is booted out of Scotland Yard and sent to the 'provinces' where he is immediately assigned the case of a murdered policeman. Determined not to give the outsider with the reputation for being difficult any advantages, Woodend's new boss saddles him with a female Detective Sergeant determined to interpret anything he says as a sexual advance, and a staff of detectives willing to subvert the hunt for justice in order to protect the reputation of the fallen cop. Woodend, along with Blonde bombshell Detective Sergeant Monika Paniatowski, descend into the English tourist destination of Blackpool with its barkers, tame girlie shows, lame comic routines, and close-knit carney community and find themselves cut off from effective work. If Woodend doesn't find a way to overcome Paniatowski's predjudices against all superiors, and to get effective work from the resentful local detectives, he'll fail. Author Sally Spencer does a powerful job describing 1960s England, from its smokers, its transition from the war years and the coal/textiles-based industrial economy to a modern service economy, and the provincialism that remained in the north of England. At the same time, she has created two fully dimensioned characters in Paniatowski and Woodend. It's a joy to watch them step through initial distrust to achieve something akin to a partnership. I could have done with a few fewer descriptions of Woodend's cigarette of choice (Capstan Full Strength), and found the first chapter a little distracting but once I got into this story, I couldn't put it down. Highly Recommended
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