Killing the Fatted Calf (Gregory Summers Mysteries) [Paperback]

Susan Kelly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 13, 2003 | Series: Gregory Summers Mysteries

Superintendent Gregory Summers is co-operating with the National Crime Squad on an initiative to crack down on illegal immigrants. While he works to target these modern day slave traders, who make the unfortunate slaves pay their own fare to the promised land, Antony Lucas, a young man adopted thirty years ago tracks down wealthy widow Elise Weissman, his birth mother. Antony is cautiously welcomed into the fold, but it isn't long before an abusive past and family secrets threaten to destroy the family. Gregory Summers is drawn into the midst of the tangled affair when he realises Elise is an old friend in trouble. But piecing together the facts is a task that gets more difficult every day.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British author Kelly's second Gregory Summers British police procedural (after The Lone Traveller) features possibly the blandest detective in the genre. Superintendent Summers is working with the National Crime Squad on Operation Cuckoo, an effort to crack a ring that smuggles immigrants into the country, but does little else than act politically correct. This whole sequence seems excerpted from another, less interesting book. Fortunately, the main plot concerns Elise Weissman, the wealthy widow of an eminent art patron, who when she was 18 (and called Elsie Riley) was just starting to make her living as a servant. After an older man raped her at a private party (in reality an orgy) where she was serving drinks, her employer "paid" (and intimidated) her into silence. When Elise/Elsie realized she was pregnant, she decided to give up her baby for adoption in London. Unknown to her, the couple who adopted her baby, Anthony, were sadistic child-abusers who made the boy's life hell. Thirty years later, Anthony returns to find his biological mother, now a titled socialite, and to seek a very personal revenge. The interplay between mother and son lifts the story way above average, while the ending comes as a total surprise. A competent writer who could benefit from some judicious editing, Kelly might do well next round to retire Summers and introduce a more exciting sleuth.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Hungerford Police Superintendent Gregory Summers (The Lone Traveller) contends with several area crimes. First, a locally owned ship carrying illegal immigrants sinks, leaving only one survivor. Next, a long-lost boyhood friend who married money "discovers" the child she gave up for adoption some 30 years ago. Finally, a posh restaurant/inn comes under scrutiny when a wealthy but nasty man dies there. The immigrant problem seems simple when compared with the studied vindictiveness of the adopted son and his attempts to destroy his natural mother. A great story line, smooth prose, and easily envisioned locales characterize this British procedural. For all collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Allison & Busby (January 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749005785
• ISBN-13: 978-0749005788
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,610,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, gripping mystery, September 4, 2001

By 

"moonglow22" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Killing the Fatted Calf (A & B Crime) (Hardcover)

Susan Kelly is like the British Iris Johansen--she writes fast paced, intense mysteries with complex, likeable characters and just enough twists to keep you guessing until the end. In this book, Gregory Summers, the detective from the also excellent The Lone Traveller, appears again, this time investigating a murder and an illegal immigrant smuggling ring. Summers is far from perfect, which make him all the more likeable. The novel begins with a late night phone call, and then goes back to several months earlier, allowing you to follow the case. You know someone is murdered . . .the question is who, and by whom. The plot twists and turns keep you guessing, and the events come together explosively at the end, making this a great read for anyone who likes Iris Johansen or Tami Hoag.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is turning into one of my favorite mystery series., January 14, 2010

By 

Cathy G. Cole (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Killing the Fatted Calf (Gregory Summers Mysteries) (Paperback)

Since the series of brutal wars in the Balkans in the 1990s, the influx of illegal immigrants to the UK has been an escalating problem, and Superintendent Gregory Summers of the Thames Valley police finds himself in the middle of Operation Cuckoo, an effort by police to stem the flood of illegals by finding the people smuggling them into the country.

Illegals aren't the only people Summers finds. He also finds a childhood friend, Elise Weissman, who's now a wealthy widow. Thirty years ago the young Elise gave up a son for adoption, and now Anthony Lucas has tracked down his birth mother. The reunion is tentative at first, and as long-held secrets start coming to light, Elise begins to fear for her family. And does the death of a story-telling old man in a nearby hotel tie into any of these secrets?

I had enjoyed the first book in the series, The Lone Traveller, but discovered that this second book is very difficult to come by over here in the US. I was happy to finally get my hands on a copy. The strength of the book is in its characterizations, led by Summers himself. Monroe, an officer on the fast track to promotion, doesn't quite know what to think of his new boss:

"He wasn't sure, either, what to make of Gregory Summers, who was so different from his old guv'nor. In the three weeks he'd been commuting to Newbury he had yet to hear him bawl anyone out, for one thing, or reduce them to a quivering wreck with the sharp edge of his tongue. He was also a lot more hands-on than his former boss who'd seldom set foot outside his office except to go to a Rotary dinner."

The plot is tightly woven and the pacing quick. Summers has his hands so full trying to piece together evidence for the old man's death in the hotel as well as Operation Cuckoo that he doesn't have time to spare for Elise and her problems until it's too late. The characters of Summers, Elise Weissman, and Anthony Lucas are well-drawn and really grabbed my attention.

Kelly succeeded in keeping me occupied with the main plot lines that as a result one of the secondary ones held quite a surprise for me. I should have seen it coming, but I didn't. So much of Killing the Fatted Calf was serious and rather grim, so the brief splashes of humor throughout were welcome and even funnier than they would have been in a book with a much lighter tone.

I don't remember how I managed to stumble across this series, but I'm certainly glad I did. I'm very happy to know that I have other Gregory Summers books waiting for me on my shelves.