Killing Me Softly [Hardcover]

Marjorie Eccles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2000

Sergeant Gil Mayo and Detective Inspector Abigail Moon return for their tenth mystery when a series of robberies and a murder rocks the picturesque small English town of Hertfordshire.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The British police of Lavenstock are intent on ridding the town of its drug trade when the murder of a local man shifts their focus in this 10th in Eccles's deservedly popular series (after A Death of Distinction). Philanderer Tim Wishart was leading a precarious life--carrying on an affair with his wife's business partner and sinking borrowed money in unwise speculations--so few people are surprised when he's found dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot. But under the direction of series hero Det. Superintendent Gil Mayo, DI Abigail Moon and her cohorts quickly uncover a mess of relationships that undermine the suicide theory. Then the coroner confirms that the man was murdered. Delving into Wishart's life, the police discover his love affairs and the ramifications of his huge debts. It turns out that the week before, Tim had quarreled with a menacing visitor. As the cops search for the unwelcome guest, a group of young indigents become increasingly concerned about one of their ersatz family, a girl they believe has been abducted. With her trademark assurance, Eccles takes her time delving into her characters' preoccupations before introducing the murder, and her elegant prose credibly links her three disparate plots of drugs, murder and kidnapping to create a vivid picture of small-town interactions. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Lavenstock's Superintendent Gil Mayo (A Species of Revenge, 1998, etc.) has given his newly promoted Sergeant Abigail Moon a major role in the investigation of so-called financier Tim Wisharts deathset up to look like suicide by shotgun but quickly pegged as murder by the postmortem pathologist. Abigail finds no shortage of suspects as she begins her probe. Wishart was deeply in debt. A chronic womanizer, he was having an affair with Ellie Redvershis wife Clare's best friend and partner with her in the catering firm called Miller's Wife. Its business side was taken care of by Scottish accountant David Neale, but Barbie Nelson, who'd worked there until recently, had a long-standing grudge against Wishart. There are motives, too, in Wishart's partnership with Tony Pardoe, owner of a large sailing vessel that makes frequent trips abroad. Even as Wisharts body is cooling, Mayo and Frank Skellen of the Drug Squad have another problem more in Skellens line: the rundown house on the river left to Lucinda (Luce) Rimington by her grandfather, now a haven for feckless young drug users. Mayo and Skellen find Luce's sudden disappearance ominous. Meantime, Abigail worries about the return to town of her onetime lover Nick Spaldingan ex-policeman who wants to start a detective agency. His death, after a brutal beating, helps point the way to saving Luce and to some crucial revelations. The connections among characters and episodes are as haphazard and unconvincing as this summary indicates throughout Eccless muddled saga, which is overstuffed with enough people and plots for half a dozen novels. A disappointment from a usually reliable source. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 205 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312204698
• ISBN-13: 978-0312204693
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,363,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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