Killing Me Softly [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Marjorie Eccles (Author), Marie McCarthy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999

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.

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

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

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

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Magna Large Print Books (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1859032702
• ISBN-13: 978-1859032701
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Adequate mystery for the fan of the genre, February 20, 2012

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Booker G "ultimate reader" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Killing Me Softly (Hardcover)

"Killing me Softly" is a so-so mystery in the Inspector Gil Mayo's series. This time around Gil Mayo's own role is very small, and Abigail Moon is the detective inspector who works the case--the murder of a philandering local Lavenstock man who had iffy business dealings. Of course, as always, there are additional plotlines that may or may not intersect with this murder.

While the plot in this book is mostly engaging, it is not well organized. Eccles chooses to tell the story through too many characters' actions in too many small sections, with some characters having such small parts that it is questionable if they are needed at all to make the plot work. The result is a scatteredness that detracts from the mystery.

As usual, Eccles does a better job of filling out the characters for her plot than those of the recurring protagonists Mayo and Moon and cohorts. In this book the reader is privy to more of Abigail Moon's personal life and thoughts, but she is far from a riveting character. A serious personal incident in Mayo's life is presented in a couple of paragraphs, which seems an odd choice for the main character in a series. The more Moon takes over as the main character the more the quality of the series drops off. It would be interesting to know why Eccles, unlike so many other authors of mystery series, chooses to make her star characters flat and their personal lives extraneous.

Still, Eccles is a good writer. Her books are generally very readable, so I mostly enjoyed this book despite its flaws. After all, once I start a series, I want to find out what happens to the characters through to the final book.