Last to Leave [Hardcover]

Clare Curzon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

A family party at the Dellar's house in the woods ends in tragedy when fire rages through the home, killing many family members. Could this tragedy be arson, and who would do such a thing and why?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of British author Curzon's assured 11th Mike Yeadings police procedural (after 2004's A Meeting of Minds), antagonistic members of the Dellar family have put aside past grievances to celebrate patriarch Carlton Dellar's 80th birthday when a fire breaks out late at night and destroys Carlton's Thames Valley house, critically injuring his nephew. While the fire inspectors sort through the ashes and rubble to determine the conflagration's cause, Det. Supt. Mike Yeadings and Sgt. Rosemary Zyczynski inquire into the whereabouts of Carlton's missing twin sister, who was the house's only unaccounted-for resident. Sifting through the minds and hearts of the Dellars, the detective duo unearth long hidden secrets that lead to a surprising conclusion to this expertly plotted mystery of greed and revenge.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Someone seems to have it in for the Dellar family. First, Michael, husband to Kate and father to twins Jessica and Eddie, is murdered. Then the Dellar family estate is burned to the ground, Eddie is beaten, Jessica is kidnapped, and family matriarch Claudia is viciously attacked. Time to call in Superintendent Mike Yeadings of the Thames Valley CID, who takes a close look at what turns out to be a completely dysfunctional family. This slow-starting story soon gathers momentum and speeds toward a dramatic climax, revealing the complex and ultimately tragic truth. Conventional mystery fare but deftly written from a genre veteran and boasting a challengingly convoluted plot and a cast of darkly wacky characters. Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Allison & Busby (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749006838
• ISBN-13: 978-0749006839
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,491,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent details, great ending, February 7, 2011

By 

V. Gascon (South Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last to Leave: A Superintendent Mike Yeadings Mystery (Superintendent Mike Yeadings Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I read this book a few weeks ago. It is a great mystery novel with excellent descriptions of places and people. It is a bit slow at first and the British police ranks are confusing for an American reader, but the twists and turns each character takes are worth the time reading each page. I loved the end -- very unexpected. I recommend the book.

4.0 out of 5 stars an engrossing read, December 30, 2005

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last to Leave: A Superintendent Mike Yeadings Mystery (Superintendent Mike Yeadings Mysteries) (Hardcover)

It is always a pleasure to read a new Superintendent Mike Yeadling mystery novel. So far, every book (and there have been 10 installments to this series so far) can boast of possessing an intriguing plot that is well plotted, and peopled with characters that are well defined and convincingly portrayed. One has to wonder why Clare Curzon is not more of a household name in the States.

When the home of well known poet, Carlton Dellar burns down the very night that his entire extended family had gathered to celebrate his eightieth birthday, the initial thought is that the fire was an unfortunate accident. But for Kate Dellar, confusion soon turns to horror when she discovers that her daughter, Jessica, seems to be missing, as her son, Eddie (Jessica's twin), battles for his life after having been brutally assaulted on the estate grounds. As Kate begins to try and grapple with what has happened to her children, Detective Superintendent Yeadling begins his investigation into the fire: a dead body has found in the shell of the burnt down house (thought to be that of the missing Jessica's); and because the poet's younger brother happens to be Sir Matthew Dellar, one of the country's more prominent prosecuting barristers for the Crown, Yeadling has a strong suspicion that the fire may actually be a case of arson. But as the investigation progresses, Yeadling begins to wonder if Matthew was the intended target after all. The dead body turns out not to be that of Jessica's. So what has happened to Jessica and where can she have disappeared to? And who could the dead person found at the Dellar house be and what (s)he doing there?

Fond as I am of Curzon's Mike Yeadling series, I will admit that readers not familiar with the series may be feel a little let down with it, especially is they're fans of P. D. James, Elizabeth George, et al. Clare Curzon's series is more like those written by Catherine Aird: the plots are a little less intricate and have more of an intimate feel. Yet the mysteries are always very clever and intriguing and her character portrayals are very vivid and realistic. The pacing is brisk and even, thus making "Last to Leave" a very quick and riveting read. All in all, this was a very engrossing and very enjoyable read, that should not be missed.