From Publishers Weekly
Writing under his own name and the nom de plume Jonathan Rossiter, prolific British author Ross ( Daphne Dead and Done For ) has penned 27 novels, but his latest George Rogers mystery lacks tension. Recently divorced, 42-year-old Det. Supt. Rogers has been fretting that his lust for golf is replacing his interest in women when he agrees to meet an anonymous caller, who turns out to be ill-mannered Willie Sloane, age 18. Soon after Willie confidentially reveals his concern that "the man who calls himself my stepfather" has threatened his mother, gunshots are reported at Tower House, the residence of Willie's mother, Rachel Horsbrugh. One bullet has stuck the chair in which the very attractive Mrs. Horsbrugh, usually--though not that night--sat to watch the news and the other has exploded the TV. Retired Col. Henry Horsbrugh has gone missing; investigation reveals the man's somewhat disreputable past. Before the tale is ended, five people will have died, all victims in one way or another of Rachel's sexual allure, to which even Rogers responds briefly--although not enough to spark this drab, generally predictable tale.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
This time out, Detective Superintendent George Rogers (Daphne Dead and Done For, 1991, etc.) is called to investigate a shooting incident at Towerhouse, home of Rachel Sloane Horsbrugh, her teenaged son Willie, and second husband Colonel Henry Horsbrugh. Mrs. Horsbrugh runs a language school on the premises with help from twentysomething Daniel Skinner and a couple of women teachers, all living in the tower. Shots from outside have apparently been fired at Mrs. Horsbrugh as she sat in her living room, missing their target. Meanwhile, Colonel Horsbrugh has disappeared, and Willie Sloane, home on school vacation, seems convinced that the Colonel is out to kill his mother. There are deep and dirty waters here, ending in a high body count and explored in the author's usual fussy, repetitive style. The boring details of Roger's persona--clothes, pipes, hormones-- get almost equal time in this self-indulgent exercise. --
Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.