Murder...Now and Then [Hardcover]

Jill McGown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1993

When millionaire Victor Holyoak is found murdered, Chief Inspector Lloyd faces a long line of suspects, but what puzzles Lloyd the most is the sense of de+a6ja+a7 vu that entwines an old mystery with the new crime.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

McGown ( The Other Woman ) places a complex but rewarding case in the capable hands of series regulars Detective Chief Inspector Lloyd and Inspector Judy Hill. The narrative alternates between "now" chapters describing the circumstances of a recent murder in Stansfield, England, and "then" sequences detailing a woman's unsolved murder some 13 years past; the same loose circle of acquaintances is implicated in both crimes. When corrupt international businessman Victor Holyoak is stabbed to death, Lloyd and Hill interview a lengthy list of potential killers, including an ex-prostitute and a crooked former policeman. Prime suspects seem to be the Holyoaks' estranged stepdaughter and her husband, whose first wife was strangled to death years before. McGown juggles a vast array of details about her characters' interpersonal relationships, supplying crucial hints in briskly passing flashbacks and flash-forwards. Some key incidents may get short shrift, but readers who stay on their toes through this mostly expository mystery will appreciate its logical, likely conclusion.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Stansfield's Detective Chief Inspector Lloyd (The Other Woman, p. 23, etc.) is present when the town's biggest factory--owned by gossipy widow Zelda Driver--is taken over with glitzy ceremony by power-hungry new owner Victor Holyoak. Katherine Scott, who married plant manager Max Scott years ago--six months after the unsolved murder of his wife Valery--and who provided Max's alibi then, faints dead away when Holyoak announces during his speech that Katherine is his stepdaughter. Good-natured, womanizing Scott is angrier at his wife than anyone has ever seen him. Among the worried witnesses to his fury are local doctors Geraldine and Charles Rule, with hidden agendas of their own, and Anna, Holyoak's p.r. woman, who knows more about him than most and whose own past is far from pristine. When Holyoak is stabbed to death in his penthouse apartment, Lloyd and Inspector Judy Hill (finally together after years of frustration) are compelled to review--at tedious length--events going back 15 years. Blackmail, suicide, child abuse, homosexuality--all will play a part in a densely plotted story full of characters well drawn but not always convincing in their complex, sometimes bizarre interplay. A mostly intriguing tale for the patient reader. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031210006X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312100063
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,588,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Double-Storyline Mystery!, February 23, 2003

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder...Now and Then (Mass Market Paperback)

I certainly hope that other mystery buffs discover Jill McGown. Her mysteries are excellent. This particular one is extremely complex. There are two storylines that run side-by-side - one from 13 years ago and one for the present of the book. The same people are involved in both, and the reader has to read and understand both before they can grasp the mystery. This books pits Lloyd and Judy against a true criminal mastermind. There are many twists to the plot, but the main one is that the criminal gets murdered. They find themselves in the unenviable situation of having to solve that murder and an old unsolved one from 13 years before. But never fear, Judy and her trusty notebook come into play and they do end up discovering the killer in both murders. Another twist is that who really cares why the criminal was killed. We find out that he was a truly evil person! Great reading!

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Killers, A Twisted Trail, December 23, 2010

By 

Nash Black "Troubadour" (Jamestown, KY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Murder...Now and Then (Mass Market Paperback)

Chief Inspector Lloyd and Inspector Judy Hill find themselves reliving their past when Victor Holyoak is murdered on the night he has opened an expanded factory in the presence of several VIPs.
From the moment Lloyd first sees the victim on the podium he has vague memories of having seen the man with a deep facial scar in other circumstances, but with a different face.
As the investigation of Lloyd and Hill progresses it is evident that no one is sorry the victim is dead, but who is the killer. Thirteen years separate the events who another low life was murdered, but who is the connection?
A truly complex story that will keep you turning the pages for a fascinating read.
Nash Black, author of SINS OF THE FATHERS.