From Publishers Weekly
In this smooth, deftly plotted police procedural, British author Turnbull brings back the likable team of Chief Inspector Hennessey and Sergeant Yellich (Deathtrap; Perils and Dangers) to solve the 22-year-old murder of a newly graduated law student in York. When a man looking for buried treasure stumbles on a skeleton in a private woodlot, the police pathologist can be pretty certain of the cause of death a massive blow to the back of the skull with an object like an ax handle. After identifying the remains as those of Norris Smith, the detectives seek out and notify Smith's family. Although the search sometimes leads beyond the city, York, with its "snickelways" (narrow passages) and paths over its walls, is an intrinsic part of the story and is affectionately described by Turnbull, who also develops his characters, even the minor ones, with care, sympathy and consistency. Hennessey and Yellich use straightforward investigative methods to locate, first, the woodlot's owner, Aaron Ffyrst, of the law firm Ffyrst, Tend and Byrd (known in York as First, Second and Third), and then three of Smith's law-school classmates, Bernard Ffyrst, Paul Stapylton and Margaret South. The two policemen think they've found the killer, but convincing evidence for the old crime is sparse until one of the three former classmates is murdered. Then the loop swiftly closes, with the English class structure proving to be the real villain. This understated novel will satisfy all those who appreciate traditional, well-made whodunits.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.From Booklist
In the new Hennessey and Yellich mystery, the British detectives investigate the murder of a law student, whose body is found, more than two decades after the fact, buried on a privately owned parcel of land. Every new entry in this excellent series is a cause for celebration, and this one is no different. As usual, the mystery is a good one, but it's the lead characters who really hold our interest. Chief Inspector Hennessey and his partner, Sergeant Yellich, make an engaging team: Hennessey, the battle-weary veteran who has seen it all, and Yellich, the young apprentice eager to learn it all. Hennessey's aggressiveness is nicely tempered by Yellich's uncertainty, the older man's intuitive grasp of nuance balanced by the younger man's rather more by-the-numbers detecting style. Not only should this series be required reading for all fans of British procedurals, but it will also appeal to those who favor American cops, as in Ed McBain's long-running 87th Precinct series. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
