Dido and her family find themselves in danger after Phyllis, the family's nanny, is burgled by an odd trio who seem to be looking for something they couldn't find. What could Phyllis have that they want? When her invalid husband is murdered, it becomes clear that his past was not what it seemed.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Dido Hoare, a London antiquarian bookseller and single mom, is a heroine for the 21st centuryAclever, witty and humane. Answering a call for help one night from Phyllis Digby, the nanny of her 15-month-old son, Ben, puts Dido (last seen in 1999's Smoke Screen) on the trail of past crimes, police cover-ups, personal threats and murder. At the Digbys' partially ransacked flat, Dido finds Phyllis locked in a closet. Phyllis is secretive about her missing husband, Frank, and what has happened. The sudden appearance of two policemen, their unpolicemen-like behavior as Dido and Phyllis set the rooms to rights and their equally sudden disappearance when Det. Paul Grant arrives on the scene are even more puzzling. When she later learns that Frank has been murdered and was an ex-convict in the witness protection program, Dido decides that she must find out the truth. Macdonald is a master at connecting the reader to time, place and character through selection of telling details, from the descriptions of the streets Dido treks throughout London, to the mound of folded laundry on the table in her room, to the kiss Dido plants on Ben's damp, red nose. Dido Hoare is aptly named after Queen Dido in Virgil's Aeneid, for she too could probably found a city if she wanted to do so, but unlike her ancient literary namesake, she chooses to run a business, pet the cat and cuddle her son. Agent, Jacqueline Korn. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Antiquarian London bookseller Dido Hoare (Ghost Walk) faces adventure once more as she searches for the murderer of her friend's mixed-blessing husband. Fake policemen and old crimes rudely interrupt Dido's busy routine. A likely selection.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Road Kill,
By tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Road Kill: A Dido Hoare Mystery (Dido Hoare Mysteries) (Hardcover)
This is my first Dido Hoare mystery, and I enjoyed it immensely. The novel is tautly paced and to the point; and Marianne Macdonald does a wonderful job at conveying to the reader the sense of urgency and frustration that Dido et al feel from being alternately harrassed by bent ex-policemen and thugs, and from being used and left out-of-the-loop by the investigating police.When Dido goes to the aid of her nanny, Phyllis, she little expects to be caught up in an old bullions robbery from the 1980s involving mobsters and bent poicemen. First Phyllis's apartment is ransacked but nothing is taken except an old computer. And when the police arrive the next morning to investigate the burgulary, Phyllis recognise them as the burgulars form the previous night. Then Phyllis's husband Frankie is found murdered, and it is revealed that Frankie's father was once the head of a powerful criminal gang that was involved in the Hatton Carriers bullion robbery. On top of it all Dido's policeman friend, Paul Grant, is suspended from duty. Rumour is that he is bent, but Dido knows it is because he came to her aid. What exactly is going on? This was a really fun read. The mystery was smoothly written and each plot twist was nicely piled on so that you could actually feel the tension mounting with each new revelation. A very nice mystery to curl up with and enjoy, esp on rainy nights.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent storytelling,
This review is from: Road Kill: A Dido Hoare Mystery (Dido Hoare Mysteries) (Hardcover)
On a back street in central London is located Dido Hoare' Antiquarian Books and Prints. The shop is the business and home of a single thirtyish woman and her child. She receives some help from her father and a nanny Phyllis Digby who is more of a friend.When Phyllis asks her employer for help, Dido immediately takes her son and goes to her friend's home. There she finds lights systematically broken and the door ajar. Dido finds Phyllis locked inside a closet. The frightened woman claims three polite men placed her inside the closet, but thoughtfully left her with a cell phone. Surprisingly, nothing seems stolen and the only rooms disturbed are her husband's den and their bedroom. Obviously the trio were seeking something. Phyllis tells Dido she has no idea where her spouse is. Two men soon arrive claiming to be detectives, but they are searching for something as well. Dido believes these men will keep returning until they find what they want. She decides to not wait for a deadly incident to occur by doing her own brand of investigating. Marianne MacDonald provides more than just a fabulous mystery. Being a natural talent, Ms. MacDonald gives her audience a taste of London without confusing the non-British audience with the local vernacular or isolated back streets. The secondary characters in many ways steal the show, especially Dido's pontificating dad and her toddler Ben. The mystery reveals itself one tantalizing step at a time before attaining a dramatic climax that makes the story line feel real. Anyone new to this series will seek previous tales after delighting in ROAD KILL. Harriet Klausner
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nanny's Problem,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Road Kill (A Dido Hoare Mystery) (Paperback)
Dido needs a nanny for her son, Ben and Phyllis Digby is perfect for the job. But a frantic middle of the night phone call from Phyllis sends Dido rushing to her rescue.
Then Phyllis's husband Frank is murdered. Frank was an accountant with a gangster father and a missing gold shipment. "Road Kill" picks up the pace of this great series as Paul Grant, Dido's short-time married lover is suspended from Scotland Yard for helping her discover who killed Frank and locked Phyllis in a closet while their apartment was trashed. The clues are there but super sleuth you must be to arrive at a conclusion before the story ends. A delightful read. Nash Black, author of "Sins of the Fathers" and "Travelers."
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