A Species of Revenge (A Gil Mayo mystery) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Marjorie Eccles (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Gil Mayo mystery | Publication Date: June 1998

DS Gil Mayo and Inspector Abigail Moon appea r in another absorbing mystery. Eccles writes authentic, wel l researched police procedural novels and previous titles in clude A Death of Distinction and An Accidental Shroud. '

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Eccles writes police procedurals in the classic English tradition. In her latest Superintendent Gil Mayo tale (A Death of Distinction, 1998), she infuses a typical country-house setting with an atmosphere of menace. The recently widowed Dermot Voss and his two daughters have bought Edwina Lodge, a massive, rundown Victorian house in the town of Lavenstock near Birmingham. Part of the house is broken up into apartments, with the usual complement of eccentric lodgers. Next-door is another Victorian monstrosity, Simla, where three rather odd siblings, twins Hope and Francis Kendrick and their sister, Imogen, live. Also nearby is Ellington Close, a new development of homes. But it seems that each of the vividly described characters in this enclosed neighborhood may have something to hide. When a man is killed in the nearby allotment garden, nobody comes forward to identify him. The victim has been hit on the head and has drowned in just a few inches of water in a deserted garden plot in the middle of the night. Gil Mayo and Inspector Abigail Moon now have on their hands the most puzzling kind of murder case: both victim and killer are unknown, and then a second murder may or may not be linked to the first. Eccles delivers engaging characters and a nicely tangled plot in this worthy effort.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Another absorbing journey to Lavenstock, the town in England where low-keyed Detective Superintendent Gil Mayo and his team (A Death of Distinction, p. 303, etc.) are trying to identify the bludgeoned body of a man found in Ellington Close, a small, tight-knit community of old and newer houses. Dermot Voss, a recent widower in the film and video business, has just bought Edwina Lodge, a large place that combines living quarters with apartments for three tenants. Sarah, his late wife Lisas sister, has come to help Dermot and his two young daughters settle in. Morning newspapers are delivered to Edwina Lodge by teenager Patti Ryman, who also services nearby Simla, home of the Kendricksteacher Hope, her twin brother Francis, a writer, and their visiting sister Imogen Loxley. An abandoned car found in the village finally identifies the dead man as Philip Ensor, a sales rep supposedly away on business, who lived in Solihull with wife Judith but once lived in the same town as the Vosses. As Mayo tries to make sense of Ensors presence in the Close, little Patti Ryman is found dead, killed by a blow to the head. Is there a connection to the unsolved murders of two young girls in neighboring Hurstfield Division, or had Patti seen Ensors killer? It takes a while, but Mayo finally uncovers the crucial links that reveal the truth. The authors subtle development of a wide range of characters and the relationships among them produce the tensions and suspense that propel the storyone most readers will find fascinating to the finish. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 315 pages
• Publisher: Chivers; Lrg edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0754034259
• ISBN-13: 978-0754034254
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,736,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars You ought to try the Gil Mayo series, December 28, 2011

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Booker G "ultimate reader" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Species of Revenge (Thorndike British Favorites) (Paperback)

I recommend this book as a very good installment in the Gil Mayo series. The plot about two local deaths that initially seem unrelated but really are connected sounds mundane but is actually rather absorbing. The story-specific characters are well drawn, which is part of what makes the ordinariness of this plot acceptable. The protagonists (Detective Superintendant Mayo, Detective Inspector Moon, Detective Sergeant Kite, et al) could be a little more developed as characters, but it seems to be Eccles desire not to make them bigger than her stories. Mayo, a strong and assured man, remains the best character, with Abigail Moon still seeming to be a token woman added to the series. It would be interesting to see her do something really significant to justify all the talk about how she is on the fast track. Sergeant Kite adds a dose of blue collar to the story, which is a realistic touch.

I like this series. It isn't anything dramatic or creepy or exotic, but Eccles does a nice job of making murder and its investigation in one British city engrossing. While one might find this book enjoyable on its own, I recommend reading this series in order, so as to get to know the main characters from the beginning.