From Publishers Weekly
Mallorcan Insp. Enrique Alvarez has his priorities, and pursuing criminals is far down a list headed by good food, good liquor (preferably cognac) and plenty of rest and relaxation, as shown in his latest outing in Jeffries's long-running series (
Murder Needs Imagination, etc.). British authorities ask the Cuerpo (the civil police) to determine if wealthy Englishman Cyril Tyler, a suspected hit-and-run driver in the deaths of two people, is on the island. Alvarez finds Tyler and the car, but then the investigation takes a more serious turn. Lengthy phone sallies between Salas, the inspector's difficult boss, and Alvarez will delight Jeffries fans, Salas criticizing every aspect of Alvarez's reports. Alvarez, of course, placidly carries out Salas's orders in his own peculiar way. The foibles of the island's foreign residents and tourists add to the fun. In the end, Alvarez demonstrates the superiority of his easygoing lifestyle as he manages to find not only truth but justice.
(Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The bumbling, cognac-loving inspector Enrique Alvarez is back in another Mallorcan police caper. This one begins with a request from the English police to question Cyril Tyler, a part-time Mallorcan resident, to determine if he is the driver who ran down two young people on an English country lane. Within minutes of meeting Tyler, Alvarez senses he’s dealing with a guilty man. But barely has the investigation begun when Tyler is shot dead in suspicious circumstances. Alvarez’s boss is demanding the case be solved “yesterday,” which naturally puts the inspector in a foul mood, since it means he may have to cut short his morning coffee-and-cognac breaks, not to mention the long lunches and afternoon siestas. Determined to crack the case in his own way and in his own good time, Alvarez goes about it in his typically shambolic, languid way. While at heart this is a serious murder mystery with a sad ending, it’s difficult to feel downhearted when the charming, funny, engaging Enrique Alvarez is the central character. Another delightful entry is an always-entertaining series. --Emily Melton