Looking for a classic murder mystery from an acclaimed crime writer?Discover Inspector Crow of Scotland Yard. Enjoy a beautifully told story from a time before smart phones and DNA testing. Full of twists and turns, this will have you gripped from start to finish.“Builds up to a good climax and keeps you reading.” The Observer“If you have never had the pleasure of reading a mystery by Roy Lewis, … had the pleasure of reading a mystery by Roy Lewis, you are in for a huge treat. Do yourself a favor and pick up “A Lover Too Many,” and any subsequent books by Roy Lewis. You might find other writers as good, but you will not find anyone better.” Barbara Bernstein
Peter Marlin’s wife is found strangled and he becomes the prime suspect. She’d only just returned from an unexplained absence of several months. And during that time, Peter had found a new lover. Everything points to the husband but there’s no real proof.
Inspector John Crow is called in to help the local police. But his new colleagues aren’t keen on an outsider. And Crow must solve the case before anyone else dies.
This fast-paced mystery will have you enthralled from the start. Set in England in the late 1960s, this is the first book to feature Inspector John Crow. More coming soon.
DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FAVOURITE MYSTERY WRITER
Perfect for fans of Peter James, Ruth Rendell, P.D. James and Peter Robinson.
Roy Lewis is one of the most critically acclaimed crime writers of his generation.
PRAISE FOR ROY LEWIS MYSTERIES
“Each Lewis seems to better the last. Here is an intriguing puzzle and likely police work and a fine picture of Northumbrian society and countryside” The Times
“Roy Lewis has demonstrated an enviable range both in geography and style…a nice neat story” The Financial Times
“Lots of cunning complications embracing conservation and financial fiddles” The Guardian
“A thorough, unpretentious and immensely solid piece of work with an interesting and likeable hero” Times Literary Supplement
“Tightly written, well paced and relentlessly accurate” Oxford Times
“Chilly drama with some stirring cliff hanger” Sunday Telegraph
THE DETECTIVE
Skeletally-built, mild-mannered Inspector John Crow is established in the Murder Squad in London and constantly meets hostility when he is called upon to work on murder cases in regional crime squads in Wales and the Midlands. He displays strong moral feelings, and a sensitivity which brings him into conflict with regional staff as he doggedly and successfully pursues the truth in cases where he is called in.
INSPECTOR CROW BOOKS
Book 1: A LOVER TOO MANY
Book 2: ERROR OF JUDGMENT
Book 3: THE WOODS MURDER
Book 4: MURDER FOR MONEY
Book 5: MURDER IN THE MINE
Book 6: A COTSWOLDS MURDER
Book 7: A FOX HUNTING MURDER
Book 8: A DARTMOOR MURDER
ERIC WARD BOOKS
Book 1: THE SEDLEIGH HALL MURDER
Book 2: THE FARMING MURDER
Book 3: THE QUAYSIDE MURDER
Book 4: THE DIAMOND MURDER
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Love murder mysteries about England and I can read them before I go to sleep.
Interesting but not scary.
Great police procedural but it teetered on the edge of too gory for me. Still good though.
British period piece from the 1960s.
Characters were well developed and the story was well written.
See if you can figure out who did it—
This story has a lot of twists and turns and even goes sideways.
I thought I figured out who did it—and I was wrong. (Which is ok).
This is the first time I have read a book by this author and it will not be the last.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was a guess who until the end. I also thought that the touch of hidden compassion and understanding, instead of the superior bombastic attitude of most detectives in the novels, a pleasant welcoming change.
This book is a period piece. There is no electronic media fluff. There is a plot. This is a refreshing detective novel.
Somehow that characters seem a little like cardboard cutouts. But despite that, well-written and will keep you guessing.
great read! could not stop reading it! was really surprised “who done it”
++
Good read
Can Peter clear his name and keep his place in his law firms? He must deal with the formidable but fair Inspector Crow while solving his wife’s murder and dealing with difficult clients.
Not my cuppa
I liked the British detective but there was too much of the story that took place before the main character ever appeared. The rest of the characters were unappealing.
What a lot of twists and turns this book kept me guessing till the end. A great read.
Uninteresting characters, thin plot, no atmosphere. Flat, boring.
Stiffly written. Hard to read. More than half way thru, wondering whether to even finish. Strange ending.
Mystery is my favorite book to read – of course i had this figured out around half way, once again i was WRONG ! This story had so much put into each character for awhile everyone could have done it. Great read
This book was more about legal trusts than a murder mystery. You could not even tell what century the story was taking place in.
3 and 1 /2 stars
The reader is in England in the late 1960’s. This book starts out a little different. It is told from Peter’s point of view for the first 25% or so, not the police as I usually read.
It begins with the coroner’s inquest. Peter Marlin is there. He is the husband of the slain woman Jeanette. She was missing from the home for several months before she suddenly came back. Peter ask where she was, but she wouldn’t tell him. When the verdict is returned “murder by person or person unknown” it comes as no surprise, but it is still a blow.
Peter is a solicitor at a rather prestigious firm. When he returns to work, the chief solicitor Stephen Sainsby calls him in the office and tells him that he can no longer work there. The firm is worried about how the murder of his wife would reflect on the firm.
So out of a job and with the specter of his wife’s death hanging over him, he goes to his girlfriend’s house. Her name is Shirley Walker. She has no sympathy for him as he confesses that he still loved his wife, but that he was “fond of her” (Shirley).
A new detective Inspector Crow from Scotland Yard is now going back and re-interviewing the suspects and witnesses. He goes to visit Shirley and Peter. Crow is very tall, very thin and bald. Peter is on the defensive immediately.
While this book was interesting, especially the writing style, it didn’t hold my interest. I have already forgotten many aspects of the plot. I liked Inspector Crow and the fact that it was a non-technological age (being in the 1960’s), did not bother me at all. In fact, it is refreshing to read about the age before there was DNA and so on. The reader really gets to appreciate the hard work that the detectives put into the investigation.
I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this book so that I may read, enjoy and review it.