STAND-ALONE MURDER MYSTERY, #9 IN THE SERIES. MEET MAVERICK BRITISH DETECTIVE DI SKELGILL… “MAD, BAD AND JUST A LITTLE BIT COZY.”WHEN LATTER-DAY LOTHARIO and expert kayaker Roger Alcock disappears on the night of the ‘Great Cockermouth Flood’, his attractive wife Maeve takes 24 hours longer than might reasonably be expected to notify the authorities. But when Roger’s corpse washes up on the … corpse washes up on the Solway coast, a post mortem suggests his death may legitimately be classified as misadventure.
Yet as the floodwater recedes, reasons emerge for Roger’s associates to celebrate his demise. Could spurned lovers and fleeced creditors and others who might benefit be acting in silent concert? Jealousy, revenge, greed… these are sentiments that trouble investigating officer DI Skelgill.
In his quest to divine a motive Skelgill enlists a visiting TV reporter, and the sister-in-law of the late Roger Alcock. But is this alluring duo simply playing him for their own devices? Can his famous ‘sixth sense’ come to his rescue in time – or will a second murder erase forever all trace of the killer?
“Great characters. Great atmospheric locale. Great plots. What’s not to like?”
Amazon Reviewer, 5 Stars
more
I love mystery’s and this is a great one. You will not regret reading.
I almost always enjoy British/Scottish whodunits. DI Skelgill is a loveable curmudgeon.
Wonderful mystery
Always a good read.
Enjoy every one of this author’s books
Love this series.
Cover to cover without putting it down.
It was okay but somewhat predictable
A bit drawn out,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but I could not really work out the end until I had reached it
I enjoy this series.
Set in the Lakes region of England, this interesting mystery is well-written, provides a great sense of the place, and has well-drawn characters. I have enjoyed this series, though individual books stand on their own.
I liked this page turner. It’s interesting to get a peek into different cultures and the way they think.
Well developed characters. Good story.
Tough start… but excellent story once I got into it.
I never got to liking any of the characters, including the hero.
Great book. I stumbled through some of the language differences. I didn’t want to quit though!
This book definitely will go into my collection of mysteries to re-read when I want intriguing, intelligent characters, elegantly described settings that bring them to life, and complex plots that hold my attention from the beginning. Inspector Skelgill sees life–and crime– through the eyes of a dedicated Cumbrian fisherman in which the area’s waterways and animal- and plant-life that dwell in them serve as his reference point for all the events that occur around him.
Whereas other mysteries open with prologues in which villains from hell perform heinous acts in ominous surroundings, readers meet Skelgill wryly describing the setting:
“Brokenwind. Crapstone. Penistone. Slack Bottom. In the pantheon of embarrassing place names Cockermouth, Cambria just about holds its own. And it is upon such harmless innuendo that the great British tradition of smutty seaside postcard was founded.”
But before that paragraph ends, Skelgill and his rowboat and the town of Cockermouth will become inextricably connected by an extra-tropical cyclone named Geronimo that terminates his unrewarding attempt to catch any fish.
Sometimes Skelgill is maddening because he so distracted by what other’s consider important, and God only knows where he’s coming from relative to women and authority figures, all of whom he treats in what sometimes seem incomprehensible ways. But the reader never gets the sense that Skelgill is self-absorbed in his personal problems like some contemporary detectives. When he’s self-absorbed, he’s processing what he knows about the mystery and those involved in light of his knowledge of the natural and man-made picadillos of the area. Although this superficially may make him appear rude, this makes the ending that much more satisfactory when it comes.
I like Detective Skelgill. He is a strange character, but he always gets the villain. I’m still not sure how his mind works, but with each book, I learn a little bit more about the way he thinks. The stories are always entertaining and the writing is very good.
An entertaining read. I liked the detective.
Very interesting characters… a good read.