Fool There Was (Sukey Reynolds Mysteries)

ISBN: 0727867865

Author: Rowlands, Betty

Condition: Used

Product DescriptionA thrilling new Sukey Reynolds mysteryDC Sukey Reynolds reports a man acting suspiciously, but on investigation her suspicions seem to be groundless. Then the man is killed in a road accident . . . Meanwhile, Sukey is sent to deal with the gruesome discovery of a woman's dismembered body. Sukey's hunch that the two cases are connected is brushed aside but could a coded reference to a Greek god, and a Chinese tattoo meaning death hold the answers?From BooklistReturning from vacation, Detective Constable Sukey Reynolds and her colleague, Vicky Armstrong, observe a suspicious transaction between two men. Later, one of the men turns up dead, and Sukey and her partner, DS Rathbone, are assigned the case. Before they can make much progress, theyre handed another, more bizarre case: a womans head has washed up on the beach. This is a strong, suspenseful procedural with engaging characters and tantalizing clues. Rowlands series has established itself as a reliable, always engaging source of realistic British procedurals. Recommend it to fans of Prime Suspect. --David PittReviewDC Sukey Reynolds (Smokescreen, 2008, etc.) plays one of her famous hunches in linking a routine traffic fatality to a dismembered body washed up by the tide. Returning from a Paris vacation, Sukey Reynolds and her friend DC Vicky Armstrong linger at a rest stop just long enough to see a suspicious-looking man in a Volvo try to hand a package to the driver of a white Peugeot. Minutes later the Volvo crashes, killing the driver, Toby Mayhew. Although the package, later recovered, contains only some harmless mementos, Sukey remains on alert. To distract her, DS Rathbone, who's increasingly tetchy around Sukey, sends her to investigate the discovery of a disembodied head washed up on the beach. Soon enough other bits of the victim surface to identify her as Connie Gilbert, purchaser of the "Rambling Rose" undergarments found in a local charity bin. Meantime, disc jockey Jason Dobbie, Mayhew's neighbor, is attacked by a thug with a Chinese symbol tattooed on his wrist. Since Connie was an Asian who lived over the Oriental Garden restaurant, it isn't a big leap for Sukey to connect the cases. When Rathbone remains skeptical and grouchy, Sukey hooks up with her neighbor, freelance journalist Harry Matthews, who thinks a conversation he heard in the loo may be relevant. Though Harry takes Sukey seriously, his zest for investigation may put the pair in danger. Sukey is as intuitive about crime as she is boneheaded about her personal affairs. In the end, though, her charm and stamina win out. --Kirkus Reviews, 15th August 2009On their way home from a vacation in France, DC Sukey Reynolds and colleague Vicky Armstrong see a suspicious exchange between men in a parking lot. Later, one of the men dies in an auto accident. Then the head of a woman is found on the beach, and the Avon and Somerset Criminal Investigation Division is hip deep in cases involving murder and the illegal drug trade. VERDICT A good choice for mystery buffs who enjoy British police procedurals in the tradition of Peter Turnbull and Peter Lovesey. --Library Journal, 1st September 2009About the AuthorRowlands is a active member of the Crime Writers' Association. She was born in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, England.