The Circle: B Format: A DCI Helen Mallin Mystery (Inspector Hen Mallin Investigation) - Softcover

Lovesey, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0751553581 ISBN 13: 9780751553581

Publisher: Sphere, 2014

Synopsis

When widowed parcel-force worker Bob Naylor plucks up the courage to join a writers' circle, he discovers a motley collection of wannabe authors whom he would rather avoid at all costs. But when a publisher is found murdered, after recently addressing the group, Bob feels compelled to stay.

Investigating Officer Hen Mallin attempts to investigate the group, despite their amateur sleuthing efforts and exhaustingly dramatic outbursts. And as another death casts the bewildered Bob in suspicion, the sinister secret of this circle finally starts to come to light . . .

The first solo case for DCI Hen Mallin, introduced in The House Sitter.

About this title

Review:

Peter Lovesey has a good eye for small worlds devastated by killings: The Circle takes us into the closed yet instantly recognizable world of writers' circles in small towns. A dodgy vanity publisher gets burned alive in his cottage, and the obvious suspect is a writer he had tricked with false promises; other members of the writers' group try to prove his innocence while the police investigate further killings. Lovesey is very good here on the radically different sorts of leg-work carried out by amateurs and the police, to the disadvantage of neither. For a traditional who-dun-it, this is surprisingly perceptive about the investigative process and the different sorts of clues people miss. He also does an intelligent job of exposition by having his main viewpoint character be a widowed parcel courier with a taste for light verse who is far from sure he wants to be hanging around with all these intellectuals anyway. This is a chastened darkish book, but has a light touch that keeps it attractive. --Roz Kaveney.

Review:

The superb Peter Lovesey provides yet another novel of unalloyed delight (The Scotsman)

Lovesey, who can out-Christie Dame Agatha when he sets his mind to it, offers a smorgasbord of red herrings, a nifty plot twist, charming bits of doggerel and delicious digs at writers of the un-publishable (Kirkus Reviews)

Brilliantly keeps one guessing (Daily Mail)

About this edition

• Publisher: Sphere
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0751553581
• ISBN 13: 9780751553581
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368