Synopsis
A new whodunit featuring Mallorquin cop Enrique Alvarez is as welcome as a week in the sun Financial TimesBevis Ogden was the beneficiary of a substantial life insurance policy when his first wife was killed in an accident. Which makes him the prime suspect when the body of wife number two is found at the bottom of a gorge.Where British expatriates are concerned, however, things are rarely as straightforward as they seem. For a start, there is a strong possibility that the two Mrs Ogdens were in fact one and the same woman or at least, that is the startling theory put to Alvarez by an insurance investigator who believes that his company have been the victim of an elaborate scam perpetrated by Bevis and Belinda/Sabrina Ogden.There is no doubt that Mrs Ogden is dead this time around, but was the murderer her husband, or her lover, Rino Rodolfo a gigolo who enjoys a lucrative life with a much older, and very wealthy, Englishwoman Alvarez thinks he knows the answer, but proving his theory is another matter.
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Review
Pity poor Inspector Alvarez: surrounded by arrogant British expatriates, scorned by his bad-tempered superiors, at the mercy of his cousin Dolores's equally bad temper and culinary whims, and--as always--in wistful need of a coņac and a siesta. But don't be surprised if, as loyal Roderic Jeffries fans already know, you find yourself taking just a little pleasure in the Mallorcan inspector's misfortunes. Jeffries's cynical treatment of such slings and arrows--and Alvarez's phlegmatic acceptance of them--are the best things about the always amusing Inspector Alvarez series (21 volumes and still going strong). So stifle any sneaking feelings of guilt and relish the insults that pepper An Enigmatic Disappearance.
When beautiful young Sabrina Ogden disappears, Alvarez doesn't share her husband Bevis's worry: foul play seems a much less likely scenario than an extended lover's tryst. But then--"The phone rang and it was in a carefree spirit that [Alvarez] reached for the receiver. Which went to prove that a man was most likely to fall into a hole when he was looking up at the stars." Sabrina's body has turned up at the bottom of a gorge, and the island is rife with suspects: Might the murderer be Rino Ruffolo, Sabrina's lover, afraid of losing his plum position as a very ugly, very capricious, very wealthy woman's pet? Or is Bevis's despair less a widower's grief than an attempt to draw suspicion away from what might have been a life-insurance fraud gone violently awry?
Jeffries has polished his "expatriate cozy" mystery genre to a diamond shimmer, with just enough Mallorcan sun, sea, and dust to frame his sharp-edged character sketches. Fans of the Alvarez series can settle in for another Mediterranean treat, and newcomers will enjoy browsing through the earlier titles after this island outing. --Kelly Flynn
About the Author
Roderic Jeffries was born in London in 1926 and was educated at Southampton's School of Navigation. In 1943 he went to sea with the New Zealand Shipping Company and returned to England in 1949 where he was subsequently called to the Bar. He practiced law for a brief period before starting to write full time. His books have been published in many different countries and have been adapted for film, television, and radio. He and his wife live in Mallorca, and have two children.
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