Up and Down (Five Star First Edition Mystery Series) - Hardcover

Coward, Mat

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786225416 ISBN 13: 9780786225415

Publisher: Five Star, 2000

Synopsis

Devious Plotting.

When Arthur "Beans" Jones is found pitchforked to death in his garden, Constable Frank Mitchell find himself -- amidst the sniggers and smirks of his colleagues -- paired with the legendary Inspector Don Packham. Though from day to day Mitchell is never sure whether he'll be working with the upbeat, jovial Packham or his manic-depressive alter ego, the task at hand is clear.

Why would anyone murder an old man who did little but tend to his beans? The answer, Packham is certain, lies with the other gardeners in the allotment where Mr. Jones toiled daily. Digging into the lives of the other "plotters" -- the American woman "Dill," growing herbs for beauty creams; the punker "Weed," growing something . . . er, illegal; the cheerful "Mother Hubbard" and her brood -- Mitchell and Packham uncover the real dirt surrounding a garden-variety killer.

About this title

From Booklist

Coward's impressive debut novel, which chronicles the relationship between Constable Frank Mitchell and Detective Inspector Don Packham, will remind readers of long-suffering Lewis and moody Morse in the Colin Dexter series. Packham can hold his own with Morse, especially in terms of mood swings. Mitchell, initially delighted to be paired with the legendary inspector, soon comes to realize that, from day to day, he has no idea whether he will be working with the jovial, upbeat Packham or the silent, morose Packham. Either way, the task at hand is to investigate the murder of gardener Arthur Jones, aka "Beans." The group of "plotters" (gardeners) with whom Beans occupied space includes a variety of vivid characters, one of whom is likely a murderer. Subsequent volumes in this series will each feature a different group of hobbyists. Recommend Up and Down not only to Morse fans but also to those who are looking for something like John Sherwood's classic gardening mysteries starring Celia Grant. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Library Journal

After a 78-year-old retiree is found murdered in his rented garden plot ( allotment ) in a restful suburb of London, Detective Inspector Don Packham teams up with Frank Mitchell, a police constable with family allotment experience. Packham!s middle-aged detecting experience and personal idiosyncrasies contrast"often humorously"with Mitchell!s more youthful practical knowledge and impending fatherhood. As they interrogate assorted neighboring allotmenteers "all excited about gardening in one way or another"they find ties to controversial commercial development of the area. This first novel is the auspicious debut of a series featuring Packham and Mitchell. For most collections.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Five Star
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0786225416
• ISBN 13: 9780786225415
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 228