A fine and private place - Hardcover

DAVIES, Freda

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1841194018 ISBN 13: 9781841194011

Publisher: Constable, 2001

Synopsis

Back in 1940s wartime Gloucestershire, a young GI stationed at the village of Tolland disappears and it is presumed that he has simply deserted. Fifty years later a man's skeleton is unearthed bearing the GI's name on his dogtag. In the search for his killer another victim is unearthed, yet it transpires that this was no innocent but a blackmailer - but of whom, and for what reason, is still a mystery. For the inhabitants of Tolland it means the presence of police and reporters, unwelcome for those with long-kept and more recent secrets. Keith Tyrell, the fast-track DI does his best to get behind the skin of the village and its ways and very soon uncovers the killer of the GI. Although the murderer has been dead for many years the repercussions of that untimely death are still felt by some of the village's present-day inhabitants - what will happen when the identity of the blackmailer is eventually revealed

About this title

About the Author:

Freda Davies was born in London. After reading Zoology at Bristol University she taught for a while before marrying and moving to Pembrokeshire, where she still lives today. She has four children. This is her second novel, introducing DI Keith Tyrell and his team.

From Publishers Weekly:

In this solid cozy procedural, set in the quaint Gloucestershire village of Tolland, British author Davies (Let Heaven Fall) introduces Detective Inspector Tyrell, whose youth, good looks and keen deductive ability have earned him quick promotion and the hostility of his colleagues, especially his superior, Detective Chief Inspector Whittaker, who takes a personal pleasure in making his life miserable. While digging a ditch, a local man uncovers the corpse of an American soldier, Ben Gordheimer, buried in a bomb crater on the eve of D-Day. A deserter, Gordheimer was killed by a shotgun blast. Can there be anyone alive who still remembers him? There were many American troops in the area then, in addition to "land girls" young women who volunteered to work the farms when manpower was low. Tyrell suspects Gordheimer's murder was the work of a jealous lover. But Tolland doesn't give up its secrets easily. The discovery of two more recent bodies, pointing to a killer still at large, puts everyone's nerves on edge. Unfortunately, a plodding investigation, the locals' interminable chatter and, worst of all, Tyrell's preachy self-righteousness make for heavy going in places. Davies is a more than competent writer, however, especially good at forensic detail, and is capable of some nice imaginative touches. Those who go for darker English cozies should be satisfied.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Constable
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1841194018
• ISBN 13: 9781841194011
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1