Synopsis
Gerald Hammond's latest romp through the Scottish Highlands proves that a Calder can take a new name, but she can't lose the investigative instinct that courses through the veins of this first family of amateur sleuthing.
When Keith Calder's daughter Deborah weds Inspector Ian Fellowes, she hopes to luxuriate for a while in matrimonial bliss. Her plans evaporate, however, as she assumes the management of her godfather's pheasant packing company at his behest.
She soon has the company running at peak efficiency, despite the twin annoyances of Mrs. Thrower, her arrogant and unreliable secretary, and Delia, the obnoxious woman's unruly daughter. Finding herself wishing that the two would simply disappear, she is nonetheless shocked when one of them actually does.
Inspector Fellowes is assigned to the kidnapping, and Deborah tries to piece together the case from the questions her husband asks her. He's not giving anything away, though, much to Deborah's consternation. The Calder in her begins to assert itself, and she decides to launch an investigation of her own. Deborah soon finds herself swept up in a terrifying chain of events - including a perilous cross-country chase with the ruthless abductors - plunging her life into grave danger. ...
Reviews
This slight but neatly executed puzzle set in the hunt country of the Scottish Highlands enables Hammond ( In Camera ; Doghouse ) to transfer the amateur sleuthing skills of his hero Keith Calder to Keith's capable and courageous daughter, Deborah, now in her 20s and newly married to Police Inspector Ian Fellowes. A boy-crazy 12-year-old named Delia Thrower disappears, apparently kidnapped in an attempt to prevent her accountant father from trumpeting his knowledge of some insider trading and thereby queering a takeover deal. As Delia is the daughter of Deborah's secretary, Ian can't keep his bride in the dark for long. Deborah springs into action when pluckers at her pheasant factory find a pheasant's crop that yields some distinctive beads, which likely came from Delia's bracelet. Some armed thugs foil Deborah's detective work, but only temporarily. Without siphoning energy from the swift plot, Hammond's lively characters pay tribute to the Scottish countryside and the rugged individualism it fosters.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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