Dover and the Claret Tappers
A Dover Mystery, Book 8
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- £2.99
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
Detective Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover is the most idle and avaricious hero in all of crime fiction. Why should he even be bothered to solve the case?
Dover and the Claret Tappers is a surprising departure for the series featuring Scotland Yard's least competent detective, and the first to depart is none other than Dover himself.
When the doubtful detective suddenly vanishes from Scotland Yard, along comes an ultimatum from a gang of kidnappers, the Claret Tappers. They demand not only a stout ransom, but also the release of two prisoners – a multiple bigamist and a nymphomaniacal shoplifter.
How Dover gets out of this one is only the beginning. For just as the case is getting cold, the Claret Tappers strike again. And once more Dover is aroused from his stupor in a most unexpected way.
Editorial reviews:
“Something quite out of the ordinary.” Daily Telegraph
“Joyce Porter is a joy … Dover is unquestionably the most entertaining detective in fiction.” Guardian
“Plotted with the technique of a virtuoso.” New York Times
“Wonderfully funny.” Spectator
“Dover is wildly, joyously unbelievable; and may he remain so for our comic delight.” Sun
“Porter has a keen eye, a wicked sense of comedy, and a delightfully low mind.” Harper’s
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
First published in England in 1976, this is Porter's fourth hilarious tale featuring Wilf Dover, the most inept detective at Scotland Yard. A gang called the Claret Tappers kidnap lazy, obese Wilf and great is the rejoicing when demands for his ransom are refused, ``on principle''--but the celebration is premature. Instead of killing Dover, the captors release him, to the despair of his colleagues. Poor Sgt. MacGregor anguishes over resuming the partnership with the sluggard as they are assigned to find the kidnap gang. Doing all the dreary work, which includes the care and feeding of Wilf, MacGregor gets nowhere and the Yard chief is about to close the case when the abductors strike again. Now they are holding the baby grandson of an MP and, this time, the long-suffering sergeant gets a bit of his own back. The extortionists insist that Dover alone deliver the ransom and he is propelled into situations horrible beyond his worst fears. The author navigates skillfully between scenes of inspired slapstick and nerve-twanging tensions, topping the entertainment with a sly surprise.
