Hardcastle's Quartet
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Accident . . . or murder? Detective Inspector Hardcastle’s seemingly simple investigation turns more complicated, in his latest case
June 1918. A patrolling constable discovers the body of Georgina Cheney, wife of a naval commander, in the basement area of a house in Westminster. At first it is thought to be suicide or even a tragic accident. But as Divisional Detective Inspector Ernest Hardcastle of the A or Whitehall Division of the Metropolitan Police begins to investigate – ably assisted by Detective Sergeant Charles Marriott – they soon discover a different story. It is clear that the woman was murdered, and revelations about the victim’s previous life in Malta arouse Hardcastle’s interest.
But things are destined to get even more complicated for Hardcastle, when he is assigned two further murder cases by Detective Chief Inspector Frederick Wensley, head of the CID at New Scotland Yard. Could they be connected? This may be a puzzle too tricky even for Hardcastle to solve . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Entertaining byplay between the leads enlivens Ison's 12th historical showcasing Det. Insp. Ernest Hardcastle and Det. Sgt. Charles Marriott of the Whitehall Division of the Metropolitan Police (after 2013's Hardcastle's Traitors). One day in June 1918, a constable happens on the corpse of Georgina Cheney, who apparently fell or jumped from a window of her house in Westminster. Dr. Bernard Spilsbury, an expert in forensic pathology, determines that the woman was strangled shortly after a sexual encounter. The detectives learn that Mrs. Cheney had a reputation for cheating on her husband, a navy commander stationed far enough away to rule him out as a suspect. As they look into the identities and alibis of the victim's lovers, the pair find evidence that she may have been blackmailing someone. Meanwhile, the head of the CID asks them to probe two other murders that he believes are related to the Cheney case. The detecting is strictly by the numbers, but the crisp writing and witty dialogue are a plus.
