The second case for DCI Hen Mallin, introduced in The House Sitter.
When widowed parcel-force worker Bob Naylor plucks up the courage to join a writers’ circle, he discovers a motley collection of wannabe authors whom he would rather avoid at all costs. But when a publisher is found murdered, after recently addressing the group, Bob feels compelled to stay.
Investigating Officer Hen Mallin attempts to investigate the group, despite their amateur sleuthing efforts and exhaustingly dramatic outbursts. And as another death casts the bewildered Bob in suspicion, the sinister secret of this circle finally starts to come to light . . .
Jo and Gemma are friends who meet for coffee every Saturday to gossip and discuss the state of the world. At one such meeting, Gemma mentions killing her boss and Jo goes along with the joke. But Jo is not amused when she finds a real body on the beach at Selsey soon afterwards – an unidentified nearly-naked woman, who has been drowned.
It take DCI Hen Mallin and her team some time to discover who the woman is, and as they are investigating, Jo and Gemma are getting into more trouble – they keep coming across dead bodies…
Peter Lovesey’s thirtieth novel explores one of his favourite themes – the innocent caught up in sinister events.
When widowed parcel-force worker Bob Naylor plucks up the courage to join a writers’ circle, he discovers a motley collection of wannabe authors whom he would rather avoid at all costs. But when a publisher is found murdered, after recently addressing the group, Bob feels compelled to stay.
Investigating Officer Hen Mallin attempts to investigate the group, despite their amateur sleuthing efforts and exhaustingly dramatic outbursts. And as another death casts the bewildered Bob in suspicion, the sinister secret of this circle finally starts to come to light . . .
Jo and Gemma are friends who meet for coffee every Saturday to gossip and discuss the state of the world. At one such meeting, Gemma mentions killing her boss and Jo goes along with the joke. But Jo is not amused when she finds a real body on the beach at Selsey soon afterwards – an unidentified nearly-naked woman, who has been drowned.
It take DCI Hen Mallin and her team some time to discover who the woman is, and as they are investigating, Jo and Gemma are getting into more trouble – they keep coming across dead bodies…
Peter Lovesey’s thirtieth novel explores one of his favourite themes – the innocent caught up in sinister events.
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Reviews
Peter Lovesey has written 30 crime novels, many of them adapted for television or film; he has won loads of awards and been translated into more than 20 languages; he's hugely respected by his fellow writers, yet hasn't quite captured the public acclaim
What will especially please those who treasure puzzle mysteries is the ingenuity of the plot. Lovesey has figured out how to update the traditional mystery while retaining the features that made it so entertaining. The characters are thoroughly 21st cent
Peter Lovesey excels in portraying ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events, and The Headhunters is a splendid example... This is a very cleverly constructed mystery with well-rounded characters, and it confirms Lovesey's place in the top echelon of British crime writers
A sharp little vignette of contemporary England
