The Salton Killings by Sally
Spencer (Severn House, 1998) is the first Chief Inspector Woodend title in an
impressive collection of 20 books that begin in the late 1950s, when the
aftermath of World War II has receded but is still felt. (The Amazon subtitle
for this book says it is set in the 1970s but the book makes the late 1950s
timing clear in multiple places.) Woodend is a brusque guy from the north of
England who has antagonized his superiors in Scotland Yard, earning every
out-of-the-way case that comes along. So when the strangled body of a girl is
found in a salt pile in a village in Cheshire, off he goes with his newest
sergeant.
Woodend’s
first act is to locate the nearest village pub, and then he identifies a police
cadet who was born in the village and knows the history and gossip for
generations back. The village still remembers vividly the murder of a local
teenager during World War II, the killer believed to be her American military
boyfriend who was not charged due to a lack of evidence. The discovery of two
more teenage girls who died since then in what was thought to be accidents
makes Woodend think he’s dealing with a serial killer who has been at work for
10 years or longer.
This story
is a definitive British police procedural set in a village. The investigation
is carefully worked out and logical in its steps, the suspects are everywhere,
and misdirection abounds. The characters come into their own as they become
accustomed to Woodend’s thought processes and as secrets unfold. The
confrontation at the end and the identification of the culprit were as
unexpected as could be. Not surprising to me at all that this turned into an
extended series. The epilogue is great, worth the read of the book all in
itself.
·
Hardcover: 224 pages
·
Publisher: Severn House
Publishers; 1st World Ed edition (July 1, 1998)
·
Language: English
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ISBN-10: 0727853449
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ISBN-13: 978-0727853448
Aubrey Hamilton
©2019
Aubrey
Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and
reads mysteries at night.
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