When Mr Trimble dies in Nightingales retirement home, Kent Fisher is suspicious, and not only because of the puzzling set of numbers the old man left him. Is the death due to natural causes, or could there be something sinister going on? Manager Miss Rudolph doesn’t like answering Kent’s questions, but receptionist Louise is happy to help. Trouble is, so is Gemma, Kent’s former love-interest, who is now due to marry the charming Richard. Are the two women competing for the post of ‘Watson’ to Kent’s ‘Holmes’? Meanwhile, a shadowy individual leaves a series of threatening notes on Kent’s car windscreen.
This is the third in the Kent Fisher (Environmental Health Inspector and part-time sleuth) series of mysteries by Robert Crouch, and it’s another slam-dunk. As with many of Lee Child’s books, the story starts with a question – is someone trying to kill Mr Trimble? If so, who and why? And thus the scene is set for a proper conundrum that’ll keep everyone guessing. The plot doesn’t give our hero much room to make mistakes but as the mystery unravels, the twists and turns have a nice edge to them. And then there’s the Kent/Gemma scenario, which adds another layer of complications to the plot. The writing, as always, is spot on and the author’s character development is flawless.
If you’re looking for a mystery that’ll leave you panting for more, this is it.
Colin Garrow 