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The murder book [text (large print)] / Jane A. Adams.

By: Material type: TextTextSeries: Adams, Jane, Henry Johnstone mystery ; 1.Publisher: London, England : Severn House Large Print, 2017Copyright date: ©2016Edition: First large print editionDescription: 330 pages (large print) ; 23 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780727893161 (hardback)
Subject(s): Genre/Form: Summary: Lincolnshire, England. June, 1928. When three freshly-buried bodies are unearthed in the front yard of a rented cottage, DCI Henry Johnstone, a specialist murder detective from London, is summoned to investigate. Two of the victims are identified as Mary Fields, known to have worked as a prostitute, and her seven-year-old daughter Ruby. But who is the third victim and what was he doing at the cottage? Johnstone is determined to do things by the book, but his use of forensic science and other modern methods of detection soon ruffles feathers. Frustrated by the unhelpful attitude of the local constabulary, Johnstone fears the investigation is heading nowhere. Then he's called out to another murder.
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Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Large Print Davis (Central) Library Large Print Large Print ADAM Available T00802188
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"Adams delivers more than one surprise en route to the satisfying ending"
Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Introducing Detective Chief Inspector Henry Johnstone in the first of a brand-new historical mystery series.
Lincolnshire, England. June, 1928. When three freshly-buried bodies are unearthed in the front yard of a rented cottage, DCI Henry Johnstone, a specialist murder detective from London, is summoned to investigate. Two of the victims are identified as Mary Fields, known to have worked as a prostitute, and her seven-year-old daughter Ruby. But who is the third victim and what was he doing at the cottage?

Johnstone is determined to do things by the book, but his use of forensic science and other modern methods of detection soon ruffles feathers. Frustrated by the unhelpful attitude of the local constabulary, Johnstone fears the investigation is heading nowhere. Then he's called out to another murder . . .

Regular print edition published: [Sutton, Surrey] : Severn House, 2016.

Lincolnshire, England. June, 1928. When three freshly-buried bodies are unearthed in the front yard of a rented cottage, DCI Henry Johnstone, a specialist murder detective from London, is summoned to investigate. Two of the victims are identified as Mary Fields, known to have worked as a prostitute, and her seven-year-old daughter Ruby. But who is the third victim and what was he doing at the cottage? Johnstone is determined to do things by the book, but his use of forensic science and other modern methods of detection soon ruffles feathers. Frustrated by the unhelpful attitude of the local constabulary, Johnstone fears the investigation is heading nowhere. Then he's called out to another murder.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Set in England in 1928, this accomplished series launch from Adams (A Murderous Mind and 10 other Naomi Blake mysteries) introduces Chief Insp. Henry Johnstone of Scotland Yard. George Fields, poor but proud, often spends weeks away from his wife and their seven-year-old daughter, who live in rural Lincolnshire, in order to make a meager living on fishing boats. After one such absence, he returns home to find that workmen have unearthed the bodies of his wife and child from a hole in the yard of the cottage the family was renting. Johnstone and his sergeant, Mickey Hitchens, investigate, but clues are few and far between. When a local landowner's son is killed in an apparent riding accident, his death appears to be unrelated, but the Scotland Yarders eventually discover links with the earlier death. The great strength of this well-crafted whodunit lies in the author's depiction of how her characters struggle to live as best they can in an economically depressed and changing world. Adams delivers more than one surprise en route to the satisfying ending. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

The author of the modern-day-set Naomi Blake mysteries launches a new series set nearly a century ago. It's 1928, and DCI Henry Johnstone of Scotland Yard is handed a difficult assignment: find out who's responsible for several murders in the market town of Louth, in Lincolnshire. It'll be decades before the term serial killer is first used, but that's what Johnstone fears he's dealing with. He's also dealing with a local police force that would like nothing more than a quick wrap-up of the case (with minimal fuss, please and thank you) and with colleagues who view him as rather eccentric and annoying for his use of cutting-edge forensic and investigative techniques. (Cutting edge is a relative concept Johnstone isn't taking DNA samples; he's merely insisting on getting some pictures of the crime scene and taking a few notes.) The story works on several levels: as a murder mystery, but also as a character study (Johnstone really is a fascinating fellow) and as a story about the battle between radical new ideas and conventional approaches. A fine start to what one hopes will be a long-running series.--Pitt, David Copyright 2016 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

A murder detective from London stalks a killer in rural Lincolnshire.Employment is scarce in the country village of Louth in 1928. Boys like Ethan Samuels and Frank Church can find work on farms like Elijah Hanson's. But town-bred men like George Fields often have no choice but to go to sea. And while George is away, his wife, Mary, finds herself with too much time on her hands and too little money. She addresses both problems by exchanging her favors for cash. So when someone bashes Mary's head in, there are some in the village who say it's no more than she was asking for. But killing 7-year-old Ruby and George's young cousin Walter in the bargain is a step too far. Even Acting Chief Inspector Carrington agrees that it's time to ask for help from Scotland Yard. What Carrington doesn't bargain for are the modern methods championed by Chief Inspector Henry Johnstone and his sergeant, Mickey Hitchens, who come equipped with a murder bag filled with fingerprint powder and the like and a murder book for logging in evidencelike the button that looks suspiciously like the others on Ethan Samuels' shirt. Johnstone's methods may be modern, but will they be effective? Adams keeps the reader guessing until the end, and maybe even a little bit past.The creator of Naomi Blake (A Murderous Mind, 2016, etc.) and Rina Martin (Forgotten Voices, 2015, etc.) launches a new series with a pair of murder specialists who are worthy additions to the world of period detection. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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