SimisolaDoubleday Canada, 1997 - 336 pages Black residents are highly visible in a small English country town like Kingsmarkham. Yet Dr. and Mrs. Akande's daughter, Melanie, fresh from university but a disappointment to her career-driven parents, has disappeared into thin air. She was last seen at the Employment Centre, where she has just signed on for social assistance, when she inexplicably vanished. Now Inspector Wexford finds himself with an investigation complicated by Melanie's feckless boyfriend, his own eye for a too-pretty employment counsellor, and a bizarrely incompetent burglar...as well as a systematic adulterer, a vengeful wife, a treacly politician... and a perplexing corpse. The case will take Wexford from a sunny, soigne garden party to the greyness of unemployment in a derelict shack and finally onto the streets. Here his endless fascination with the peculiarities of human nature leads him from a volatile mix of motives and suspects straight into an explosion of snobbery, sexism, racism--and brutal murder in blood both hot and cold. |
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Page 73
... Hope may be a virtue but it causes more pain , Wexford thought , than despair . He considered asking the doctor if he knew of anything Melanie might have said to Annette Bystock that would have put both their lives in jeopardy , and ...
... Hope may be a virtue but it causes more pain , Wexford thought , than despair . He considered asking the doctor if he knew of anything Melanie might have said to Annette Bystock that would have put both their lives in jeopardy , and ...
Page 193
... hope ... ' ' A waste of time and energy , ' said Laurette harshly . ' Excuse me , I have to go to my work now . Patients don't stop needing nursing just because Sister Akande's lost her daughter . ' ' You mustn't mind my wife , ' the ...
... hope ... ' ' A waste of time and energy , ' said Laurette harshly . ' Excuse me , I have to go to my work now . Patients don't stop needing nursing just because Sister Akande's lost her daughter . ' ' You mustn't mind my wife , ' the ...
Page 276
... hope I've been of help . ' Wexford marvelled at her disconcert- ing habit of seeming to read his thoughts . ' You won't find Anouk at home today , you know . She'll be riding about on a float , exhorting the populace to vote for her ...
... hope I've been of help . ' Wexford marvelled at her disconcert- ing habit of seeming to read his thoughts . ' You won't find Anouk at home today , you know . She'll be riding about on a float , exhorting the populace to vote for her ...
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Common terms and phrases
Akande's Annette Bystock Annette's Anouk Khoori Benefit Office British National Party Burden called chair client Cookie d'you dark daughter dead Dora Dr Akande Epson Euan eyes face father flat gave girl gone hair hand happened head High Street husband Ingrid Pamber Inspector Wexford Karen Kashyapa Kimberley Kingsmarkham knew Ladyhall Court laugh Laurette Akande Leyton living looked Marks and Spencers Mavrikiev mean Melanie Akande Mhonum Mike Miss Bystock morning mother murder Mynford Myringham Neil never night Ollerton Percy Hammond perhaps Peter Stanton police Raffy Range Rover remember road round Ruth Rendell seemed seen smile Sojourner someone Stanton Stowerton suppose sure Swithun Sylvia talk tell There's thing told took tracksuit Vine voice waiting walked Wednesday Wexford asked Wexford thought wife window Winster woman women Yoruba young Zack