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 78
... question was for PC Adams . Suppose you hadn't a car phone and your car broke down after dark on an A road where there were no roadside phones ? What should you do ? After Adams had done his best to answer this WPC Scott , the rape ...
... question was for PC Adams . Suppose you hadn't a car phone and your car broke down after dark on an A road where there were no roadside phones ? What should you do ? After Adams had done his best to answer this WPC Scott , the rape ...
Page 132
... questions to be answered in all and it's complicated till you know how . Let's say it's ... well , uncommon for a client to get it right first time on his own . On her own , I should say . They've got a funny taste , these prawns , sort ...
... questions to be answered in all and it's complicated till you know how . Let's say it's ... well , uncommon for a client to get it right first time on his own . On her own , I should say . They've got a funny taste , these prawns , sort ...
Page 189
... questions about whether she was claiming UB or Income Support , had she ever worked , and what kind of job was she ... question delicately . ' Is your wife ... er , Indian like yourself ? ' ' I am a British citizen , ' said Osman very ...
... questions about whether she was claiming UB or Income Support , had she ever worked , and what kind of job was she ... question delicately . ' Is your wife ... er , Indian like yourself ? ' ' I am a British citizen , ' said Osman very ...
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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