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 29
... showed Wexford the pencilled initials : A.B. ' Did anyone else see her ? Any of the other NCAs ? The administration officers ? ' ' Not that I know of . Why would they ? ' Wexford said suddenly , with extreme sharpness , ' Don't ask me ...
... showed Wexford the pencilled initials : A.B. ' Did anyone else see her ? Any of the other NCAs ? The administration officers ? ' ' Not that I know of . Why would they ? ' Wexford said suddenly , with extreme sharpness , ' Don't ask me ...
Page 72
... showed white . ' Do you . . . ' he began . ' Do you have any news for me ? ' ' We've nothing specific , sir . ' Wexford read a lot into that emphatic ' sir ' , probably a good deal more than Burden was aware of . He heard in the stress ...
... showed white . ' Do you . . . ' he began . ' Do you have any news for me ? ' ' We've nothing specific , sir . ' Wexford read a lot into that emphatic ' sir ' , probably a good deal more than Burden was aware of . He heard in the stress ...
Page 185
Ruth Rendell. Burden showed him a photograph of Sojourner's twelve - days- dead face . It had been skilfully taken but ... showed her the picture of Sojourner , the closed eyes , the bruised skin , the bare patches on the forehead and ...
Ruth Rendell. Burden showed him a photograph of Sojourner's twelve - days- dead face . It had been skilfully taken but ... showed her the picture of Sojourner , the closed eyes , the bruised skin , the bare patches on the forehead and ...
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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