A Front-Page Murder by Fiona Veitch Smith

 

Poppy Danby Investigates #1

288 Pages

Publisher: Bonnier Books UK | Embla Books

Publishing Date: September 24, 2024

Previously published as The Jazz Files

 

Blurb

London, 1920. Starry-eyed aspiring reporter Poppy Denby emerges from the steam of the Edinburgh-London train onto the platform at King's Cross with nothing but a trunk of old notebooks and a heart full of dreams. She swaps her quiet northern hometown for the Big Smoke to act as companion for her ailing (but ever-sharp) Aunt Dot, a pioneering Suffragette and former West End leading lady.

She may only be twenty-two, but Miss Denby knows what she wants and quickly lands a job at the Daily Globe. She expects she's going to have to pull up her stockings and work twice as hard as her male colleagues, but what she is not ready to deal with is murder.

It's only Poppy's first day on Fleet Street when one of the Globe's senior reporters falls to his death from the highest staircase - just moments after receiving a mysterious note. Poppy is tasked with finishing his article involving the mysterious death of a suffragette seven years earlier, about which some powerful people would prefer nothing to be said. Did old Bert Isaacs get too close to a scoop?

As Poppy investigates, she is thrown into a world of hard-drinking newspapermen, flappers and jazz clubs, and learns she must tread very carefully indeed. Luckily, she has her new-found friendship with the terribly dashing Globe photographer Daniel Rokeby who seems terribly eager to lend a helping hand...

But first of all, she's got a murder to solve and this might just make the front page.

 

Review

This book was previously published as The Jazz Files.

When Poppy Denby arrives in London to stay with and assist her wheelchair-bound Aunt Dot she meets a dashing young press photographer named Daniel Rokeby in the train station. The encounter makes Poppy wonder what it would be like to be a journalist. So when Aunt Dot and her companion Grace Wilson, who were pioneering suffragettes before the First World War, encourage Poppy to look for a ‘real’ job, Poppy applies to the Daily Globe newspaper. Rollo Robinson, the owner and editor of the paper where Daniel is also employed takes Poppy on as his assistant but what initially was meant to be a secretarial job to organise and clear the files in Rollo’s office soon turns into an investigation when the political editor falls to his death on Poppy’s first day.

Convinced that the fall was no accident and encouraged by Rollo, Poppy dives into an investigation that is connected to her aunt’s past as a suffragette and the events that put her in a wheelchair. It will also take Poppy into London’s theatrical scene, bring her face to face with a lord who detests the suffragette movement, and will see her travel to Paris. And that’s just for starters. Poppy’s opportunity to prove herself as a journalist is a danger-filled rollercoaster both for her and for the reader.

I struggled a bit with that synopsis. There is a lot happening in this story and I’m not sure I could summarize it all without either spoiling the story and/or confusing readers of this review. There are also many characters to keep track of, both fictional and taken from real life. For example, Charlie Chaplin and Marie Curie make a supporting appearance on these pages. So, it is very helpful that the book starts with a list of characters, indicating whether they’re real or fictional, and that at about 70% into the story Poppy and Rollo, her boss, create and discuss a timeline that summarizes all the events both past and present that have come to pass up until that point.

This book is more crime-caper than mystery since most of the villains in this story are obvious from the start. What’s more, Poppy was a bit too much ‘do first, think later’ kinda girl for my liking, but the story flew across the pages and there wasn’t a boring paragraph.

Long review short: while I did roll my eyes on quite a few occasions while reading A Front Page Murder, I had a hard time putting this book down. This story is pure entertainment for anybody who enjoys their mysteries with a generous helping of shenanigans. And while I think I prefer the Miss Clara Vale mysteries by this author, I’m pretty sure I’ll return to Poppy Denby’s adventures before too long.

One Bad Apple by Jo Jakeman

Pages: 416

Publisher: Little Brown Book Group UK / Constable

Release Date: September 19, 2024

 

Blurb

Welcome to Aberfal Boys High School. Independent jewel of academic and sporting excellence in the South-west -- until the headmaster is murdered in his study. And now the Year Seven School Mums' WhatsApp Group really do have something to talk about...

Clare Withoutani: OMG have you heard about Newhall?!!!
Becky Rupertsmum: Helen-Louise just texted. Can't believe it.
Asha: Not heard anything. What's happened?
Pam Geoffreysmum: What's he done this time? They're going co-ed, aren't they? I knew this would happen.
Clare Withoutani: Can't believe it, Becky. I'm in shock.
Pam Geoffreysmum: Are we going co-ed?
Becky Rupertsmum: No, Pam. Newhall died.
Pam Geoffreysmum: Oh GOD. Seriously??!! Can't believe it. So sad. He'll be such a loss to the school. The boys will be devastated. Will the school be offering grief counselling?
Rose Oliversmum: Anyone know what pages they're meant to do for chemistry? Ollie's homework diary says 'do questions 1-4' but no page numbers!

As the resulting police investigation reveals more and more of Aberfal's long-hidden secrets the list of suspects who wanted the headmaster dead grows by the day. And far from being a glittering jewel of exclusivity and excellence, it would appear Aberfal Boys High School is rotten to its core...

 

Review

“You really never can tell which one’s the bad apple.”

Asha Demetriou had no intention of enrolling her son Cassius in Aberfal Boys High School when she gatecrashed the open day. People with Asha’s background don’t belong in the privileged world of private schools. But Jerry Newhall, the headmaster can be persuasive and almost against her better judgement, Asha finds herself accepting a bursary for Cass and as a result, entering a world she doesn’t think she belongs to.

Initially, Asha is in awe of the school, the people who work there, and the other mothers she interacts with but it isn’t long before she notices that the school isn’t as shiny as it appeared at first glance. And when her son is the subject of bullying, Asha springs into action. But it isn’t until the day of a cricket match when Jerry Newhall is found dead in his office that things at Aberfal Boys High School come to a head.

While it’s clear that somebody murdered Jerry, nobody has seen the perpetrator and since his personal assistant states that she didn’t leave her post outside Jerry’s office all afternoon and didn’t see anybody enter, it appears we’re dealing with an impossible crime. Except that just as the school isn’t what it appears to be, neither are the circumstances of Jerry’s death. Everybody has secrets and nobody is telling the (full) truth.

The story in this book isn’t told in a linear way. The narrative jumps backward and forwards in time, but chapter headings make sure the reader doesn’t get confused. Witness statements are interspersed throughout the story. Those statements are a one-sided affair in that the reader only sees the answers given by the various characters and not the questions posed by the investigating police officer. In fact, Detective Mullins doesn’t make an appearance until the very end of the story. All the reader learns about the investigation comes from those statements and the (online) conversations between the mothers of the pupils.

The author hit the nail on the head with the dynamics between the various players in the story. The interactions between the mothers both in the WhatsApp group and face to face are recognisable for anybody who has ever been part of such a group. Everybody appears to have an assigned position in their social circle until the murder and the subsequent unravelling of secrets upsets the apple cart. Everybody has something to hide or is pretending to be something other than who and what they are. It isn’t until the extravagant end-of-term summer ball that things come to a head and Detective Mullins makes his appearance to arrest the murderer.

But remember even when the story appears to be over: “You really never can tell which one’s the bad apple.”

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing is smooth, and the story captured my attention from the start. The characters in this book were recognisable as were the interactions between them. At times reading the book was a little like watching a car crash in slow motion as slowly but steadily relationships and reputations unravel. All of it kept me captivated from the opening paragraphs until the surprising and unconventional ending.

A Recipe for Murder by G.S. Revel Burroughs

330 pages

Publisher: Mr. E. Entertainment

Release Date: September 5, 2024

 

Blurb

“You lot are bloody crime writers. If anyone can get away with murder, it would be one of you.”

 An invitation to Burnham Manor, home of celebrity chef, television presenter and bestselling crime writer Max Wilde, is the pinnacle of a crime novelist’s career. This year’s guests include Sanjay Chakrabati, India’s pre-eminent crime writer; Margaret Hemshaw, author of many bodice-ripping 17th Century crime tales; Sydney Fletch, a young rising star in the crime world and Gareth Sebastian Black, a self-published phenomenon. Also on the guest list is former Detective Inspector Jack Finney, famous for solving the Painswick Poisoning case.

This year’s annual gathering has an extraordinary twist….

On the menu this year will be the deliciously deadly Fugu, carefully prepared by a celebrated Japanese chef. Those who partake of this starter will be hoping that it doesn’t contain any of the poison, tetrodotoxin, one of the world's deadliest toxins.

Or perhaps the guests would enjoy a Soupçon of Suspicion or a serving of Murderous Mushrooms? Also on the menu is the deservedly entitled Poisoned Quail and a helping of Bella-doner kebab, made from some of the world’s finest ingredients, all washed down with a glass of Sparkling Cyanide.

But when Max Wilde is found dead in bed the following morning suspicion naturally falls on those present. But who slipped the inimitable Max Wilde a dose of Hemlock and why?

As the list of suspects increases the body count starts to rise…

 

Review

Max Wilde is the sort of man who seems to make a success of everything he turns his hand to. Celebrity chef, television presenter, and bestselling crime writer Max Wilde is about to hold his annual dinner party. Invited are four other successful crime writers as well as Max’s assistant and John Finney, a retired police detective-inspector. Even before they sit down to dinner it becomes clear that most guests at the dinner party have a reason to hate their host as does Gemma, Max’s assistant, and Robert, his brother.

Despite the menu on the night being murder themed with dishes named The Poisoned Quail, Red Herring, and Murderous Mushrooms accompanied by a bottle or two of Sparkling Cyanide it isn’t until the next morning that Max is found dead in his bed as a result of Hemlock poisoning. With almost everybody having both a motive and the opportunity to put the poison in the glass of water on Max’s bedside table, there are no easy answers. And while the police are on the case, the group of crime writers, led by John Finney, start their own investigation. But it won’t be until more deaths have followed that the culprit is unveiled in an action-packed finale.

This story is a bit of a slow burner. The book starts with introductions of the various characters followed by events on the night of the dinner party and it isn’t until we are about 40% into the story that Max is discovered dead in his bed and the investigation starts. In the hands of a lesser writer that relatively long introduction might have been boring, but I flew through it because all the characters are unique and interesting individuals. What’s more, as far as I can tell, this is the first book by G.S. Revel Burroughs, and I’m impressed. This is a clever, well-written, and captivating mystery. I enjoyed it from start to finish and found it difficult to put my Kindle down. The story is written from a third-person omniscient perspective, which isn’t easy to pull off but works remarkably well here. It was always clear whose head I was in and the transitions from one character to the next were smooth and flowed easily. Since among those characters is a murderer, we know that at least one of them has to be an unreliable narrator, but that only added to the reading fun for me.

Long review short: A Recipe For Murder is a special treat for anyone who enjoys a well-plotted mystery. I look forward to reading whatever G.S. Revel Burroughs may write next.

July Reads

RED SIDE STORY (Shades of Grey #2) by Jasper Fforde (4.5*)

A story set in a dystopian version of Great Britain after the so-called ‘Something that Happened’, where a person’s status is based on the colours they can perceive. The rules and regulations in this world are absurd and at first glance so is the story. Don’t let first impressions fool you though. The more I read, the more sense the nonsense made and the story captivated me from start to finish. I fully agree with the Telegraph’s quote on the cover:

“Forget all the rules of time, space and reality; just sit back and enjoy the adventure.”

 

2.     THE RED HOUSE MYSTERY by A.A. Milne (4*)

It ain’t Winnie the Pooh but this is the most British of stories. In fact, if it had been written one or two decades later, I would have called it a spoof version of a Golden Age of Mystery story. This is by no means a criticism. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the picture it painted of Edwardian Britain. I figured out part of the solution to this locked-room-mystery early on but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the rest of the story. It was a joy to follow Anthony and Bill as they followed the clues and Gillingham’s intuition until they found the answers.

Full review: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-red-house-mystery-by-aa-milne.html

 

3.     MIDSUMMER MYSTERIES by Agatha Christie (4)

A wonderful collection of stories featuring Poirot (4), Miss Marple (2) Parker Pine (2), Stand Alone (2), and one each of Harley Quin and Tommy and Tuppence.

Some of these stories I was familiar with but not so familiar that the solutions didn’t take me by surprise. I guess that’s one of many reasons why Christie is the queen of crime.

 

4.     THE EXAMINER by Janice Hallett (5)

WOW, the author managed to exceed my very high expectations with this well-plotted and intriguing story. It made for compulsive reading from the start with the tension initially building gradually until, by the time I reached the last quarter, the story suddenly exploded and rushed forward with shocking revelation after shocking revelation. And just when I thought I had all the answers, Hallett had another trick up her sleeve; one that will have me thinking and wondering about this book for some time to come. The writing in this book is excellent. All the main characters have their own, distinctive voices and I was impressed with how the art the candidates create comes to life on the page and becomes visible to the reader. This story hooked me from the start and never released its grip. 

Full review: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-examiner-by-janice-hallett.html

 

5.     TO DIE BUT ONCE (Maisie Dobbs #14) by Jacqueline Winspear (4.5).

Set during the spring of 1940 and WWII hasn’t quite reached Britain yet, when Maisie Dobbs is asked to look into the whereabouts of a young apprentice painter. What starts out as an apparently innocent investigation soon turns dark and it isn’t much longer before the realities of the War hit Maisie and those she loves with the evacuation of soldiers from Dunkirk. Very well written if a bit too drawn out at times, this story held my attention from start to finish. I’ve missed quite a few instalments in this series but I may just pick it up again from here.

 

6.     THE CRACKED MIRROR by Chris Brookmyre (5+)

I’m not sure if this book is ‘the most imaginative and entertaining crime novel of the year, but it is most certainly in the running for that honour. For me, it is a title to add to my very short list of extra-special books because this book deserves to be called unique, original, and unlike anything I’ve read before. 

Full review: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-cracked-mirror-by-chris-brookmyre.html

 

7.     Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L. Sayers (4)

A collection of 12 short stories featuring Lord Peter Wimsey as he solves a wide variety of mysteries. A highly enjoyable read.

 

8.     MURDER AT MALLOWAN HALL (a Phyllida Bright Mystery #1) by Colleen Cambridge (4)

A well-plotted and easy to read mystery featuring Phyllida Bright, Agatha Christie’s housekeeper, as the amateur sleuth when an unexpected guest to a house party thrown by the Mallowan’s ends up dead in the library. Phyllida takes her inspiration from Hercule Poirot and isn’t unlike him in some respects. Although Agatha and Max, her husband, only play a background role in this story, there are references to titles by Agatha Christie throughout the book.

 

9.     THE EXCITEMENTS by C.J. Wray (5)

A (brilliant and witty) drama about two elderly female World War II veterans with secret pasts, who embark on one last adventure to right some historic wrongs. If you enjoy some excitements in your reading, I highly recommend this book.

The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre

 

400 pages

Publisher: Little Brown Group UK

Publishing date: July 18, 2024

 

Blurb

            FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW

THIS IS NOT THAT CRIME NOVEL

You know Penny Coyne. The little old lady who has solved multiple murders in her otherwise sleepy village, despite bumbling local police. A razor-sharp mind in a twinset and tweed.

You know Johnny Hawke. Hard-bitten LAPD homicide detective. Always in trouble with his captain, always losing partners, but always battling for the truth, whatever it takes.

Against all the odds, against the usual story, their worlds are about to collide. It starts with a dead writer and a mysterious wedding invitation. It will end with a rabbit hole that goes so deep, Johnny and Penny might come to question not just whodunnit, but whether they want to know the answer.

A cross-genre hybrid of Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly, The Cracked Mirror is the most imaginative and entertaining crime novel of the year, a genre-splicing rollercoaster with a poignantly emotional heart.

 

Review

Unique, original, and unlike anything I’ve read before are statements that get overused in reviews. However, for me they truly apply to The Cracked Mirror. There are plenty of twists and turns in this book but 85% into the story I gasped because I didn’t see that particular twist coming.

But, let’s start at the beginning.

It would be both right and wrong to say that The Mirror Cracked has two main characters because this book starts off with two different stories with different titles, different ways of numbering them, and written in different tenses. Penny Coyne is the main character in one story. She’s a lady in her 80s who lives in a picturesque Scottish village where she has solved numerous crimes. Johnny Hawke, the main character in the second story, is an LAPD police officer with a reputation for getting his partners killed. These two characters have nothing in common and should never have met except that they both end up at the same wedding.

There’s a third story headed Private Investigations followed by a place name. The PI in question is Dan Rattigan. These sections are short, and it doesn’t become clear how Dan is connected to Penny and Johnny’s stories until the end of the book.

That’s all I’m going to say about the story in this book. I hate spoilers in general, but it would be a crime (pun intended) to give anything away here.

Apart from apparently investigating the same mystery, Penny and Johnny don’t appear to have anything in common. It was only when I neared the end of the story that I realised there were other similarities between them. Once Johnny and Penny start cooperating the story is neither particularly cosy nor overly hard-boiled. Johnny adjusts to Penny’s sensibilities while Penny learns to accept that her cosy way of solving mysteries doesn’t always work.

“Penny felt unmoored. In her world, the police did not lie like this.”

This book takes you on a wild rollercoaster ride. Nothing is what it appears to be, and twists and turns keep the reader on their toes. Looking back now, a few days after finishing the book, I want to say that this story shouldn’t have worked but it somehow pulls off what are multiple shocking surprises without this reader rolling her eyes. Also in retrospect, I realised the author played fair with the reader. There were clues as to what was actually happening laced throughout the story. I just didn’t recognise them for what they were until the story spelled it out for me. And just when I thought I had all the answers the story ended and I realised that maybe, just maybe I didn’t. And that that is exactly as it should be.

I’m not sure if this book is ‘the most imaginative and entertaining crime novel of the year, but it is most certainly in the running for that honour. For me, it is a title to add to my very short list of extra-special books because, as I said at the start of my review, this book deserves to be called unique, original, and unlike anything I’ve read before.

The Examiner by Janice Hallett

416 pages

Publisher: Viper

Release Date: August 29, 2024

 

Blurb

 Six Students. One Murder. Your Time Starts Now...

The students of Royal Hastings University's new Multimedia Art course have been trouble from day one. Acclaimed artist Alyson wants the department to revolve around her. Ludya struggles to balance her family and the workload. Jonathan has management experience but zero talent for art. Lovely Patrick can barely operate his mobile phone, let alone professional design software. Meanwhile blustering Cameron tries to juggle the course with his job in the City and does neither very well. Then there's Jem. A gifted young sculptor, she's a promising student... but cross her at your peril.

The year-long course is blighted by accusations of theft, students setting fire to one another's artwork, a rumoured extra-marital affair and a disastrous road trip. But finally they are given their last assignment: to build an interactive art installation for a local manufacturer. With six students who have nothing in common except their clashing personal agendas, what could possibly go wrong?

The answer is: murder. When the external examiner arrives to assess the students' essays and coursework, he becomes convinced that a student was killed on the course and that the others covered it up. But is he right? And if so, who is dead, why were they killed, and who is the murderer? Only a close examination of the evidence will reveal the truth. Your time starts now...

Review

WOW!!!

Where do I start?

This is the fifth book by Janice Hallett I’ve read, so I had a pretty good idea what to expect but WOW, the author managed to exceed my very high expectations with this well-plotted and intriguing story. It made for compulsive reading from the start with the tension initially building gradually until, by the time I reached the last quarter, the story suddenly exploded and rushed forward with shocking revelation after shocking revelation. And just when I thought I had all the answers, Hallett had another trick up her sleeve; one that will have me thinking and wondering about this book for some time to come.

Like Hallett’s previous books, the story is told in email messages, texts, and essays as the narrative follows a diverse group of students in an art master’s programme where nothing and nobody is as it appears to be at first glance. Also as in her previous books, we have a small cast of main characters. There is Gela who needs students for her new master’s programme before her funding is cut. She ends up with a hand-picked group of six students who couldn’t be more diverse. From the very first day the students are nothing but trouble, but it isn’t until Ben Sketcher, the external examiner who has access to all the communications between the university and the participants, starts asking questions that it becomes clear exactly how worrying the situation is. Ben is convinced one of the course participants is in serious danger or possibly, already dead. From the start there are growing tensions between the course participants. Messages between the participants individually or between Gela and one or another of the students imply that there’s stuff going on behind the scenes the others, and therefore the reader, aren’t aware of.

Although I took pages worth of notes while reading this story, I don’t want to say anything else about what happens for fear of spoiling it for other readers. Suffice to say that nobody in this story is who they appear to be. Much to my delight I was able to answer one or two questions before the author spelled the answer out, but I have no idea if that was Hallett’s intention or if I’m getting better at solving some of the mysteries in her story. What’s more, finding those answers only threw up new questions because the full mystery wasn’t unravelled until the very end. As it should be.

The writing in this book is excellent. All the main characters have their own, distinctive voices and I was impressed with how the art the candidates create comes to life on the page and becomes visible to the reader. This story hooked me from the start and never released its grip. Just when things appeared to become a little clearer everything turned more obscure. The format means the reader doesn’t get all the information, only that which the characters want you to know, and that meant I was kept guessing for the longest time. Every time I thought I had a grip on what was really going on, something happened to make me rethink everything I thought I knew.

In my review of The Appeal I wrote: ‘After having read all three of Janice Hallett’s currently available titles I have to conclude that she is something of a genius when it comes to slow reveals and misdirection while still giving the reader all the information they need to keep up with the investigators.’ The Examiner has only strengthened that opinion. I’m in awe at how Janice Hallett managed to tie everything in this story together and answer (almost) every question the reader might have. One question remains unanswered, though but that perfectly fits the complexity of the story as far as I’m concerned. It also ensures that this is a book I will be thinking about long after I finished reading it.

Related reviews:

The appeal: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-appeal-by-janice-hallett.html

The Twyford Code: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-twyford-code-by-janice-hallett.html

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-mysterious-case-of-alperton-angels.html

The Christmas Appeal: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-christmas-appeal-by-janice-hallett.html 

The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne

288 pages

Publisher: Pushkin Press

First published: 1922

Re-release Date: September 3, 2024

 

Blurb

In a quaint English country house, the exuberant Mark Ablett has been entertaining a house party, but the festivities are rudely interrupted by the arrival of Mark's wayward brother, Robert, home from Australia. Even worse, not long after his arrival the long-lost brother is found dead, shot through the head, and Mark is nowhere to be found. It is up to amateur detective Tony Gillingham and his pal Bill to investigate.

Between games of billiards and bowls, the taking of tea and other genteel pursuits, Tony and Bill attempt to crack the perplexing case of their host’s disappearance and its connection to the mysterious shooting. Can the pair of sleuths solve the Red House mystery in time for their afternoon game of croquet?

The Red House Mystery marked Milne’s first and final venture into the detective genre, despite the book’s immediate success. Praised by Raymond Chandler and renowned critic Alexander Woolcott, this gem of classic Golden Age crime sparkles with witty dialogue, an intriguing cast of characters, and a brilliant plot.

 

Review

“…an acknowledged masterpiece of the art of fooling the reader without cheating him.”

Raymond Chandler in The Simple Art of Murder.

As Anthony Gillingham approaches the country house where his friend, Bill Beverley is staying he walks straight into a mystery. A man who turns out to be Matthew Cayley and who is obviously distressed needs help getting into a locked room in the house. Cayley has heard a gunshot and is very worried about his uncle and employer, Mark Ablett. After they force their way into the room, Cayley and Gillingham discover a body. It is not Mark Ablett who is dead though but, much to Cayley’s relief, Ablett’s ne’er-do-well brother Robert. Of Mark, who was seen entering the office to meet with his brother there is no sign. While the local police is on the case, Anthony Gillingham and Bill Beverley decide to conduct an investigation of their own with Bill Beverley playing Watson to Gillingham’s Sherlock Holmes.

This is the most British of stories. In fact, if it had been written one or two decades later, I would have called it a spoof version of a Golden Age of Mystery story. This is by no means a criticism. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the picture it painted of Edwardian Britain. I figured out part of the solution to this locked-room-mystery early on but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the rest of the story. It was a joy to follow Anthony and Bill as they followed the clues and Gillingham’s intuition until they found the answers.

This was A.A. Milne’s only mystery despite the fact that the last paragraph of the book seems to imply there might be more to come. I for one would have happily read more stories featuring Anthony Gillingham and Bill Beverley.