Book Review: Killing Me Softly

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Killing Me Softly     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Marjorie Eccles
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: Gil Mayo # 10
St. Martin's, Dec 199, $22.95, 224 pp.

Lavenstock is a small town in Herfordshire, England, a microcosm of the big city with its thriving culture and high crime rate. Drugs have entered the area, but the police have no idea how they are being transported or who is the prime wholesaler. Deputy Inspector Abigail Moon is staking out a house where they hope to catch a major trafficker. However, that fails as Detective Superintendent Gil Mayo is forced to turn the attention of his force towards a murder investigation.

The autopsy of Tim Wishart's alleged suicide reveals that he was a murder victim. The police make inquiries that lead them to realize that no one liked or trusted Tim. He was a philanderer who overspent and was always on the wrong side of the law. His death leads the police back to the house they had under surveillance, but the owner is missing.

KILLING ME SOFTLY is an entertaining British police procedural that provides readers with an enlightening look at a small town force that handle several simultaneous investigations. The characters are everyday people struggling to attain a better life. The motives of the villains are understandable making the tenth addition to the Gil Mayo series another winning novel.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner