Another Dover. This one has him trying to avoid to work as his wife sees an apparent suicide as they are driving to vacation. He gets stuck in the sad little town and soon his unhappy sergeant is summoned to join him. Dover is at one point set up as a decoy in a potentially dangerous sting situation. He also investigates a militant older woman's group that seems to run the town. Typical Dover fare- which is good! ( )

I can see the appeal of a completely unlikable detective, and I'm sure there's precedent. Inspector Dover is overweight, lazy, stingy, and not at all a nice person. This by itself doesn't make the book good or bad; it's just interesting. What makes the book difficult to digest is that there really aren't any characters that are particularly likable. The suspects, the townspeople, the police...All are more or less rude, self-centered, and annoying. The little English seaside town has weather designed to irritate. It's hard to cope with the barrage of negativity.

Nevertheless, I found the plot to be astonishing and exciting. The clues are revealed neatly and are well-organized, and the reader is led down such a path that Dover's solution and final trap seem perfectly logical and in character. Not only that, but the author leaves you guessing up until the very last sentence as to whether his solution is correct or not...and even then, there's still just a hint of ambiguity.

Very nicely put together. ( )