When a bookseller in Penzance is found murdered, Chief Superintendent Wycliffe summons his team to look into the man’s background, family and business in an attempt to find the culprit. But the man’s relationships with family and others are very complex, and it might take another death before Wycliffe can begin to see the light…. I’ve been enjoying the Wycliffe books, of which this is the 16th volume, but although I liked the setting (having lived near Penzance as a child), this one left me flat. I had the feeling that Burley just sort of ran out of steam toward the end, such that the solution to the mystery was, well, quite dull. A pity. ( )

I like the fact that Wycliffe is a very quiet and introspective detective. I was quite enjoying this until the ending, which happened very quickly, almost as if the author got bored and decided to put an end to it. ( )