Josephine Short was clearly a very practical woman but it also appears she was a woman with a secret or two. When her great-nephew's wife, Janet Wakefield, gets a call from the Berebury Nursing Home, she's somewhat taken aback. Not only does it come as a surprise to hear that her husband's estranged great aunt has passed away, but more surprising is the fact she had been living locally for some years. Janet is sure that her husband Bill was the last of Josephine's close family, so imagine her surprise when a handsome young ...
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Josephine Short was clearly a very practical woman but it also appears she was a woman with a secret or two. When her great-nephew's wife, Janet Wakefield, gets a call from the Berebury Nursing Home, she's somewhat taken aback. Not only does it come as a surprise to hear that her husband's estranged great aunt has passed away, but more surprising is the fact she had been living locally for some years. Janet is sure that her husband Bill was the last of Josephine's close family, so imagine her surprise when a handsome young man approaches her at the funeral and introduces himself as Josephine's grandson. Janet has never even heard of a child, never mind a grandchild. Detectives Sloan and Crosby find themselves assigned two rather puzzling cases. First, there's the young woman's body which has been discovered in the River Alm. And then there's the mysterious break-in at Berebury Nursing Home. To be precise, it's Josephine Short's room at the Nursing Home that's been entered, although nothing seems to be missing. What could the intruder have been after? It becomes apparent to Sloan and Crosby that the two cases are connected - but who can the killer be?
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Catherine Aird's mysteries are so wonderful that I find myself reading them again every couple of years. These are full of dead-pan humor and dry wit. Detective Christopher Sloan is always saddled with the young constable no one wants -- Crosby. This young man likes three things: fast cars, regular meals and fast women. He rarely gets to enjoy any of these.
This mystery unravels at a pleasing pace. First, Janet Wakefield is shocked to hear that her husband has a great-aunt at the Berebury Nursing Home -- and she has just died. Janet is sure her husband told her that all of his relatives were long-deceased. Now, Janet needs to organize a burial for a relative no one knew anything about.
At the funeral, she is shocked to find that unmarried Josephine Short's grandson has flown in for the rites. Then Berebury Nursing Home is broken into but nothing is missing. While Sloan and Crosby are chasing that problem, the undertaker calls to report that someone has broken into Ms. Short's coffin.
The story gets stranger and stranger as time goes on. But the wisecracking from Dr. Dabbe (the coroner) and Crosby make the pages fly. This is a who-done-it at its best.
Sloan and Crosby Mystery
1. The Religious Body (1966)
2. Henrietta Who? (1968)
3. The Complete Steel (1969)
4. A Late Phoenix (1970)
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24. Learning Curve (2016)
