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Vivienne
Selly has been found dead in her cozy seaside home. The body
curiously shows no sign of violence and the whole picture
looks oddly serene; there aren't even any obvious marks on
the body. But this final scene in the dead woman's life is
the only tranquil thing in it, as Inspector George Gently
is about to find out.
This is another book written in Gently's own words and once
again, I think I preferred the third person narrative. Mr
Hunter's main strength was his descriptions, and these are
less evident in his protagonist's voice. After the Hollywood
style femme fatale in the last book there is a portrait instead
of a woman into the more outré aspects of sex. Gently
has to grill various people including several sixth form girls
from a local college and uncovers a sinister side to the dead
woman and the sleepy seaside town. Mr Hunter, via Gently,
does get to describe perfectly the genteel, staid surface
of this town and the reader gets to see a more modern side
to this classic writer. I think that one of the great treats
about reading a prolific author's complete oeuvre is seeing
how his style changes, and this is more evident with Hunter
than with many others. As always, worth reading for its taut
plotting, brevity, engaging protagonist and portrait of a
particular time and place.
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