It
is 1907 and Inspector Faro has retired at last and is married
to the beautiful Imogen after many years of waiting. They
plan to reside in Edinburgh, but first wish to spend some
time in York. A chance meeting means that they spend their
stay in the Dower House, a historic building occupying the
site of Emperor Severus’ villa. Whilst exploring the
city Imogen encounters one of her many cousins working in
a florists and the pair plan to meet again for a meal. But
when she goes back to the shop Kathleen has vanished and nobody
seems to know anything about her.
It
is time for Faro to come out of retirement even though he
has barely left the force! This series has been going for
many years together with the adventures of Faro’s daughter
Rose and the prequels about his early career. Like many series
that have been going for a long time part of the enjoyment
of each new book is to catch up with the characters and much
of this particular entry is all about that At times this can
get repetitive as the reader is constantly reminded of what
has gone before; anybody new to the series is advised to seek
out the first book rather than jump in at this late stage.
The mystery at times takes a back seat to the social life
of the Faros, descriptions of York and all those past reminiscences
but fortunately this author is incapable of writing anything
that is not a page turner. The hunt for the missing Kathleen
takes the pair overseas and involves them with another case
and we get to learn a bit more about Imogen’s controversial
family. Taken as a whole this is yet another entertaining
tale in a long running series that I hope will long continue
to run.
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