Lead Review (Death of An Officer)
- Book: Death of an Officer
- Location: London
- Author: Mark Ellis
This is the 6th outing for DCI Frank Merlin.
London is in the midst of war, and the bombs and destruction notwithstanding, the police force is stretched trying to tackle the crime that has proliferated in the city during the war years. The latest crime is the death of a renowned gynaecologist of Indian heritage, practising in Wimpole Street, who was battered to death at home by a statue of Ganesh. Delving into the victim’s life, on the face of it there is no real indication that he was anything other than an upstanding member of the community, someone who liked to play Bridge and kept himself to himself. His wife was housed in a sanatorium. And yet as Merlin and his team trawls through the man’s history, they discover discrepancies, masks and details that raise an investigative eyebrow.
A body is then found in Limehouse. Could it be the remains of a missing American officer, who had been reported to the team? As they investigate his disappearance, they start to uncover clues that lead to a darker underworld of crime, thuggery and blackmail.
The writing style is really transportive in terms of time and place, this story is a well managed storyline that gradually and thoughtfully unfolds. There is a good sense of London, with its pubs and characters, grounded in the mores of the time and the novel moves around well known areas of London, from Merlin’s Chelsea home to other landmark areas.
This is an engaging read, the author writes with authority and develops a credible plot with excellently drawn characters.
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