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Review
'Butler distils her own brand of disquiet: omnipresent and irresistible.' The Sunday Times; 'Hauntingly atmospheric... explores the dark geography of a fictional London with almost Dickensian intensity' The Times; 'Her inventiveness never seems to flag' Times Literary Supplement
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
A package containing disturbing pornographic material is sent anonymously to Chief Commander John Coffin's wife, Stella. So he enlists the help of a trusted colleague and the search for the stalker is on. Meanwhile Coffin is investigating a spate of brutal murders across London - is there a serial killer on the loose? Similarities between the two cases soon emerge and a chilling discovery is made in the grounds of the theatre where Stella is working. Suddenly it seems as though all Coffin holds dear is under threat...
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
A pedophile stalker has sent a package to actress Stella Pinero containing letters and porn photos of children he had abused. Her husband is Chief Commander John Coffin who is already investigating a series of brutal murders that are scattered across London. John even knew one of the victims. It quickly becomes obvious the two cases are linked. Coffin asks DCI Phoebe Astley to help.
*** A pretty good mystery here, but way too obvious. The reader will easily figure it out early in the book. However, watching Coffin and Astley do their job was fun to watch. ***
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the first time I've given a two-star rating to a book because I usually check books more carefully before I read them. I don't know what I was thinking because I read a couple of Coffin books before and decided never again. Nothing has improved since then. This woman can't even write consistent intelligent sentences; I kept having to go back to see how the current sentence related to the sentences before. Poor copy editing didn't help either.
The characters were flat and I swear there were more cops than suspects. The plot was weak and the denoument - well I guess the writer just got bored and stopped. Give thanks for small mercies.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Sadly disappointing
22 Oct 2004
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Having read so many of Gwendoline Butler's 'John Coffin' series, I was eagerly anticipating a great read. Unfortunately, the book does not deliver. Gratuitous grisly imagery, and a great deal of self-absorped (and questionable) sentimentality on the part of Coffin - used to poor effect because the resulting text never makes you connect with the characters in this mystery. Not a recommended read for those who have not been introduced to Coffin's appealing detection in other works by Butler.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Strange Dichotomy
9 Jun 2007
Format:Hardcover
This is a rather short police procedural type mystery novel. The crimes are multiple and horrid. The supporting characters seem pretty bland, minimally competent, & even a bit depressing. The main characters aren't much better IMHO. The ending is rather sudden. I had my suspicions (some few clues are provided) but somehow not very satisfying. This was my 1st Coffin Series book & 1st G. Butler one as well. I know another of her books made the Black Dagger series--must be better than this one.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
AN EMPTY COFFIN
21 May 2003
Format:Hardcover
If one is to believe her blurbs Gwendoline Butler has written good mystery stories. COFFIN KNOWS THE ANSWER is not one of them. Even #1 appears to realize this, departing from her standard five-star rating. Sleuth Coffin is a crashing bore.
To call this a police procedural is a joke. CC Coffin tells DCI Phoebe Astley to take charge of an important case and then gives her his Pekinese to walk. A rumor wafting mysteriously around police headquarters in the early pages alerts the reader where to look for the villain -- but not the cops. We are shown the detective team assigned to the case mostly sitting aimlessly in meetings devoting most of their time to talking about the boss and his wife. Chief Commander Coffin and DCI Phoebe are the only police officers the reader sees doing legwork. And in the end it would appear to be chance encounter rather than good police work or detection that brings the murderer down.
The story is a showcase of bad trends in current mystery fiction:
1. Making the sleuth and his/her loved ones the prime target of the criminal.
2. Piling up corpses like cordwood.
3. Providing only flimsy or preposterous motivation for a horrendous series of crimes.
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