Hole in One [Hardcover]

At the Berebury Golf Course, female "Rabbit" Helen Ewell plays with her friend Ursula Millwood when she sinks a shot into a bunker on the sixth hole. As she struggles to dig out of the sand trap she uncovers the head of a dead person. Hysterical she tells Ursula she thinks she may have stroked an eyeball out of the trap.

Calleshire County Police Superintendent Leeyes is at the links on his day off. He calls his chief of Criminal Investigation Division Detective Inspector Sloan to get over to the country club "quicker than soonest". Sloan begins to investigate the homicide with the help of dimwitted Crosby and astute "pretty Polly" Perkins.

The pastoral setting of the country club in which the two ladies slowly (and the plot like wise) play a poor woman's brand of golf lulls the reader into expecting a serene village cozy. However, once Helen makes her chip shot, the British police procedural moves through eighteen fast holes. The story line is humorous at times but never loses sight that first and foremost is that there is an official investigation into who killed and buried the head in the sand. Catherine Aird's latest Sloan story is a fine entry in a strong series.

Harriet Klausner

It's always a pleasure to read one of Catherine Aird's Inspector Sloane mystery novels: they're full of mischievous and witty asides and engaging dialogue, cleverly executed and just a joy to read. So that even though "Hole in One," mystery-wise, was a little less cunning and intricate than usual, it still was an excellent read, and well worth a 4 star rating.

Inspector Sloane's wife has been trying to get him to join the local golf club, sure that his chances of being promoted would be greatly enhanced if he joined -- especially since Sloane's boss, the demanding and irascible Superintendent Leeyes is a member of the Berebury Golf Club. So far Sloane has stood firm: he's not about to give up his beautiful rose garden in order to saunter about taking pot shots at golf balls! Unexpectedly, however, he does find himself at the golf club, investigating a murder when Leeyes calls him up to report that a body has been found buried in a bunker (sand trap). With Leeyes breathing down his neck, and the aid of the ever obtuse and unhelpful Detective Constable Crosby, Sloane must somehow identify the murder victim and discover who committed the murder and why. Time is of the essence and when one is dealing with golf club members who are rich and powerful, one must be careful as well, especially when there is a lot of money at stake...

Unlike earlier Inspector Sloane mysteries like "Henrietta Who" and "Some Die Eloquent," "Hole in One" is not that complex a read -- one is able to figure who the murder victim is fairly quickly and the motive as well. Nor was it that suspenseful a read -- the identity of the killer becomes a little obvious about two-thirds through the book. why then my high rating? Because "Hole in One" entertained me from beginning to end. I enjoyed Sloane's wry inner thoughts (esp the way in which he'd compare horticulture with golfing) and Catherine Aird's dry, mischievous humour. I found myself sniggering all too often. Also, in spite of the fact that the plot was written along simple, basic lines, this was still a very elegantly executed novel with some truly brilliant character portrayals. In the final analysis, while "Hole in One" may not be the most intriguing read of one's lifetime, it still was a very enjoyable and absorbing, and one worth a 4 star rating for excellent writing.

Catherine Aird has been one of the authors I typically turn to whenever I am in the mood for a good cozy mystery. I have just recently read this book even though it was published in 2005. I have to admit to being disappointed. Partially this is my own fault. I read one of her first novels (The Stately Home Murder - published in 1969 under the title The Complete Steel) just one day previous to starting this book. The contrast was unavoidable. All of the usual cast of characters is present, Detective Inspector C. D. Sloan, Detective Constable Crosby, Police Superintendent Leeyes, Pathologist Dr. Dabbe and all the other crime scene technicians. No time seems to have elapsed from the book written in 1969 to the one written in 2005. It was slightly jarring for me because I read two of the books so close together. This phenomenon of the non-passage of time is, however, the way all of Aird's books are written.

The story is that two women golfers are playing a round at a private golf course. One of the women is unfortunate enough to hit her ball into a bunker (sand trap) which is notorious for being difficult to get out of. While hitting her ball several times she is still in the trap but uncovers a human skull. Sloan and his investigative unit must uncover (an unintended pun!) the identity of the victim and why he was placed in that exact spot. It certainly doesn't help matters any to know that Superintendent Leeyes is a member of the club and is in the running for nomination to the clubs governing board. He wants the mystery solved and solved quickly and quietly.

It is my own personal opinion that this book qualifies as a short story or novella, not a full length novel. It only took me -- a very slow reader -- four hours to read it from cover to cover. That is not a good sign for me. The actual story begins on page 15 of a 202 page novel. The print is rather large and there are 27 completely blank pages within the story plus many other blank half pages at the end of chapters. They actually count the blank pages to add up to the 202 total. That is way, way too much white space for me. This means that all of this blank space was included so that the book would appear longer. It was something which irritated me.

The story is totally centered around the game of golf. I don't play golf but I do enjoy watching the game on television, going to tournaments, and listening to my husband tell me about his latest round. This book was golf overkill. If you don't know anything about the game, you will be confused and probably bored to tears. And I watch lots of British golf tournaments also. They don't refer to the golf clubs in these old fashioned terms any more. It just made the book seem terribly dated. Too much detail about golf, not enough mystery and character development.

I gave the book two stars simply because I have been reading and enjoying Catherine Aird's work for so long. There wasn't enough depth here. I think it should have been a short story. Sorry but that's how I feel.