Coffin Knows the Answer (Hardcover)

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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

John Coffin (Coffin's Ghost, 2001, etc.) has been knighted for his services as Chief Commander of Police in London's fictitious Second City, but whatever public attention he's drawn has only made his job harder. The case in point this time is two cases. One involves a pedophile stalker who, not content with amassing a disquietingly extensive collection of pornographic photographs of children, has taken to writing boasting letters, with photos enclosed, to the Second City force. The other, even more alarming, features a serial killer who leaves his victims, raped and murdered, strewn throughout the borough of Spinnergate with a distressing lack of forensic evidence. Both perps seem irresistibly drawn to the even higher public profile of Coffin's wife, actress Stella Pinero. The pedophile sends photos and letters directly to her; the killer threatens and kidnaps her. When she escapes, it's with a photo that may well indicate that the two perps are the same. As the taunting messages continue and the body count rises, Coffin-with help from Paul Masters, his lead administrator; Phoebe Astley, the Chief Inspector who's still carrying a torch for him; and a dozen other assistants, eventually including Stella herself-strains to find the pattern underlying the wave of violence. The answer, when it comes, will be plausible and powerful, though naggingly inconclusive. Mid-range Coffin, with a sobering series of crimes efficiently set forth but disappointingly wound up. Still, every procedural detail, from the workings of the Second City force to the personnel's inevitable personal problems, rings as true as ever. (Kirkus Reviews)

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...

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2 Reviews 5 star:    (0) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 2.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   21 of 21 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars So-so, 25 Sep 2003 By  Detra Fitch (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)       This review is from: Coffin Knows the Answer (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. *** Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   1 of 2 people found the following review helpful: 2.0 out of 5 stars A poor excuse for a book, 19 Dec 2003 By  Valerie Adolph "Garden Godwottery" (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)       This review is from: Coffin Knows the Answer (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. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 2 customer reviews...		Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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