Scene of Crime

Scene of Crime struck me as the author's roll of the dice. It begins with the chaos of the vigorous toss. I was then engaged by the skillful organization of a variety of everyday encounters and events and ...of course...the events surrounding... the murder; I appreciated being clued into the "time line" of this mystery novel. I had never heard of Ms. McGown's two lead detectives, Hill and Lloyd, prior to learning of her own recent death. As someone new to this famous detecting duo, I enjoyed their unraveling of the mystery while they remained "interesting" and believable. I found the many characters to be diverse, colorful and very "human". They all remained consistent without becoming overly predictable. The only thing that kept me from giving it five stars was the missing grappling with the "shadow" or the deeper aspects of the character(s). Unfortunately this omission resulted in a somewhat shallow albeit thoroughly enjoyable read. I'd definitely read more of this author.

JILL McGOWN HAS WRITTEN ONE OF THE BEST SERIES OF BOOKS I'VE READ IN A LONG TIME HER CHARACTERS STAY TRUE TO THEIR PERSONALITIES AND TALENTS. SHE CRAFTS PLOTS THAT MAKES YOU TURN PAGES AS FAST AS YOU CAN AND FIGHT HARD NOT TO GO TO THAT LAST CHAPTER TO SEE HOW IT ENDS AND WHO IS THE GUILTY ONE.

Ms. McGown expertly writes a mystery with more than a few "little puzzles" and red herrings. In this one there have been more people going through the murder scene before the body was officially discovered than people in Piccadilly Circus. Lloyd and Tom Finch must try to wade through all the lies and deceits to get to the heart of the matter, and it turns out that the time line is the way they actually find out who did it. (At least Judy points it out to them). Judy is eight months pregnant in this book, and plays a secondary role in the actual investigation, but that doesn't stop her from breaking through all the lies to get to the heart of the matter. The best thing about a Lloyd and Hill mystery is the ongoing storyline with the principles. Each outing the reader gets to know them better and better - where they begin to feel like old friends. I'm actually sorry that I only have one book left to read in this series. Hopefully Ms. McGown will write again soon.

In Malworth, a local theater group decides to do a production of Cinderella. At the tryouts is eight-month pregnant Detective Chief Inspector Judy Hill who wants the title role. Accompanying her is her professional and personal partner Lloyd. At the same theater is Dr. Carl Bignall, who learns there that someone murdered his wife during an apparent robbery turned ugly. The police quickly find two suspects. Teenager Ryan Chester has been found with a stolen car and Christmas gifts that Carl identifies as being in his home. A witness confirms that Ryan's half-brother Dexter was near the crime scene at the time of the murder. The case is resolved so why does Lloyd continue to investigate the homicide as if someone else committed the crime? The eleventh Lloyd-Hill police procedural, SCENE OF THE CRIME, is a fabulous who-done-it that shows why the author and her series are so popular. The story line is intelligent as the reader observes Lloyd and his assistant work through a maze filled with lies, half-truths, and false clues. The recurring cast retains their human qualities so that fans will feel old friends have returned and anxiously await the next visit from Jill McGown's top of the line series.Harriet Klausner