Unlucky for Some: A Novel of Suspense

As I read this book, I discovered that the author had recently died, so it made me more aware that I was probably reading the last of Lloyd and Hill. That didn't change the fact that this entry is just as engrossing as all the others in the series. Maybe the wrong-doer was obvious, but the fun of reading McGown's books is that you become involved in the lives of the main characters and in the life of an English town. I've sometimes had a hard time keeping up with all of the characters, but this time I was able to follow along. McGown pays attention to the details which makes her books so entertaining. I'll miss her books, and I'll miss finding out how Lloyd and Hill's lives continue. Rest in peace Ms. McGown.

Full of twists and turns as well as continuing the relationships between the two detectives.

That one thing is fairly important: the ending. Although I had a sense early on (correctly, as it turned out) of the who-dun-it of this mystery, I found the solution just lacking in believability. Murderers in mysteries need an adequate motive, and I thought that the motive was too little to explain murder. I can't say more without giving away too much. But -- this is a complex and interesting puzzle mystery -- one of those mysteries where you solve it along with the police, as they go interview people, discover facts, interrogate suspects, etc. The plot involves a series of murders that take place in a small English city at a time when a well-known television journalist specializing in crime is in town working on a story. The killer appears to be engaged in a battle of wits with the journalist, suggesting that the motive is a grudge against the journalist, but who and why? The husband-and-wife police detectives have a small hand-picked group of staff working on solving the mystery before someone else gets killed. It appears that there's some connection to a string of gambling palaces (bingo, mostly) owned by a shady man who is living in a country house near the city. This is perhaps the third mystery I've read by McGown, and I intend to go on and read more by her. She is not quite of the caliber of the great writers of English mysteries, such as Elizabeth George, P.D. James, or Deborah Crombie, but she writes quality mysteries that engage the mind as puzzles even as the reader enjoys the characters and following the background story line of the personal relationships of the detectives and their various problems (such as a live-in mother-in-law to care for their child).

No one can do British procedurals like Jill McGown. Her Lloyd/Hill team just keep getting better. In this book Lloyd and Hill are married, and they get to work a baffling case together. A woman is killed just outside her flat in Judy's precinct, and the murder seems just a little bit confusing. For example, it couldn't have been a mugging since the four hundred pounds that this woman had just won in Bingo were laying fanned out on top of her. Then things seem to begin happening and it looks like Lloyd and Hill have a serial killer to find. Why does it seem that the killer is just a few steps in front of them? This book is quite different from an American crime story. The main difference being the strangeness of guns to the public at large. It's refreshing to see a civilization where guns are not so common-place that no one hardly even notices them anymore. This is a top-notch series that I would recommend heartily.

Married couple Detective Chief Inspectors Judy Hill and Lloyd cope with a terrible two's daughter, having Judy's mother live with them and wondering if they can handle the responsibility of a cat. While they cope with their personal life, they work doubly hard trying to bring down a serial killer. His first victim Wilma Fenton won a tidy sum at the bingo parlor. Employee Stephen Holiday delivers her winnings and walks her home before meeting someone he doesn't want to reveal to the police when they question him. When a second person is murdered in much the same way as Wilma, Stephen is in the area again and doesn't have an airtight alibi that could clear him. The murderer contacts journalist Tony Baker, who brought down a serial killer years ago. It is obvious the perpetrator wants to play a Cat and Mouse game with the reporter and the cops. As the killings continue, Stephen is either the killer or somebody with inside information has set him up. Judy and Lloyd believe Stephen is innocent despite the evidence and don't want to see him go to jail, but the miasma of lies hide the truth. Jill McGown writes some of the best British police procedurals on the market today. The marriage between the two protagonists gives insight into the personal lives of these fascinating characters and the way they work together is remarkable because neither one is jealous of who is in command of the situation. Though the flaunting serial killer is over killed in novels, UNLUCKY FOR SOME is an enthralling mystery that should be on everyone fan's keeper shelf. Harriet Klausner