Chief Inspector Woodend Series by Sally Spencer
Chief Inspector Woodend #13
Dying in the Dark
Sally Spencer
Pamela Rainsford, found on a lonely canal path in the middle of a dark night, has not only been raped and strangled, but her face has been hacked to pieces. At first it seems a random killing, but as the case progresses, Woodend begins to suspect that the death of the mild-mannered, respectable secretary may have been a result of her own secret life. And another secret life is having its consequences, too - as a result of his now-ended affair with Sergeant Monika Paniatowski, Inspector Bob Rutter's marriage is falling apart. As the investigation proceeds, Woodend finds himself beginning to understand the complex web of lies and deceits which Pamela Rainsford has spun around herself, but nothing he discovers could never prepare him for a second death - this one much closer to home!From BooklistAlthough the affair between his two detectives, Bob Rutter and Monika Paniatowski, has been over for a year, Chief Inspector Charlie Woodend knows that both parties are thoroughly unhappy, which adversely affects the entire team's camaraderie. Still, when the body of local secretary Pamela Rainsford is found on a canal path, raped and mutilated, Woodend, Rutter, and Paniatowski join forces effectively, painstakingly amassing evidence and reviewing forensic clues. Their focus is quickly diverted, however, when Detective Rutter's wife, Maria, is killed, and the finger of suspicion points to Rutter himself. Are the two murders linked? And can Rutter really be a murderer? As usual, Spencer writes deftly and skillfully, offering up intriguingly multidimensional characters and a cleverly constructed plot. A thoroughly satisfying installment in this fine British police procedural series. Emily MeltonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorSpencer was born and brought up in Cheshier. She has been a teacher in England and Iran.
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Chief Inspector Woodend #14
Stone Killer
Sally Spencer
Never before has DCI Woodend had to work under such terrible and terrifying pressure. He has just a few days, at the most, to find a flaw in the weighty evidence which led to Judith Maitland's conviction as a stone-cold killer- a few days to produce the real murderer. But what if Judith really is guilty as charged? What if she did, in fact, brutally butcher her lover, Clive Burroughs, in his own office, as the facts seem to suggest.From BooklistStarred Review DCI Woodend normally handles murders, so when his boss sends him to Cotton Credit Bank to handle a hostage situation, the constable is puzzled. Arriving on the scene, he learns that three masked men have taken several dozen bank customers hostage; that the police have sent in marksmen in case the situation escalates; and that the main hostage taker has requested Woodend as the only copper with whom he'll negotiate. Entering the bank, Woodend confronts the masked man, who informs him that the hostages will be released if Woodend proves the innocence of Judith Maitland, who has been jailed for 25 years after being convicted of killing her lover; if Woodend hasn't proved Judith's innocence in three days, the hostages will die. With no knowledge of the case and under intense pressure, Woodend, with trusted sidekick Monika Paniatowski, sifts through clues, searching for any evidence that could prove Maitland's innocence. Spencer continues to display her mastery of the British procedural, and this one, with its tense, twisted plot, surprising conclusion, and well-drawn characters, is one of her best yet. Emily MeltonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorSpencer was born and brought up in Cheshier. She has been a teacher in England and Iran.
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Chief Inspector Woodend #15
A Long Time Dead
Sally Spencer
The latest DCI Woodend mystery. Captain Robert Kineally disappeared from Haverton American Army base in Devon in 1944. Twenty years later, a body is found. Woodend knew and liked Kineally. He knew, and heartily disliked, Douglas Coutes, the man accused of killing him. With the British determined Woodend should exonerate Coutes and the Americans set on proving his guilt, Woodend must face his past mistakes if he is to have a shot at the truth.From BooklistStarred Review Chief Inspector Charlie Woodend's latest case takes him back to World War II, when he was dogsbody for a particularly unpleasant officer, Douglas Coutes. Decades later, Coutes is a government minister, and Charlie is a chief inspector. But their paths never cross until Coutes calls Charlie to say he's been accused of murder and to ask for Charlie's help. The case is complicated by the fact that the murder took place in 1944; a further twist is that the victim was the brother of an influential American politician. The U.S. flies in an FBI team to "assist" on the case, and they're quick to poke fun at Charlie's plodding technique. But the FBI seems exceptionally eager to close the case, and when they confirm Coutes' innocence in a few days with little evidence, Charlie smells a rat. This is an outstanding British police procedural, and it may just be the best yet in this popular and inventive series. Don't forget Woodend when you're compiling those lists of best British coppers: he belongs in the same league with Rebus, Resnick, Harpur and Iles, Morse, et al. Emily MeltonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorSpencer was born and brought up in Cheshier. She has been a teacher in England and Iran.
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Chief Inspector Woodend #17
Dangerous Games
Sally Spencer
When Terry Pugh's headless body is found floating in the canal, DCI Woodend at first believes that Pugh had merely miscalculated the amount of rope he needed to hang himself. But why would Pugh commit suicide when he had a loving wife who was expecting their first baby, and was just about to start an exciting new job? Other disturbing questions soon follow in the first body's wake. Who was the mysterious stranger Pugh was seen with, just before he died? What is the connection between him and the down-and-out who suffers a similar fate to his only twenty-four hours later? And how many more men are intended to die? As the investigation proceeds, Woodend and his team come to realize that the key to solving the crimes is hidden in the past - and on an island far, far away.From BooklistChief Inspector Charlie Woodend's latest case begins when a gruesome discovery is made: a decapitated body hanging from a local bridge. When the victim's head is eventually found, further investigation reveals he was dead before his hanging. When a second body is found hanging from a crane at a local building site, Woodend fears a serial killer is on the loose. After days of evaluating evidence and following up leads, Woodend and his team learn that the murders are connected to a tragedy dating back seven years and involving the British army, several local men, and a Greek Cypriot. Well-developed characters, a touch of wry humor, deft writing, and plenty of unexpected twists make Spencer's Charlie Woodend series a top-notch British police procedural that belongs in all mystery collections worth their salt. Emily MeltonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorSpencer was born and brought up in Cheshier. She has been a teacher in England and Iran.
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Chief Inspector Woodend #18
Death Watch
Sally Spencer
Angela Jackson, a young girl abducted from Whitebridge Corporation Park, has been missing for over twenty-four hours and, in the opinion of Dr Stevenson, the psychiatrist who Woodend turns to for advice, her kidnapper will first torture and then kill her. Woodend is aware of the damaging strains operating within his own team. Inspector Bob Rutter seems unable to control his infatuation with the unscrupulous journalist, Elizabeth Driver, while Sergeant Monika Paniatowski, is rapidly developing a deep affection for Rutter's small daughter, Louisa. And, Woodend's old enemy, Chief Constable Marlowe, is hovering in the background like a malevolent bird of prey, just waiting for the chief inspector to make a mistake. The more the investigation proceeds, the less Woodend can see any signs of hope. And he knows - deep within himself - that he will fail in bringing Angela back alive.About the AuthorSpencer was born and brought up in Cheshier. She has been a teacher in England and Iran.
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Chief Inspector Woodend #19
Dying Fall
Sally Spencer
A charred body is discovered in an abandoned cotton mill, and the crime scene presents DCI Woodend and his team with many questions, but very few answers.Who would want to murder a harmless old tramp, a man with no friends - or enemies - in the world? And why, of all the methods he could have chosen, did the killer decide to cruelly burn his victim to death?As Woodend attempts to solve a murder with no clues, he must also battle against a police authority which is attempting to block him at every turn. And though he does not know it, worse is to follow, because Elizabeth Driver, Inspector Bob Rutter's lover, has almost finished the book which could destroy both his career and everything he has ever worked for.From BooklistStarred Review Spencer offers up another intriguing and thoroughly enjoyable puzzler in her popular DCI Charlie Woodend series. When a local vagrant is burned to death by a sadistic killer, Woodend and his team are charged with discovering whodunit. But Woodend’s boss is reluctant to provide the extra personnel necessary to work the case; Woodend finds himself going head-to-head with a powerful local politician; his once close-knit team of coppers is argumentative and jealous; and journalist Elizabeth Driver is out to prove that the local police are incompetent and that Woodend is the worst of the lot. As usual, Woodend has his eye on the prize and doesn’t care whom he offends or upsets as long as he finds the killer. This is a cracking good series, with this latest entry quite possibly being the best yet (in large part because it contains a shocking ending as unthinkable as it is unexpected). Spencer perfectly captures the sometimes dull routine of police work while offering up strong but flawed characters and engaging plots that always hold together without calling attention to their infrastructure. --Emily Melton About the AuthorSpencer was born and brought up in Cheshier. She has been a teacher in England and Iran.
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