Courting Danger
A Bob Robbins Home Front Mystery. (Book 3)
Wartime rural police procedural.
Cornwall, England, 1943. Dumpy, grumpy wartime Detective Segreant Bob Robbins is called out to investigate a suspicious death in a remote moorland pool. Gogmagog Ditch has a history steeped in Cornish folklore, but what attracted the victim to such a desolate spot and why?
The victim, Dr Corin Lanyon, was liked by all and loved by many – especially women. As Bob untangles his various relationships and close connection to a Celtic Circle heritage group, he confirms the doctor’s death was no accident.
Ably assisted by keen young PC Laurie Oliver, Bob reveals a web of criminality, deceit, stolen museum artefacts – and various persons of interest.
The discovery of a second apparently unharmed body in
an ancient stone circle means Bob and Laurie must learn how the murders
were committed, starting with another visit to the bleak moorland pool,
and the discovery of a sacred cave in a hollow hill.
Reviews
An excellent crime novel It's Cornwall, England, 1943. As the war rages, with Nazi bombs routinely dropping nearby, a dumpy, grumpy wartime Detective Sergeant, Bob Robbins, who wants nothing more than to retire and watch birds, is called in to investigate a strange death. A young aspiring doctor is found dead in a pond in the open moors. Robbins and his new associate, Laurie, start to investigate and the clues lead them down a strange path of Celtic rituals, sordid affairs, greed and lust. Detective Robbins could be a brother to Columbo, the American crime investigator, with his sometimes off-putting commentary, dry humor and most importantly, an indelible questioning mind that will not be satisfied with anything but the absolute truth. This book is entertaining in so many ways, as we are pulled into Robbin's mind and how, piece by piece, he solves the mystery, but also the way the author draws us into the pastoral, almost timeless ambience of a British rural community, where everyone knows everyone, and everything, where rumors abound, where secrets are plenty, and where a crime investigator, like Robbins, must pry them out of people who guard them with their very lives. This is quality writing and an excellent story in this series. Réal Laplaine for IWIC
I enjoyed this book tremendously. Although it is the third in the series (and to my mind the best yet!), it also works well as a stand alone. As always with J.G Harlond, the impecable research was clear in the attention to detail, and we were transported back to World War 2 in rural Cornwall. The atmosphere is nostalgic and realistic with a heart warming element but without being slushy. We meet some rich and memorable characters such as our old friend Bob Robbins who continues as the protagonist ..a good, old fashioned, rather grumpy detective. The emotions and relationships portrayed are ones we can all relate to and understand. The plot is impressively constructed and holds the reader's attention with twists and turns and red herrings which had me guessing until the very end. There is always something remarkably vivid in the descriptions in Harlond's writing and this book ( along with the others) would make a really fabulous TV series! Amazon Review.
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