In spite of his positive reputation, Jack Lilburne, Governor of Conyhall Youth Offenders' Institution dies in a car bomb. Detective Superintendent Gil Mayo and Inspector Abigail Moon begin to investigate the incident. They initially concentrate on prison inmates, past and present. However, when a second killing occurs, the law enforcement duo knows that they must widen their list of suspects.

Specifically, Gil and Abigail turn towards hospital worker Marc Daventry as the prime suspect. Marc seems obsessed with Lilburne's daughter Flora, who is recovering from the bomb blast that killed her father at the hospital where the orderly works. However, both Gil and Abigail realize that they need to uncover the killer very soon because a third victim is most likely.

A DEATH OF DISTINCTION, the eighth Mayo novel, is a well-written who-done-it that it's not quite as distinctive as normally expected for this usually high quality series. Though the story line moves forward at a reasonable pace, there is a dearth of reasonable suspects. Still, fans of the series and those who enjoy the British police procedural will like this novel.

Harriet Klausner

Although Lavenstock is a small city compared to London, it has its share of crime, but rarely does two major felonies happen on the same day. A house burns down to the ground on a low rent street, but the body inside the rubble is not the Polish man renting the abode. Deputy Superintendent Gil Mayo assigns Abigail Moon to the case much to the dismay of her rival and peer Martin Kite.

Gil designates Martin as the lead investigator on the other case, that of a vicar's wife Cecily Haldane, who was knocked unconscious. Her attacker called for an ambulance. Cecily's prognosis remains bleak. On both cases law enforcement officials run into one dead end after another. They don't know that the two cases are tied to events that occurred over fifty years ago during World War II.

Any police procedural starring Gill Mayo is guaranteed to provide a pleasurable reading experience. A SUNSET TOUCH is one of the better works in this long running series because of the complexity of the characterizations and the intricacies of the two subplots. Marjorie Eccles packs a surprising amount of fascinating detail into this superb novel.

Harriet Klausner

Kat Conolly is determined to spend as much time with her dying father as possible as they both reside at the luxurious home of her dad's business partner, Max Fisher. Kat turns to her best friend Julie Mayo for solace even though they are an ocean apart. However, not long after her father dies, Kat is found butchered to death in a hotel room.

Normally, Lavenstock Police Division Headquarters Detective Superintendent Gil Mayo would head up the homicide investigation. However, this inquiry has a personal interest for Gil as the murdered Kat checked into the hotel using his missing daughter Julie's identity. Led by a "disinterested" outsider, the police search for the killer while Mayo frantically looks for his missing daughter who seems to have vanished.

Marjorie Eccles has written the classic British police procedural starring secondary characters from previous Gil Mayo tales. This provides the book with an aura of continuity rarely seen in a series while also comforting the reader with familiar friends. The puzzling mystery is difficult to solve because the killer blends into the scenery so well. THE SUPERINTENDENT'S DAUGHTER is a fascinating novel that deservedly will bring new fans to the talented Ms. Eccles.

Harriet Klausner