(There is a slight variation, in which nice girl marries aloof older man early in the book, as a marriage of convenience, but he was secretly in love with her all along and just never told her).

This book follows the same old formula: Beatrice meets Dr Oliver Latimer, who treats her in exactly the same casual, almost dismissive manner which all Neels' heroes use on their heroines. Somehow, we're supposed to understand that this means he loves her. I have to admit that I found the book patronising in this respect: women *do* have the right to make their own choices in live, and yet Latimer, like most of Neels' heroes, has a tendency to ride roughshod over Beatrice's wishes.

Neels' books seem increasingly anachronistic these days, for several reasons. First, she writes men and women as they were perhaps in the 1950s or 1960s, right down to dress, manner, way of speaking and so on. Second, when her books are set in a hospital, as this is, it becomes clear that she has not set foot in a hospital for at least twenty years. Hospitals are run very differently nowadays. Nurse training (in the UK, where her books are set) bears no resemblance to the depiction in Neels' books. Frankly, her publishers would do better to market her books as historical fiction, which is what they actually are.

As the newly promoted chief detective superintendent, McLeish is called in to investigate the death of a man who was launched into eternity, found hanging from his kitchen ceiling while wearing women's underwear. The case is sensitive in a number of ways: the victim was co-owner of a company selling time-shares to its hotels in Majorca and being investigated by the Fraud Squad, and one of the suspects is a member of Parliament.

But William Price's proved timely for a number of other suspects as well. The payout from his life insurance policy would keep the police away and save the business that threatens to sink his wife and business partner. It would also his two sons' trust fund that he raided to pay bills for expensive houses, a yacht, and other perks.

All of this would not have involved Francesca, except that Annabelle, the girlfriend of one of the sons, checks into the women's shelter where she's working. As she's counseling her, she also becomes involved with the shelter's attorney, a handsome young man who sparks a number of conflicting feelings in her. McLeish is tempted on the job as well when a former flame is charged with investigating the company.

"A Timely Death" has the possibility of turning into a very hot book, part soap opera, part mystery, but we end up with a cool, conventional story that doesn't seem to make much of an effort to distinguish itself. Francesca's estrangement from her husband due to his long hours seems shallow and unconvincing, and makes her a unlikable lead. Left to his own devices, John is a cipher, meaning the suspects have to carry the load. Only the Annabelle's growth as a character, the competent doctor dealing with her bullying boyfriend, gives "A Timely Death" its emotional power.

Spousal abuse and adultery runs alongside the red thread of murder in Janet Neel's latest in her series about the British detecting duo of Francesca Wilson and John McLeish.

As the newly promoted chief detective superintendent, McLeish is called in to investigate the death of a man who was launched into eternity, found hanging from his kitchen ceiling while wearing women's underwear. The case is sensitive in a number of ways: the victim was co-owner of a company selling time-shares to its hotels in Majorca and being investigated by the Fraud Squad, and one of the suspects is a member of Parliament.

But William Price's death proved timely for other suspects as well. The payout from his life insurance policy would keep the police away and save the business that threatens to sink his wife and business partner. It would also boost his two sons trust fund, which he raided to pay for expensive houses, a yacht and other perks.

All of this would not have involved Francesca except that Annabelle, the girlfriend of one of the sons, checks into the women's shelter where she's working. As she's counseling her, she also becomes involved with the shelter's attorney, a handsome young man who sparks a number of conflicting feelings in her. McLeish is tempted on the job as well when a former flame is charged with investigating the company.

"A Timely Death" has the possibility of turning into a very hot book, part soap opera, part mystery, but we end up with a cool, conventional story that doesn't seem to make much of an effort to distinguish itself. Francesca's estrangement from her husband due to his long hours seems shallow and unconvincing, and makes her an unlikable lead. Alone, John is more cipher than character, forcing the suspects to carry the load. Only Annabelle's growth as a character, as the competent doctor trying to escape an abusive relationship, gives "A Timely Death" its emotional power.

Another good story from Ms. Neels. This time all the characters are English. This heroine does have a family, just not a great one (except the Aunt). There is also the dog and cat problem--you know-- no one else wants them, so off the heroine goes and gets into trouble. This hero is not as unapproachable as some of the others Ms. Neels uses, actually he's nice right from the start.

Another good Betty Neels story. This plot is slightly different in that there is really no beautiful girlfriend to cause friction. The friction comes from Caroline trying to get Radinck to notice, care and love her. Nice pacing and the plot moves. My only complaint is that the ending seems rushed.

A nice, pleasant Betty Neels story. Emma is not a nurse; she is taking care of her whiny, selfish mother. The mother is almost too much to take, but thankfully she is gone by the halfway point. Emma has no skills, so it is not easy for her to get jobs she can make money at. Roele is in love with her by page 72. The rest of the book follows along the same route that Ms. Neels always uses, but hey'it's why I read these

This is not a good book. Janet Neel can write--although I prefer a little less elitist style, but her characters don't develop.

I did get a laugh, though, over Neel's description of the characters in this novel as middle class (remember, they're the ones sending their children to an expensive boarding school because they are so busy and important that they can't watch them themselves, even with the nannies they've got at home.

I didn't guess who did the deed--maybe it was Neel's strategy to give us such a lot of unpleasant characters that we wished they'd all go to jail. And were we supposed to be so contemptuous of poor Catriona? Lucky for me I didn't go to school with Neel.

Not Recommended.

(...)

The main thread of the plot unwinds at Faraday Trust, a progressive British boarding school, where the arts and individuality are cherished and nourished. As the end of spring term approaches, so do signs of trouble. The Trustees of the school have asked the headmaster to step down because weak test results for university admisssion are hurting enrollment. Several members of the staff are vying to succeed him. Catriona Roberts, an underachieving, unhappy sixth-former is causing problems for her fellow students and for the staff -- which includes both her step-parents. Her death at a London party attended by many of the staff, her biological parents, and several of her classmates proves to be murder rather than suicide.

Chief Inspector John McLeish (whom I take to be a regular fixture in Mrs. Neel's novels) has connections to the school and to several of its students through his wife Francesca, a musician and college administrator on maternity leave. McLeish and Francesca are present at the party and he is ordered to take charge of the investigation into Catriona's murder despite an obvious conflict of interest. He and his team work desperately to solve the murder before the suspects disperse at the end of term. Refreshingly, the case is not solved either by clever detective work or by having the sleuth recklessly put himself in harm's way, as so many mystery stories are these days.