Review: Detective with a Difference!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 2, 2012
5.0 out of 5 stars Detective with a difference, 22 Jun 2012You won't forget Tom Kendall. A bumbling, absent minded detective, who worries his way through various possibilities until he reaches the truth - not just in the case he's trying to solve, but in everything else he comes up against in his life. Kendall reminds me strongly of the wonderful Columbo - than which there can be no higher praise.The villainous John Collier, whom we meet on the first page, is well drawn and easy to hate. The plot concerns a takeover bid, financial fraud, and a couple of murders; and the red herrings keep the reader interested until the final revelations. But it's the characters, above all, who make this book attractive.As well as Kendall, there is his secretary Mollie - a bad-tempered, grumbly person who manages to remain likeable in spite of this. Her action in stealing the window seat which Bob Andrews had carefully booked for himself months ago is very funny - and is also part of the list of clues which Kendall follows out to their conclusion. Bob didn't fly to England at the last minute on his boss's instructions - he claims he booked long beforehand. So someone is lying.A funny, enjoyable book. Not especially fast moving, but why should it be? One to sit back, relax with and just enjoy. Thank you, John Holt. I want to meet up with Kendall again before too long!