Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Dead

Sukey Reynolds #8

by Betty Rowlands

At the Mariners Hotel, Professor Lamont arrives late for a meeting with the guest in Room 106, where the body of Dr Whistler is found lying in a pool of blood. The safe is open and a potentially valuable document - claimed to be a letter from St Paul - has vanished. Suspicion lands on Lamont, who was seen leaving the hotel with a bag, half an hour before he arrived for the meeting. And when his sister confirms that Lamont had a knife with him that morning, it looks like it's going to be an easy case to solve. But Detective Constable Sukey Reynolds' instincts are telling her otherwise.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Crime, British Literature

7 pages, Audio CD

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

Betty Rowlands is an member of the Crime Writers' Association and appears on panels at writers' conferences.

Reviews

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, quick and entertaining mystery as Sukey Reynolds, now a full-fledged DC with Bristol CID, gets involved with antiquities theft and murder. This is the 8th book in series and I feel that it's best to read them, from the beginning, in order.

Sukey has left Gloucester and her previous job as a scene of crime investigator to pursue her original dream of being a detective. She's moved to Bristol and just starting out in her new job after getting the necessary qualifications. Her social life and romance with DI Jim Castle has taken a huge step back and her son, Fergus, is busy at university so she doesn't see him often. I really missed that aspect of the book -- Sukey's interactions with her son and Jim -- and hope that is resumed in the next book. I do like the character of Sukey and hope that she can settle down and perform her job well since she's now a real member of the police and doesn't have to do her amateur sleuthing any longer. Her SOCO experience has helped make her a good observer and she has a very compassionate nature which assists greatly in her ability to get information from others. I like the writing style and the descriptions of the setting and will continue on with this series.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the e-book ARC to read and review.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a entertaining read. Sukey Reynolds has just finished six months of training and is a new detective constable. She has moved from Gloucester to Bristol. Her first assignment is to investigate the murder of an archaeologist who was stabbed to death in his room at the Mariners Hotel. Her immediate boss, DS Rathbone, treats her suggestions about the case dismissively. Of course, Sukey's ideas have merit and she takes makes her own investigations. Eventually she taken off this case and put on the drowning of a teenage girl. But when the young girl's death and the hotel murder have similarities, Sukey gets involved again.

I enjoyed this book much better than the previous one. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance copy.

[Els · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 8 in the series already and Sukey has made her dream come true. She is no longer an Soco, but fans of the series know which is her profession now, because they know what she was dreaming about.

If you remember my review about the previous book, you know I was not a big fan of Jim, Sukey's 'boyfriend'. Well, that has not changed at all. Did Sukey see the light too or is she still under his spell? 

Once again Sukey finds herself in the eye of the storm even though sometimes she tries to redirect people's attention to someone else, people do tend to want to talk to her and turn to her for help. Sukey being Sukey she finds it hard to say no and let people down. So she follows her heart, but not everybody seems to appreciate that.

A story filled with manipulations and some baddies doing everything they can to achieve their goals. That might have worked out perfectly if Sukey would not have been there... Unfortunately for them she always kept her eye on the ball and helped put them where they belong before they committed even more crimes.

Another enjoyable story. 5 stars.

Thank you

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the stately Mariners Hotel, a breathless man rushes into the lobby and dashes upstairs to see a guest. Moments later he returns saying his friend isn’t answering his door. The manager & his PA enter the room to find Dr Whistler laying prone on the floor.
When Sukey Reynolds receives news of a death at the elegant Mariners Hotel, she is intrigued. Who could possibly have wanted to hurt Dr Whistler, a shy and retiring archaeology professor? The dusty documents he was carrying couldn’t possibly be of value, could they?
Sukey’s superiors are convinced that Dr Whistler’s visitor is his killer, but she isn’t so sure and decides to do a little side-sleuthing. A mysterious phone call leads Sukey to the truth, but as the rookie in the team, will anyone believe she has what it takes to solve this baffling mystery?
This is the eighth book in the series & things have moved on in the time since the last book, Sukey has been fast tracked in the police force & is now a fully fledged detective. She’s also sold her house & moved to a flat in Bristol, unfortunately her romance with Jim seems to have stalled & I was so sorry to read this as I really thought they would have made a real go of it. Fergus is still at university & only plays a minor role, I miss them discussing the cases over a meal & Fergus’ input was always astute. However I was soon gripped in yet another well written book from the author. Sukey may now be a detective but she still happens to be at the right or wrong place at the right or wrong moment. There were new characters most of whom I liked, I’m reserving judgement on DS Rathbone at the moment but I did like how his relationship with ‘the new girl’ developed. Another page turning read that I thoroughly enjoyed
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death at Ivy House by Betty Rowlands is the fifth book in the Sukey Reynolds series. I have just loved reading these books by Betty.
They're a cosy mystery easy read.

Sukey Reynolds is a brilliant photographer, and a SOCO Plus helps out to solve murders etc. She is enjoying the quiet period of her work life by pottering in her much loved garden. Cooking great meals and spending time with her much loved son.
Sukey is called out to the charming Ivy House to photograph a dead body of a young woman. Whilst Sukey os collecting all the evidence for her colleagues her mind starts to wonder to a recents break-in around the same time as this murder. She wonders if these cases maybe linked to each other? and how!
Sukey voices her theories to her detective colleagues and they do not want to hear what she is trying to tell them!!!
Jim Castle tells her to leave things alone! they can deal with it. But, we know Sukey once she's got the bit between her teeth there's no letting go. She has to go and do her own thing and start an investigating herself!
She has also become concerned about a homeless young man called Matt who seems to have disappeared.

I highly recommend these books By Betty Rowland if you love a cosy mystery read with lots of twists and turns.

I love these books.

Big Thank you, NetGalley, Betty Rowlands and Bookouture, for granting my request to read this book in exchange for my honest review. The opinions and thoughts are my own.

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

9th June 2010
Quite a good novel but lacking in the excitement factor. I was interested in finding out who committed the murder but there was a large chunk in the middle of the book that was rather boring and some of the dialogue was repetitive.

[Katherine Clark · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to having a new British mystery series to read, but I've decided this was 1 1/2 stars terrible. It was an adult Nancy Drew but not as interesting. Boring protagonist. Boring "action". Needless information throughout.

[JB · Rating 1 out of 5]

I lied. I didn't really finish it, I skimmed that last few chapters as I just didn't care. I didn't care who killed the victim, I didn't care about the victim, I didn't care about the police, I didn't care about Sukey. I just found this book really boring. It seemed a lot longer than it was.

[Tracy Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the eighth outing for Betty Rowlands' character Sukey Reynolds major changes have taken place. Now her son Fergus is at university Sukey has been able to consider a career change and this is the first book with her working as a detective constable with the CID in Bristol.

When an archaeologist is found seriously injured in his hotel room, and the historical artifacts he was known to have with him missing, Sukey finds herself working her first serious crime case as a detective alongside her new colleague DS Rathbone. Although everything seems pretty cut and dried with regard to whodunnit everything has to be double checked and gradually other angles and possibilities come to light which make things far less obvious than everyone had first thought.

I enjoyed this book very much, the new cast of secondary characters seemed instantly familiar and, after their initial introduction, everything worked as successfully as before. Although I hadn't realised until I began reading about Sukey's new role as a police officer her looking into cases while a crime scene investigator had probably run its natural course and these changes have given the series a new impetus. Hopefully this career change will give new focus to the remainder of this series all of which I have my fingers crossed will be rereleased in very short order.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed this series so far or wants to jump in halfway through as this would be a very good place to start.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. I’m officially hooked on this author! Despite knowing this book was part of a series I read book 8 first to see if I would like it. I loved it! I have now purchased/read the first 2 books in the series and they did not disappoint. I loved the pace of the story as well as the lovely setting. I can’t wait to get to know the main characters better as I progress through this gripping series.

Thanks kindly to Netgalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Fiona Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Sukey has changed her job and become a detective, something she has always wanted. However this doesn’t mean she is going to be sticking to the rules. We once again find her branching out on her own and following her instincts in pursuit of the truth.

Another great addition to the series.

[Sharon Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

Sukey has been promoted and has moved. As always Sukey is taking chances and getting in trouble with her supervisor. Lots of mystery. Great characters some new characters well written.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[aprilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I'm not enjoying it as much with the new narrator

[Cozy Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not love this series more ! I wish it would never end its that good. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity to review . My opinion is my own. I have read several in the series and highly recommend the entire series. This is the 8th book in series.

In this next in series our protagonist Sukey Reynolds is now thrilled to be a full-fledged DC (detective) with Bristol CID. She has moved to Bristol and passed all the qualifications for her dream of being a detective. She does have a habit of being a amateur detective and now she has finally landed her dream job.

Her son, Fergus, is busy at university so he is not in this book . I like their relationship and hope as he extends his studies he will be featured in the following books. . Her romance takes a back seat to her work in this book as it should as she begins life as a real detective.

Her first murder case is at the elegant Mariners Hotel. Dr Whistler, a archaeology professor has been murdered after a mysterious visitor. Sukey does her sleuthing by talking to a wide variety of employees and townspeople and soon she is on the track of the killer. She finds many underlying secrets about the victim as she digs deeper to solve her first case and prove herself as a detective after all. She is soon on the right trail and may be in danger herself. Will she solve her first case?

I adore this series and now that Sukey is a detective I cannot wait to read the remaining in the series . This is pleasing to read to conclusion as all her books are and has a surprising ending. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity. I highly recommend this book and the entire series. Excellent work to the author !

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sukey is back in book 8 of the Sukey Reynolds series. She is one of my favorite British crime solvers. An older single parent , she has moved to smaller living quarters since her son has left for college. Sukey is now a full fledged detective moving her career forward from crime scene photographer to her first murder. This book can be read as a stand alone but you'll want to read the previous books just for the fun of it. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[K.J. Sweeney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been loving these Sukey Reynolds' mysteries. I have to admit though, that it took me a little while to warm to this one. I'm sure that this was in large part, due to the sudden change in Sukey's life. When we last joined her she was working as a scene of crime officer and getting involved with investigating a little bit more than she should have done. She did want to rejoin the police force though and although I expected that she might eventually manage it, I wasn't expecting her to have achieved that in this book. In fact, things had moved on quite a bit, with Sukey now living in Bristol and having completed her probationary period for a different police force than the one she worked for.
Fortunately, once I got into the swing of the story and the change that had taken place, I really enjoyed it and reading about Sukey's new role. I have to admit that this time I didn't really solve the mystery, but this book was less of a puzzle than some of the previous ones.
I am really enjoying this series. I'm not sure where it's going to go next, with the change in Sukey's role and her relationship with Jim. I had assumed that over time that might become more permanent, but he played such a minor role in this one that I think he might be on his way out. I suppose that time will tell where Sukey will end up... I'll be looking forward to finding out.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔎 Sukey's back on the👮 Force: excellent!🤗
👍👍 Lots of thrills in this Sukey Reynolds whodunnit, what with purloined Greek artifacts, academics endangered, villains and victims right and left, and strong indications of a massive criminal enterprise involved. 😲

I have read several books on this series and like the fact that the author does not let her characters stagnate. Heroine Sukey has moved towns, re-entered the Police Force after a long hiatus as a stay-at-home mom and then a Crime Scene Photographer, and her romantic relationship with DI Jim Castle has cooled since her transition. She's got new colleagues and neighbors to deal with and it seems that the male officers are leery of her unorthodox methods, having learned of her crime-solving forays as a civilian Scene of Crime photographer.

Author Betty Rowlands continues to emphasize Sukey's sympathetic connection with potential witnesses and her male colleagues' reluctance to take her hunches seriously. It's still a male-dominated world in the Bristol Police Force, but eventually new Detective Constable Sukey Reynolds gets the respect she deserves!

This mystery is easy to read and well-written, with plenty of excitement as Sukey tumbles into intrigue and danger to catch her culprit. 🤕 I really enjoyed this one! 🤗

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

[LittleRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the eight installment, Sukey Reynolds has completed her probationary training and is now a detective. Having moved to Bristol her love life has taken a back seat and her career is front and center. When Sukey and her Sargent respond to an incident at a hotel, the case turns from robbery to murder and things take a fast track that leads the team to suspect the case is part of a much larger one.

At first her new superior doesn’t seem to like Sukey’s opinion and eventually has her taken off the case. As she teams up with another DS on a case, this one too leads back to the murder and before she knows it, Sukey is back on the case! Not that she is always right, but her gut instinct is one that should be listened to.

Another fantastic entry in the series and it’s absolutely fabulous to see Sukey finally becoming a detective now that her son has moved out and is in college. Even better to see Jim is still interested and in contact, hoping life manages to bring them back together again in the future. Adore this series and can’t wait for the next book. I highly recommend this series!

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

After five years of investigating crime scenes, Sukey Reynolds has completed training and is now sworn staff but has had to relocate to another district. No problem for her college student son, but moving house was interesting and she is away from friends and long term romantic interest.
In the first case she is called to a hotel where a guest was stabbed, a historical artifact stolen, and there are odd circumstances as well especially involving a professor. Many other oddities surface, there are problems with her immediate superior, the professor's sister is somewhat fragile and believes that her brother is a murderer. And then things really get complicated! The publisher's blurb gives a good intro, and no spoilers here. I enjoyed it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Sukey Reynolds is now a police detective. She is partnered with Detective Sergeant Rathbone. They make a good pair. They respond to an assault in a local hotel. A visiting professor has an appointment to see archeology professor Dr. Whistler. When the visitor gets to his room, he cannot raise him. The manager lets him in the room and they discover the wounded man on the floor. Later, the man dies. It is now a murder inquiry.

Sukey's new position is in Bristol. So there is very little of DI Jim Castle and the charming Fergus in this book. They have more like cameo appearances. I miss them both. The story just doesn't have the same interest for me. In a word, I was disappointed and found the book to be somewhat boring.

I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read and review.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book! This is my first Sukey Reynolds mystery but it was relatively easy to get into the already established world and characters. My rating might even change (for the better) if/when I go back and read the books in order. In terms of the mystery in general, I liked it! Nothing too high stakes which is exactly how I like my mysteries but there's enough to keep you engaged in what's happening.

Sukey is a great main character, I really like the way she handles herself and stands up for herself. The mystery itself went in a very different direction than I thought it was going to go, and I found myself a tiny bit disappointed but overall I liked it.

I was given a complimentary copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has moved forward in time to where Sukey Reynolds is no longer a SOCO but rather DC Sukey Reynolds. She has moved from Gloucester to Bristol where she is teamed with cranky DS Greg Rathbone who doesn't seem to like her or appreciate her ideas. He considers her a "loose canon". Sukey does manage to get herself into another tight spot and finds herself in great danger.

In this book is appears that the relationship between DI Jim Castle has cooled off since she has moved away. Sukey's son Fergus is not a major player in this book as he has been in previous books. An absolutely wonderful read which well deserves more than 5 stars.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sukey has moved on, both personally and professionally. She is now a fully fledged detective constable and is attached to the police in Bristol, where she has purchased a flat. Sukey no longer lives near Jim Castle, or Fergus, but she has developed new colleagues and friends. I found this story to drag a bit, the focus much more on police procedure and I missed the SOCO perspective, that said, I am sure things will pick up as Sukey gains more confidence as a DC. She’s already established her standing as a “loose cannon” to her new boss. This is not one of the best in the series, but still an enjoyable read.
Thank you to netgalley and Bookouture for the advance review copy.

[Janet Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Sukey Reynolds Story With a New Outlook
This book begins a new stage in our heroine, Sukey's life. It lends a new atmosphere to the series. I love the British terms for certain things. In this book, I have learned a new phrase; 'Identity Parade', which I assume is like the American 'line-up'. The action is exciting in this story and the plot is intricate. This is much more of a police procedural mystery than prior episodes. I liked this book as well or better than the prior books. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

[Anglophile Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s the 8th book in the Sukey Reynolds’ saga, which I have read after finishing the 9th (Death at the Library). It was good to learn a little bit more about its main character, Sukey, and her promotion to DC.

Great descriptions and characters that make you feel part of the setting. Fast paced narrative that makes it an unputdownable whodunnit. Hope there will be more books to come!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book to read and review.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In book 8, we finally start to see Sukey on her own. Gus is away at university and Jim was left behind when Sukey moves to train and become a detective constable. Now instead of reading about her cooking non-stop for the inept men in her life, we get to read about her frozen meals and actual work! She even starts to have a social life of her own! This is a well needed fresh start to the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.

[Michelle Debnam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another adventure for Sukey albeit this time she is no longer Soco but has finally become a member of CID. When a friend of a neighbour is accused of murdering a professor little does Suki know a whole can of worms is to be exposed

[Maureen Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorry there are only four more

Sorry there are only four more books in this series. Sukie is a great character and I'm going to miss her. Enjoyed the twists and turns in this novel and am looking forward to more in the next

[T Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than the last one in the series, with an excellent plot and some real sleuthing, although there are still a lot of helpful coincidences. Well written story with good characters.