Plots and Errors

Lloyd & Hill #10

by Jill McGown

When the owners of a struggling detective agency are found asphyxiated in their car, Detective Chief Inspector Lloyd rejects the majority opinion that they committed suicide. And his theory--that they were murdered--becomes even more likely when the doomed couple's one client, wealthy Mrs. Angela Esterbrook, is found shot to death.

Why would someone with her sort of money employ an untried agency to carry out an investigation? The super-rich Esterbrook family is a puzzle that Lloyd and his partner, Judy Hill, must solve before it's too late. For the curtain is rising on a tragedy of Shakespearean grandeur. But no one, not even the cunning killer, anticipates how the plot will take on a lethal life of its own-- beyond everyone's control . . . .

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, British Literature, Crime

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Jill McGown (9 August 1947, Campbeltown, Scotland – 6 April 2007 in Kettering, Northamptonshire) was a British writer of mystery novels. She was best known for her mystery series featuring Inspector Lloyd and Judy Hill, one of which (A Shred of Evidence) was made into a television series. McGown wrote her first mystery novel after being laid off from the British Steel Corporation in 1980. She is sometimes credited as Elizabeth Chaplin.

Reviews

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

It all begins what appears to be a simple murder, or set of murders, that rapidly become less simple, more devious and more interesting as it goes along. And in reality, its a Gordian Knot, filled with twists and turns, impossibilities that eventually become possible — so much so that detectives Lloyd and Hill begin to doubt themselves.

It makes for great reading, if improbable. Simplicity is what usually makes a successful murder, not complexity and "Plots and Errors" will have the reader's head spinning as it does for the police.

It all begins with a seeming suicide of a married couple, who supposedly beginning detective agency owners. Lloyd just can't get his head around the death of the wife, who he knew long ago when they were both new police officers. But it gets more complicated when their only client is killed — a rich client that they can't figure out why would hire obscure PIs.

From there, the police investigation seems to be moving quickly, only something continues to throw it off — again and again.

But don't think it is beyond Lloyd and Hill. These two detectives are incredible and driven. The result is a fun and interesting read, despite the fact that its just not believable that there would be a murder this twisted and complicated.

[Claudia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I don't know why I even bothered to finish this but I'd invested so much time already it was too late to turn back. The way this story was told was just as convoluted and unnecessarily complicated as the story itself. Plus, I didn't care about ANY of these characters. I wished they'd all just killed each other in a mass gun battle and ended the readers' misery. About 150 pages too long in addition.

[Ram Kaushik · Rating 3 out of 5]

An impressively intricate plot involving a strange mix of detailed timing and a randomly Victorian will. Things unravel for the murderer due to unpredictable events, making an already complex situation dizzyingly so. After 300 pages or so, my poor head couldn't keep the happenings straight even with some well-timed Ibuprofen. I somehow waded through the rest but it took me days to recover. Recommended for high IQ individuals who for some reason, prefer a whodunit instead of a quantum physics textbook.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

"When the owners of a struggling detective agency are found asphyxiated in their car, Detective Chief Inspector Lloyd rejects the majority opinion that they committed suicide. And his theory -- that they were murdered -- becomes even more likely when the doomed couple's one client, wealthy Mrs. Angela Esterbrook, is found shot to death.

"Why would someone with her sort of money employ an untried agency to carry out an investigation? The superrich Esterbrook family is a puzzle that Lloyd and his partner, Judy Hill, must solve before it's too late. For the curtain is rising on a tragedy of Shakespearean grandeur. But no one, not even the cunning killer, anticipates how the plot will take on a lethal life of its own -- beyond everyone's control ..."
~~back cover

Well that's a pretty accurate description of this one. Complicated plots with disjointed connections and general murkiness until the last pages are certainly this author's forte. And she's quite good at it. Unfortunately, it's not my genre of choice, so I'm not the fan I'm sure many other readers are.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good Brit police procedural. Almost anyone could have done it this time. This was absolutely riddled with red herrings, making me change my mind often as to who the culprit was. Having finished this good one, I could be on a long trek of Brit novels. Lord knows I have enough of them.

[Nichole Lesniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am generally not a fan of mysteries (unless they have a historical fiction angle, like The DaVinci Code or Steve Berry's books) but this one had such great twists and turns that I was hooked!

[Spuddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

#10 Lloyd & Hill British police procedural mystery, and CRAP! I just realized I've read this out of order! LOL In a complicated, multi-faceted plot, some member or members of the wealthy Esterbrook family have killed off the matriarch, the principle heir, a "rent boy" that one of them was seeing, and the private investigators hired by one of them to catch out the heir in an adulterous tryst. But who? Those with apparent motive don't seem to have had the opportunity, and vice versa. Following trails of false clues carefully laid down, Chief Inspector Lloyd, DI Hill and Sgt. Finch must figure out which clues are real and what errors the killers made in their planning. Not an easy task, with several red herrings and stinky sardines along the way. LOL

I enjoyed this book a lot. McGown has an interesting way of laying things out by first going through the discovery of the various murders, then back-pedaling to a month before with tales told from the POV of the principals in the crimes, and then back to the investigation. Sometimes that ploy works and other times not, but in this case it was a gripping thriller that I was never sure about the solution to right til the very end. However, since I read this out of order (damn!) I am going to have to dig out the previous one and get it read fairly soon, too...which means only two left to finish the series. I am often amazed that this wonderful author has not received more attention and accolades

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

People wanting to read this series in order may care to note this book is listed in some places as being number nine in the series when it actually comes after 'Picture of Innocence' and should be listed as number ten. I only realised that as I have been reading them in the order in which the publisher lists them but that seems to be incorrect for these two books.

That said - this is an excellent well plotted story with so many strands it's no wonder that the two detectives have problems sorting them out. The body count is high and starts with two apparent suicides which Lloyd refuses to believe are anything other than murder. Then there is what seems like wholesale slaughter within one family - the wealthy Esterbrooks.

The reader sees what happens from an onlookers point of view and is left to try and figure out whether they have been told the truth or not. I found it totally compelling reading with some complex and intriguing characters - as well as some thoroughly unpleasant ones - and it kept me reading over the course of two day where I would normally have flitted between several books.

This is an excellent series which seems to just get better the more books you read from it. The clues are all the reader to disentangle from the red herrings and I find myself completely lost in the world of the novel. This book can be read as a standalone story and as part of a series.

[Kirsty Darbyshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulously complicated plot - quite a small circle of suspects but everyone is implicated at some point. Huge inheritances, who wouldn't want to get their hands on the money? Could have got really out of hand but just about stays sane and entertaining.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can an author write something this involved and keep it all straight? Very complex, lies upon lies, twists on twists, but for a rarity I did pick up on the final plot twist before it was revealed. Yay me.

[Katherine Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first 1/3 of this book is perfection. I was glorying in it; and then it became so complicated and so convoluted.
I also didn't like the format of the book. it was divided into very short "scenes" and it just didn't work for me.
I found the book annoying.

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a book for the impatient reader. At 370 pages, it seemed too long to get to the point. It's broken into different sections and timelines, and we get a deep dive into the characters lives and motives. And speaking of dives, pages of following diving instructions and other side-trips became tedious. The Cast of Characters in the front helped, but it was over 150 pages before one question I had about the half-brothers was cleared up. One plus is that there are many (many) points where you can stop since the times and places shift constantly. Nice writing, but the boring parts made me not finish it.

[Squeak2017 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very complex plot - became hard to separate the lies from the truth as the two kept changing. I was past caring about whether Paul was straight, gay or bi. And how many private detectives with blackmailing tendencies do we really need in one family?
I spotted the murderer and anticipated the trope about proving it couldn't be them and then proving it was them. Though this was clearly flagged early on.
The continual Hamlet references and pretence of being in a play was not really necessary (I kept expecting "Ophelia" to drown) and didn't add to my enjoyment of the novel. But it's one of the better ones in the series I've read so far.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This entry in the Lloyd and Hill series features a really intricate, complicated, convoluted crime. Interestingly, Lloyd and Hill are not in much of the book - it's taken up with back story to the crime.

I didn't like the characters under suspicion - all a horrible lot, really - but watching the police try to figure out the crime and finally succeed was enjoyable. Very well crafted. Another great book in this great series.

[Silvia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was OK. Usually I don't finish books if I don't really like them but I finished this one just to see whodunnit, and even finding that out was not that satisfying. I think there was too much going on in the plot and I was confused a few times.

There are better detective stories out there, IMO.

[Jan Whitmarsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable deceptions.....

Wonderful plots... Brilliantly staged .. And all within perfectly sound reasoning. This very enjoyable and confounding book will truly keep you guessing !

[Carlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very convulated story with many twists and turns, devicious plots and a surprising ending.

[Mrs Gill Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was irritated by the profusion of typographical errors. Proof reader required.
Otherwise ok

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is maybe the longest book Ms. McGown has written in the series todate. It was certainly a page turner and as usual, had plenty of twists and turns. I did find, that I had to really pay attention, go back and re-read parts and sometimes even, have to read the paragraph I had just read again, because I found it quite complicated at times. Probably my little brain being over-loaded with information, but I felt I really had to concentrate on this one. There was a lot going on. First, we start out with the discovery of the bodies of a married couple, the Copes, (Kathy being an ex-cop, Lloyd worked with back in the day). She is now a private investigator and she and her husband have seemingly committed suicide. Lloyd finds some little puzzles that don't add up and leave him feeling there is more to the deaths than meets the eye. Kathy Cope has been working for a very rich Angela Esterbrook, who is the very next day, found shot dead at her home. This makes Lloyd even more suspicious. So after a few chapters, we are then taken back to several weeks prior to these deaths and given a inside look into the Esterbrook family and the events that led up to Mrs Esterbrooks murder and the apparent suicide of her son, Paul. So, in all there are five deaths at this point (a young rent boy is also found shot dead at Mrs Esterbrooks holiday cottage) and we now see who had a motive and how and why these people were murdered. It then goes to present day and back to the investigation by Lloyd and Judy Hill and then to the very clever conclusion, but again I have to say, the rather complex and sometimes confusing ending. When I really concentrated, I made sense of it, but it did seem a little too clever than necessary. Still, I do love this series and hate finding fault, so I forgive Ms McGown just about anything.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Copyright......: 1999
Series..............: Book 9 in the Lloyd and Hill series
Publisher...........: Soundings Audio Books (2006)
Abr/Unabr...........: Unabridged
Media...............: 12 CDs
Duration............: 14:06:10

blurb - When Andrew Cope and his ex-policewoman wife Kathy, proprietors of an unsuccessful detective agency, up to their necks in debt and on the verge of losing their home, are found dead in their fume-filled car, there are few who doubt that they have simply taken the easy way out. But DCI Lloyd knew Kathy Cope, and doesn't believe she was a quitter. Besides, where did she get all the state-of-the-art office equipment? Why was her shopping put away in all the wrong places? Even her last case is a puzzle. Just why would a member of the super-wealthy Esterbrook family have employed her? When DI Judy Hill is called out to the murder of matriarch Angela Esterbrook, Lloyd's doubts appears to be vindicated; and the Copes' apparent suicide turns out to be just the curtain-raiser on a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions . . .

Cunning: sly - crafty - artful - wily - astute - clever - shrewd.

What a plate of worms and understandably packed chock full of Hamlet quotes. Too long so it loses a star. Will definitely look out for more Jill McGown.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the tenth book in the author's police procedural series (13 books) featuring Detective Chief Inspector Lloyd and Detective Inspector Hill. I first came across this series in the early 1990s and have read them all at least once.

This is the third time I have read this but I did not remember much of the story at all as it is almost twenty three years since I last read it. This is an intricately plotted book and the subtitle of the book is "A tragedy in five acts". There is a dramatis personae at the start and each act is introduced with a quote from Shakespeare's play Hamlet. The acts are divided into many short scenes.

It starts with the apparent suicide of a couple but despite all the evidence to the contrary Lloyd refuses to accept that it is a suicide. Then there are two murders. Much of the book deals with the characters involved in the months leading up to the murders before finishing with the police investigation. It is complicated stuff (perhaps too complicated for some readers) but I found it a compelling read again.

The writing is better than the writing in most of the books I have read this year (2025) and I am really glad that I decided to re-read this series.

[Minty McBunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This was a very complicated story, and while I enjoyed it, I did find it somewhat hard to follow.

And though I did like the plot of the mystery, like the first Lloyd & Hill mystery I read (book 7,
Shred of Evidence) I still don't get a real sense of Judy and Lloyd and don't find them terribly compelling as people to hang the series on. All I can figure is that having jumped in late in the series, I missed all the character building at the beginning and by now McGown just assumes the reader knows their backstory and she doesn't need to make them interesting. My library only has books 7, 9 and 11 and while I do plan to read 11, I'm not intrigued enough to go out and spend money on the earlier books.

[K. East · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very complex multiple-murder mystery with enough twist, turns and double-backs to give you a headache -- with the last one coming on the last page of the novel! Interesting premise -- book begins with the police POV of several murders, followed by the same events presented from the perspective of the various suspects and players in the drama, then shifts back to the police POV. It got pretty convoluted but not impossible to follow. I didn't figure out how the first death occurred, but I did figure out what event would finally get them caught. I'll be curious to see how other books in this series play out since this is the first I've read. I could easily recommend this to a mystery lover.

[Carolyn (in SC) C234D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in 2006 so it is not fresh in my mind. At the time, I wrote: "...a Hill and Lloyd mystery. I like these characters a lot, but the plot of this one was so convoluted, with so many lies and going back in time, that it was hard to follow." And there was a clue which I thought that they should have checked out much sooner. Not the best that I've read in the series, but still good. I'd like to give it three and a half stars.

[Andy Plonka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very intricately plotted book with very little reliance on modern technology. The explaination of how several murders are pulled off takes about forty pages and careful attention must be paid, but it is a clever solution requiring a lot of patience on the part of the perpetrator

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I thought this was one of the best books in the series even though it doesn't follow my plot preferences (most of the focus on the police and hardened criminals or organized crime). I would have given it 4 stars except I thought it dragged quite a bit in the last section.

[Nicky Warwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A re-read of this one for me because it was the first book by Jill McGown I ever read & I wanted to read it again in written order as the characters lives do move on from book to book.
I can’t fault this one for keeping you guessing with plots & subplots a plenty.
Another 5* review

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this series but this plot is WAY too complicated! Although it totally held my attention, I would like to see something more straightforward, I think that can be just as interesting.

[Rebekkila]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11565564

[Chris Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Complex plot, superbly worked through, kept guessing for most of the book. However, the characters are too superficial and the motivations and psychology weak.