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Inspector Alvarez #36
Murdered by Nature
Optimism, as Inspector Alvarez knows, is the road to calamity . . . - I nspector Alvarez is in a good mood, for once. The sun is shining, he has enjoyed a morning nap at his desk, and his irascible boss – Superior Chief Salas – is on holiday. But his new-found optimism soon leads to disaster. In no time at all, Alvarez is mired down by a seemingly impossible task – identifying a man drowned in the bay, who it quickly transpires may not have been drowned at all .
192 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2012
4 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Roderic Jeffries
134 books19 followersaka Peter Alding, Jeffrey Ashford, Roderic Graeme, Graham Hastings.
Son of Graham Montague Jeffries
Roderic Jeffries was born in London in 1926 and was educated at Harrow View House Preparatory School and the Department of Navigation, University of Southampton.
In 1943 he joined the New Zealand Shipping Company as an apprentice and sailed to Australia and New Zealand, but later transferred to the the Union Castle Company in order to visit a different part of the world.
He returned to England in 1949 where he was admitted to the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn and read for the Bar at the same time as he began to write. He was called to the Bar in 1953, and after one year's pupilage practiced law for a few terms during which time there to write full time.
His first book, a sea story for juveniles, was published in 1950.
His books have been published in many different countries and have been adapted for film, television, and radio.
He lived for a time in the country in a 17th century farmhouse, almost, but not quite overlooking Romney Marsh before he and his wife moved to Mallorca. They have two children.
Son of Graham Montague Jeffries
Roderic Jeffries was born in London in 1926 and was educated at Harrow View House Preparatory School and the Department of Navigation, University of Southampton.
In 1943 he joined the New Zealand Shipping Company as an apprentice and sailed to Australia and New Zealand, but later transferred to the the Union Castle Company in order to visit a different part of the world.
He returned to England in 1949 where he was admitted to the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn and read for the Bar at the same time as he began to write. He was called to the Bar in 1953, and after one year's pupilage practiced law for a few terms during which time there to write full time.
His first book, a sea story for juveniles, was published in 1950.
His books have been published in many different countries and have been adapted for film, television, and radio.
He lived for a time in the country in a 17th century farmhouse, almost, but not quite overlooking Romney Marsh before he and his wife moved to Mallorca. They have two children.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 3, 2025
The witty sarcastic flow of conversation of the people in these books makes me love them. !!
November 21, 2025
Well this one was a slog with little reward. Call it Headache in a Box.
Jerky and sporadic in pacing, Jeffries (or whoever he wishes to be known as) seems to enjoy inflicting jabbing dialogue upon his readers with the minimum of narration or description. Can we blame his legal training?
The interminable dialogue between Alvarez and his inflated and officious tin-pot "superior" (as well as his succubus secretary) I just found wearying. Some may view this as entertaining satire. However, for me the constant banter of questions answered only by other questions and all couched in insult, rudeness and belittlement was not enjoyable. And trying to pick out the narrative line buried within these ego-fuelled barrages was tiresome.
On a more minor note...scenes shifted quite abruptly within chapters unheralded by any discernible graphic warning (try a triple spacing why dontcha?). A rather mystifying treatment but perhaps due to a cheap edition.
Apparently this author has been cranking these out for some time and there is a formulaic feel to them...translated into many languages and beloved the world over if the blurbs are to believed. Well no thanks. Don't think I'll even bother with a second random Alvarez title I pulled from the stacks.
Don't need the headache.
Jerky and sporadic in pacing, Jeffries (or whoever he wishes to be known as) seems to enjoy inflicting jabbing dialogue upon his readers with the minimum of narration or description. Can we blame his legal training?
The interminable dialogue between Alvarez and his inflated and officious tin-pot "superior" (as well as his succubus secretary) I just found wearying. Some may view this as entertaining satire. However, for me the constant banter of questions answered only by other questions and all couched in insult, rudeness and belittlement was not enjoyable. And trying to pick out the narrative line buried within these ego-fuelled barrages was tiresome.
On a more minor note...scenes shifted quite abruptly within chapters unheralded by any discernible graphic warning (try a triple spacing why dontcha?). A rather mystifying treatment but perhaps due to a cheap edition.
Apparently this author has been cranking these out for some time and there is a formulaic feel to them...translated into many languages and beloved the world over if the blurbs are to believed. Well no thanks. Don't think I'll even bother with a second random Alvarez title I pulled from the stacks.
Don't need the headache.
August 9, 2014
It took me a while to get used to the style, but I was conscious of having leapt into a new series a long way from the beginning, so I stuck with it. Inspector Alvarez has his own unique style, and I loved the interplay with his long suffering boss, and loudly suffering sister. I wondered, is this main character really a bumbling fool? But no, I was pleased to discover, there is method in his madness, and entertainment in his laziness. All in all, a satisfying conclusion to an amusing read.
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May 10, 2014Frustration of family and trying to do your job. It is almost impossible to do your job and find a murderer, but Alverez does.
July 28, 2015
Seemed like an annoying imitation of the Donna Leon series. My impression of inspector Alvarez was that he is lazy and chauvinistic and I couldn't be bothered finishing it
December 31, 2015
This was translated into English and somehow the pace or something seemed off. The story line ws interesting and I liked the humor but again, I felt like I was getting the joke third hand.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews