Freelance Death

William Dougal #5

by Andrew Taylor

After Arabella Lorton, a beautiful freelance photographer, falls to her death, Celia Prentisse questions the activities of six people, including her boyfriend William Dougal, all connected with the same public relations agency.

Genres: Mystery

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Andrew Taylor (b. 1951) is a British author of mysteries. Born in East Anglia, he attended university at Cambridge before getting an MA in library sciences from University College London. His first novel, Caroline Miniscule (1982), a modern-day treasure hunt starring history student William Dougal, began an eight-book series and won Taylor wide critical acclaim. He has written several other thriller series, most notably the eight Lydmouthbooks, which begin with An Air That Kills (1994).

His other novels include The Office of the Dead (2000) and The American Boy (2003), both of which won the Crime Writers’ Association of Britain’s Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award, making Taylor the only author to receive the prize twice. His Roth trilogy, which has been published in omnibus form as Requiem for an Angel (2002), was adapted by the UK’s ITV for its television show Fallen Angel. Taylor’s most recent novel is the historical thriller The Scent of Death (2013).

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"DEATH IS BAD FOR THE PR BUSINESS"

A body on the premises and a distraught widower on the staff are even worse. So when a freelance photographer slips to her death on a fire escape at the agency where William Dougal's girlfriend works, everyone connected with NCPR is galvanized into some 'cover-up' action.

"And Dougal, of course, can't resist aiding and abetting them -- after all, he is an expert in blackmail, deception, and fitting revenge."
~~back cover

A nice enough little mystery -- just average.

[Kenn Coates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freelance Death

Another great outing for William Dougal, with its usual mix of coincidences and happenstance. Andrew Taylor uses so much descriptive text that when I got to the end I felt as though I had missed something, so I re-read it immediately and enjoyed the second reading equally. Brilliant story telling.

[Kirsty Darbyshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun outing with William Dougal. Enjoying this lighthearted series a lot. That probably means it's easy to read in between looking after the baby!

[Lynne Elsisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it! A simple tale nicely told.

[Deanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read, quick crime caper, but there's a few twists and the first I've read in the series, May have to track more down.