A Dead Liberty

Inspector Sloan #12

by Catherine Aird

A crime of passion, a jealous admirer, a woman who would kill before she would be spurned—it might all fit if only the primary suspect would talk in CWA Diamond Dagger winner Catherine Aird’s Dead Liberty Lucy Durmast waits patiently in front of the judge at her own murder trial, refusing to utter a single word. Kenneth Carline, an employee of her father’s, was found poisoned to death after eating a meal that Lucy herself had prepared. Kenneth was set to marry another, and Lucy, it seems, was jealous. But what should have been an open-and-shut case of envy-driven murder becomes complicated when primary detective Trevor Porritt suffers permanent brain damage. C. D. Sloan inherits the file—and immediately begins poking holes in what looked like an airtight case. Why has the primary suspect gone mute? What was the victim doing with antinuclear pamphlets in his car? Was Detective Porritt’s run-in with the burglar an unhappy coincidence? And what part does the king of the African nation of Dlasa, a client of Lucy’s father, play in all this? When someone connected to the case dies and the son of the king of Dlasa goes missing, panic begins to spread. Can Inspector Sloan and his hapless assistant, Constable Crosby, untangle this knotted web?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Procedural, British Literature, Contemporary, Crime

216 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Kinn Hamilton McIntosh, known professionally as Catherine Aird, was an English novelist. She was the author of more than twenty crime fiction novels and several collections of short stories. Her witty, literate, and deftly plotted novels straddle the "cozy" and "police procedural" genres and are somewhat similar in flavour to those of Martha Grimes, Caroline Graham, M.C. Beaton, Margaret Yorke, and Pauline Bell. Aird was inducted into the prestigious Detection Club in 1981, and is a recipient of the 2015 Cartier Diamond Dagger award.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quote that I enjoyed and thought quite British, "his knowledge of law had a magpie quality about it." In other words, what he knew about law he had picked up randomly here and there, as the interest took him.

Magpies are birds known for collecting shiny things that catch their attention and accumulating them in their nests. They are also know for their intelligence.

[Jan C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was different from the other books in the series that I have read so far. A woman is accused of killing an ex-boyfriend and refuses to speak. Will not agree to a defense counsel. Nothing. The judge sends her to jail for contempt. The investigating officer was involved in some sort of accident which affects his memory and thought processes. Sloan is asked to take over.

So, of course, he draws Crosby. They have to retrace the steps throughout the case. Same result? Not exactly.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 This entry in the series starts very strongly. I was rooting for Lucy from the get go, and she seemed up against such steep odds. Unfortunately, I had to take off half a star because I figured out the villain and the method far too early in the book.

[Susan in NC · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars for me, but rounded up for the last half, and because I really like this long-running traditional police procedural series. This one was off to a slow start for me, necessarily because of how the case landed in Sloan’s lap.

The original detective on the case in a neighboring town suffers permanent brain damage after an attack on the job, and must retire from the case. By the time Sloan and Crosby inherit the murder case, a good bit of time has passed, and a young woman has been arrested and as the trial approaches, refuses to speak. So it’s not only a cold case, but no help from the original investigator or chief suspect.

Eventually the pace picks up, but a good bit of the first half or so sees our two detectives recovering old ground, floundering in the dark, basically. There’s the usual snarkiness from their boss, Supt. Leeyes, and Crosby’s bumbling comments and fast driving-although he sometimes unwittingly stumbles onto a thread that leads Sloan to begin unwinding a knotty mystery.

That’s what happens here, and leads to a satisfying conclusion. A shame it was slow-going with so many disparate moving parts at first, but that made it realistically like what the two detectives were going through! I really enjoy this series, and will continue reading with the Reading the Detectives group.

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy Durmast is on trial for murder but she is taking her right to remain silent to extreme lengths and refuses to say anything - even to the extent of refusing to plead guilty or not-guilty. Her friend Kenneth died of poison shortly after eating a meal which she had cooked and served to him.

Sloan and Crosby are given the task of reviewing what seems like an open and shut case because the original investigating officer is ill. Sloan is not convinced that Lucy is guilty but he cannot at first see who else could possibly have had means motive and opportunity.

Obscure African countries, civil engineering projects and a thoroughly ingenious method of murder makes this an interesting and entertaining read. This is one of Catherine Aird's excellent Sloan and Crosby series which I don't believe I'd read before. It is, in my opinion, one of the best in this excellent series and I defy anyone to work out who did it and why.

[Paula Corregan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good mystery!

This mystery was engaging , and the plot was good. Its denouement was surprising to me. The chief policemen in the story were almost the polar opposites of each other and were rather endearing. I highly recommend this book to other mystery readers.

[Nadine Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wordy and tedious. Amazed I got to the end. Others liked it, so I chugged on, often irritated by the endless blather. Wasn't worth it. I don't recommend it.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was unusual in that the main suspect in the murder will not communicate with anyone, not even to explain why not. This leads to two mysteries unfolding simultaneously. It was a struggle at first to figure out what was going on and why, but at some point, it settles into a normal Sloan/Crosby case.

[Janet]

This was published in 1987. The portrayal of the African country that features in the plot is racist.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Lucy was arrested for poisoning, she decided her best defense was to stay completely silent no matter what happened. She knew she was innocent, but she couldn’t know that she was only the first cast by a red herring expert.

Read 2 times

[Penelope · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY RATING GUIDE: 3.5 Stars. I enjoy the interaction between the characters in this series and particularly the MC Sloan. I found certain aspects DEAD LIBERTY dry and dull (nearly putting me to sleep) but other sections interesting. And along the way I figured out how the culprit accomplished their crime, so yay. :D

1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= This was okay/fairly good & might or might not read it again; 3.5= I ENJOYED THIS & might read it again; 4= I liked it a lot & would read it again; 5= I Loved this; it was great! & most likely will read again ((I SELDOM give 5 Stars).

Calleshire County, between Berebury village & Bereford, England ~
Detective Inspector CD Sloan & Detective Constable Crosby have been assigned a police case, the murder of a man which occurred just over a year ago. The young officer who originally gathered the evidence and charged the woman of murder has since been mentally incapacitated; he is no longer employed by the department, nor can he be consulted.

A certain woman has been charged with poisoning the victim, a man employed by her father’s engineering firm. It is supposed that he arrived at her home, joined her in a meal she prepared, left her home in his car, presumably fell asleep at the wheel, then crashed his vehicle and subsequently died. The pathologist stated poison, which causes drowsiness, was discovered in the body of the deceased. The charged woman, now residing in prison, refuses to speak, receive consul or provide a defense of any kind.

With no response from the accused and no help coming from the incapacitated officer, Inspector Sloan has been tasked with reinvestigating the evidence collected on the crime a year ago. Sloan’s superior wants to confirm that the police department stands by their charge of murder through poisoning by the accused. Therefore, Sloan and Crosby return to the beginning.

Quotes ~
> ‘A man could only be young once but he could be immature forever.’ Sloan.
> ‘Just you remember, Crosby, that it’s not only a car that can be recalled by its maker.’ Sloan.

Comments ~
1) A DEAD LIBERTY is bk 12 in Catherine Aird’s Calleshire Chronicles/Sloan & Crosby Mystery series, published in 1986. This series has held up quite well over time with mostly technology differences - barely noticeable in a remote, small English village life (although certain issues might have been more easier caught with current technology). A DEAD LIBERTY can be read as a Standalone mystery but I prefer beginning with bk1, enjoying the character development and relationships that unfold over time. IMO, the earlier books in this series (not quite Cozy) are too fun to miss.
2) In A DEAD LIBERTY Aird includes details explaining the English Justice system (aspects of a court trial proceeding, contempt, prison situations) along with considerable internal monologues by Sloan, the ‘accused’ and other characters. While certain aspects of the former nearly putting me to sleep, I found the latter alternately interesting or amusing.
3) I need to like the MCs in the books I read and I find Inspector Sloan quite likable. I find his interactions with Constable Crosby, his boss, Superintendent Leyes and his colleagues entertaining. (It’s a bonus that Sloan enjoys an amicable relationship with his wife, Margaret, and that she seems to understand the demands of his career with humor - rather rare irl or fiction - although she doesn’t appear in this book).
4) In the audio version, Derek Perkins performs this series wonderfully. I read this particular installment but own the audio as well. As with a number of series, I believe Perkin’s audio performance actually enhances the enjoyment of the series. Most likely I will listen on my revisit.
I recommend checking out an audio version of any of these titles.
5) I ran across this series a while ago and it has quickly become one of my favorites. I recommend it to readers who enjoy:
> British Mysteries.
> Classic Mysteries (Sayers, Allingham, Marsh, Christie).
> Certain Cozy Mysteries or “near” Cozy Mysteries.
> Clean fiction/Mysteries.
> Police Procedural series.
> Character Driven series.
> Series with an intelligent, Seasoned MC.
> Mysteries with a touch of dry humor.
> Fiction with literature references

READER CAUTIONS ~
PROFANITY - None. I believe.
VIOLENCE - PG. Murders occur off scene and are not described in a dark manner.
SEXUAL SITUATIONS - None.

[Michael Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aird is one of those authors who have been writing and publishing forever, but whom many avid mystery fans have never heard of. Her principal work has been the sixteen-volume “Calleshire Chronicles” series, which began in 1966. The most recent episode came out in 2019, when Aird was ninety, and a fifty-three year run (so far) is nothing to sneeze at.

The protagonists of the series are Detective Inspector C. D. Sloan (a “copper’s copper,” as they say, and head of the local CID) and Detective Constable Crosby (who is a constant trial to his superiors, but not a bad sort). The thing is, these two, plus Superintendent Leeyes and a few other regulars, haven’t aged a day in the past half-century. The background changes, keeping up with the real world, but the characters never do. Which means that, unlike detectives in other series, they never get promoted, but they’re also never going to be forced to retire or get too old to do the job. Which means, in turn, that you can pick up any of the books in any order -- which is useful, because I’ve only come across them randomly over the years.

The story this time is a little unusual, and it's heavy on the philosophy of English law. Kenneth Carline, a young and very junior civil engineer, has died of poisoning, which apparently was delivered in a bowl of chili, the spiciness of which masked the drug. The chili was prepared for him, purportedly on the spur of the moment, by Lucy Durmast, his boss’s 21-year-old daughter. All this happened a year ago, and not even on Sloan’s patch, but the DI who had the case originally (and apparently did everything properly) suffered a brain injury and can no longer function, so Sloan has to step in now that the case is about to go to trial.

But ever since her arrest, Lucy has insisted on standing mute -- and no one can figure out why. She had no motive that anyone can discover, or even imagine. But she’s very far from stupid, or nloody-minded, and everyone who knows her is convinced she has a good reason for not speaking a word to anyone. The whole thing really bothers Sloan, who doesn’t like circumstances that can’t be explained, so he attempts to investigate the whole case from the beginning. But things have change in a year, of course: Mr. Durmast is off in Africa, designing a new capital city for an “emergent nation,” and young Carline’s old school chum, the son of the king of that nation (and who opposes building that new capital) has disappeared. So what actually happened? And why is Lucy mute, even though it’s gotten her sentenced for contempt of court?

Sloan is doing a lot a head-scratching, and so will the reader. The clues are there (Aird always plays fair), but they’re subtle. Fair warning, too: The author’s vocabulary tends to be more advanced (or better educated) than that of probably most of her potential 21st-century audience, so you may want to keep a dictionary handy. There’s also a good deal of humor, but it’s of the sly and sneaky sort, which is very much to my own taste. If you don’t know Aird’s books, I recommend you pick one up -- any of them, because they’re all entertaining.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspector Sloan takes over a case from a colleague who has unfortunately been bashed on the head and, while alive, is definitely not the same man as before. The case is all wrapped up, and Lucy Durmast is incarcerated for the murder of her presumed ex-boyfriend, Kenneth - but she won't speak a word. She won't even accept the advice of counsel: she won't say anything to anyone, even her friend and neighbor who believes her innocent. The Court does not like it. And the police are a little anxious - why won't she talk? Why does she seem to be content to be in prison? Does she feel safer there? It's not until the second murder happens that they begin to be convinced she didn't do it - but if she didn't, who? and how?

Intriguing, with red herrings galore, and though I guessed at the murderer I didn't guess at the why ...

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kenneth Carline is dead. It seems obvious that Lucy Durmast killed him. She is the daughter of his boss; seems like he should have been romancing her but, instead, he was about to announce his engagement to someone else. So she poisons him using chili con carne to disguise the poison. But she's not speaking. At all. In court, in prison, when questioned by the police. She's quiet.
The original policeman on her case pretty much thought it was an open and shut case. But he is out o the picture so now Inspector Sloan is on the case. He also thinks it is perfectly obvious but the fact that Lucy isn't speaking gives him pause so he decides to work through the case again and sets the cat among the pigeons.
A lovely story that was easy to pick out but a neat case where the main suspect speaks only two words throughout the entire story.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Sloan inherits a case when a colleague is injured. A young woman is accused of poisoning one of the young men who worked for her father and is now refusing to speak. Sloan is, as readers of the series know by now, methodical and a lover of justice, so he begins to unravel what happened from the beginning. As always, he is accompanied by the wonderfully annoying Crosby.

Involved is the building of a local tunnel, the building of a new capital city in an African country, plus nuclear protests. Plus the lovely Lucy Durmast, on trial for murder, but refusing to even say whether she is guilty or not.

This is not my favourite of the series, but I always enjoy spending time with the characters and with my lovely Reading the Detectives members, discussing this series.

[Paperbackreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you have been writing a series of detective novels for over five decades the quality is bound to vary wildly. The Inspector Sloan series by Catherine Aird is no different. Some of the books in this series are not great, with rather weak motives and a narrative which threatens to go off the rails at all times. This book is one of her better ones. The motive was too simple and the narrative rather convoluted. I did manage to spot the murderer pretty much as soon as they came in the picture. But the central character was rather interesting and the book managed to hold my attention throughout.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aird is well worth reading, for her style alone. She’s very witty and throws in the little apt detail that gives a clear picture of the characters.

I couldn’t imagine how she might sustain the suspect being mute for so long, but it makes absolute sense. Why speak when you have no idea of what’s going on? The fact that she felt safe in jail was a bit puzzling, which was a flaw, I think. Ultimately, we don’t know enough about the main character, hence three stars, not more.

[Nichola · Rating 3 out of 5]

So the jibes about modern day societal beaurocracy is quite brilliant. Also all the literary references and sneaky jokes are very good. But man the racial stuff is really gross. This book is clearly of its time and to be honest could probably be skipped in the series because like Hickory Dickory Dock by Christie the perceptions of people from Africa is more than a little outdated. To see that this book was published in the 80s is quite tragic actually.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The woman accused of murder will not speak at all. Not to the judge, or the psychiatrist, or an attorney hired by her father’s company. Inspector Sloan inherits the case after the previous investigator is permanently disabled. He must retrace and piece together the facts some weeks after the death. He manages to discover that the poisoning was done via a bandage applied to an open wound and that the perpetrator is actually guilty of three murders…all to cover fraud.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* This was a further instalment in the ongoing series, set in some vague recent past-50's to 80's-in rural England featuring Inspector Sloan and his rather bumbling sidekick DC Crosby. This time it's a poisoning, with overtones of industrial espionage, anti-nuclear protests, and international trade with a soupçon of rejected love thrown in. A fun series of relatively short novels in a classic golden-age style, this was perhaps not the best one so far but still an enjoyable read.

[Linda Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

#12 in the series.

These books almost always start slow for me, and I don't really get into them until Inspector Sloan arrives. My favorite parts are the conversations of Sloan, Leeyes, and Crosby, especially Sloan's unspoken asides to himself. It doesn't matter that I guessed the culprit, although not the motive. It's all about the dialogue.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silence is Golden

Could I hold my tongue if arrested for murder? I'm getting better at Catherine Aird's mysteries. This one was a fun read and I figured out the who and how, but missed the why. Enjoy!

[Shell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first Sloan and Crosby book and I quite liked Sloan, but I found the whole feel of the mystery very dated and old-fashioned and struggled to keep interested. I'm sure it was great in it's time.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still a good series.

My fault. I apparently skipped some by reading over a long period of time and forgetting my place. But as usual I liked the people.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This murder mystery has a crazy solution, and I did not guess it!

[Edith · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2

[Teri Am · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series - love the various scenarios that the author creates for her characters.

[Holly Mcclain · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Intriguing start, very slow and boring middle, nice ending. Again, needs even more DC Crosby!

[Gypsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though full of Aird's usual wit and strong, entertaining writing, this short mystery is only average, with an easy-to-solve crime and a not-fully-convincing tying-up of ends.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author’s usual nicely plotted murder — Interesting reading. Clean. Narrator is clear and engages readers.