Making a Killing

Lambert and Hook #2

by J.M. Gregson

Lydon Hall is, as the estate agent's brochure puts it, a house full of character.

But its many interesting features should surely not include a corpse in the elegant drawing-room?

Is this death the suicide it appears to be?

Superintendent John Lambert and Sergeant Bert Hook are brought in to investigate the tight-knit village community which houses Lydon hall.

And everyone one they meet seems suspicious.

From the glamorous French widow of the deceased to the man living rough on the moor they all seem to know more about this death than is at first apparent.

Moreover, it gradually emerges that the staff of the estate agency he owned all had their different reasons for disliking the dead man…

Previously published as For Sale with Corpse

Genres: Audiobook, Mystery, Crime, Fiction

227 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

James Michael Gregson taught for twenty-seven years in schools, colleges and universities before concentrating on full-time writing. He has written books on subjects as diverse as golf and Shakespeare.

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first sampling of a book written by J.M. Gregson and I did like it for its many differences from the usual police procedural. The writing leaned toward being meaningful rather than packed for a speedy and/or brutal delivery. I enjoyed Lambert and Hook and will look for more.

I erred -- I did read another book in this series set on golf course. Looks as though there are more golf themed books to try out.

Kindle Unlimited (I think?)

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Lambert and Hook series and very good it is too. A couple arrange to view Lydon Hall with the intention of purchasing it. The estate agent agrees to meet them at the property. When they arrive the find the house unlocked and the estate agent dead in what at first glance appears to be suicide. Lambert and Hook are not convinced and the forensic evidence shows that it was murder.

The problem is they have a superfluity of suspects. Almost everyone connected with the dead man could have done it and had the means and the motive to dispose of him. The more leads they uncover the more murky and unsolvable the case becomes.

The book is well plotted and the I found myself quite unable to work out who had done it and why. The solution was obvious when it came and the clues are there for the reader to unravel. I have read a couple of other books in this well written series with its likeable and interesting police characters and its ingenious plots. I can also recommend the Percy Peach series by the same author. Both series will appeal to those readers who like crime but don't want graphic violence of bad language.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Making a Killing is the second book in Gregson's Lambert & Hook series of police procedural series. The cover has little to do with the book or with the murder of an estate agent whose body is discovered in a beautiful old home full of grace and character.

What I like about the series is the effort the author puts into character development. All of the suspects have a grudge against the murdered Stanley Freeman, and as Superintendent Lambert and DS Hook investigate, the suspects reveal themselves little by little through the skillful questioning of Lambert and Hook and through their own thoughts.

First published in 1990, Making a Killing avoids graphic descriptions and concentrates on the investigation as each suspect evolves into a genuine individual. Freeman was an unpleasant man whose actions caused grief and resentment both in his employees and his wife, and it is easy to sympathize with the grievances of each suspect. Gregson manages to keep the field open through most of the book, relating the motives, the behaviors, and the alibis--and the failures of those alibis--gradually. I enjoyed the skillful development of characters, the relationship of respect and wit between Lambert and Hook, the ability to visualize the scenes, and the author's intelligent and thoughtful prose.

I actually enjoyed this one more than An Academic Death (which was the 14th in the series and my first encounter with J.M. Gregson's Lambert & Hook).

And since they are free, I was on to the next in the series as soon as I finished.

Kindle Unlimited

Police Procedural. 1990/2015.

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I note that this is my 700th book.

Aka Making a Killing.

I am beginning to see why my wife enjoyed this series so much. This is only my second and I can see the gentle attraction of this author.

If I do have a moan it is that there are a lot of similarities with the first of the series. Some of them, such as the small number of suspects,the gentle humour between Lambert and Hook and the overall style, I like. Although the Golf Club becomes an Estate Agents office the character of yhe victim is similar.

Is the killer the same? That you will have to discover for yourself

I'm not sure that the clues were that easy to spot here but, somehow, it didn't really matter.

I will certainly be reading more from Mr Gregson this year.

[Doug Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superintendent Lambert and Sergeant Hook investigate the murder of the owner of a real estate firm in this mystery from 1990. As in the prvvious book in the series, the victim was not well-liked, and the suspect pool consists of five people, in this case his wife and four employees.

Careful questioning of the suspects plays a major role in the invesigation, and these sessions are described in vivid detail. Lambert also benefits from his wife's knowledge of the people involved.

[Les Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable read. A must to read more of this author.

[Sandy McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read

Prospective clients visit an old home in the Cotswolds expecting to be met by the local real estate agent, instead they come across a body.
Lambert and Hook now have the task of finding the killer.
I love the author's writing style, his characters and intriguing plots, and am thrilled that there are more in this series.

[Jo Bujarski · Rating 5 out of 5]

First one I've read of these, won't be the last.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars.

Another reasonable police procedural..

[Margaret · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really dull. I rashly signed 3 of these out of the library at once before going on holiday. They were all terrible. They're written in the early 90s but feel approximately contemporary with Agatha Christie.
They're slow & turgid; characters are universally unrealistic & uninteresting. Plots & character-development on a par with what I remember of Murder She Wrote. But those are done within 45 minutes or so - it took a lot longer to slog through these.

[Todd Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent Murder Mystery. I always enjoy finding new Authors that can capture my attention, with a skillful and well balanced story. Sometimes I can pick who the murderer is, however Mr Gregson has done a great job in keeping the reader guessing. Superintendent Lambert and Sergeant Hook are relentless In their investigation of the killer. The Real Estate workers they are investigating are quite a diverse range of characters, which really makes this a great story. This is well worth a read.

[Linda Brue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Superintendent John Lambert and Sergeant Bert Hook are brought in to investigate the suspected suicide of a man who was at Lydon hall to show the estate to prospective buyers. Something about the set-up seems slightly off, especially the method.

Typical English village-type mystery, it starts slowly and builds up to the final denouement. Well done.

[Sandy McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving this series!

Prospective clients visit an old home in the Cotswolds expecting to be met by the local real estate agent, instead they come across a body.
Lambert and Hook now have the task of finding the killer.
I love the author's writing style, his characters and intriguing plots, and am thrilled that there are more in this series.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The head of a real estate agency is found dead in a manor house he was going to show clients. Inspector Lambert and his assistant, Hook, are called in to investigate.

Good writing and interesting story. Good police procedural.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read. Not too hard to figure out who dun it, last man standing, really. Lots of unsavoires here, including Lambert and Hook, who ought to be cautioned for [verbal] abuse of suspects above and beyond the call of duty, although some of it might go unnoticed if they didn't gloat about it.

[Liz Warwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sit down and be immersed.

Well J M, you have a fan. Your characters are great, the storylines better and I have yet to figure out who did it before you tell me. Anyone who enjoys good murder mysteries will love this.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for a light read or something after a huge read. I listened to this from BorrowBox and it was narrated by an Australian but set in England which really annoyed me. Nothing special about Lambert and Hook and prose a little awkward and clumsy at times

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather old fashioned and misogynistic novel. It’s a classic whodunnit and I enjoyed the unravelling of the mystery, lots of red herrings. I would have given it 4* if it wasn’t for the very old style thoughts of the detectives regarding women!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estate agent owner Stanley Freeman is found dead at a client's property. Found by a couplehoping to view the house, Lydon Hall. Initially thoughts are that it is a suicide, but no. Who would want to kill him. Chief Superintendent Lambert and D.S. Hook investigate.
An entertaining mystery

[Bren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best detective story I’ve ever read but most certainly not the worst. I quite like the detectives and wouldn’t mind reading more in the series. The plot wasn’t very complicated but entertaining enough to keep me interested.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reasonably gentle murder/mystery and very enjoyable.

[Heather Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story line

What a refreshing book. No bent police officers or one flying close to the wind just a good entertaining story.

[Cher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this on audiobook quite good

[Hemavathy DM Suppiah-Devi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good one. I did suspect the murderer earlier on because of the dog walking routine, but the story still kept me hooked to the end.

[Robert M. Galbraith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good mystery with enough clues along the way to keep you guessing to the end. He stretched my vocabulary while writing in s very comfortable way. I will read more from this author.

[Helen Raspin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Far too slow and boring.