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Inspector Best #1
Dead Image
* The explosion was heard 20 miles away. It killed canal boatmen & wrecked the Pompeian villa of Lawrence Alma-Tadema, the St John's Wood artist. But what caused the 1874 Regent's Park Explosion? Fenian bombs or sabogate by rival railways?
- GenresMystery
192 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2000
8 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Joan Lock
31 books13 followersEx-policewoman JOAN LOCK is the author of non-fiction books and crime novels. She has been a regular contributor to the police press and the journal of the Crime Writers' Association. She has also written short stories, radio plays and radio documentaries. She lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 13, 2020
'Dead Image' has an explosive opening as in 1874 a canal boat on the Regent's Canal blows up and the explosion is heard as far away as Bermondsey, Peckham Rye and Chislehurst. In addition some of the nearby property in fashionable St John's Woodis is damaged including the exotic villa owned by the artist Lawrence Alma-Tadema. And as the story progresses the artists' colony in the area plays a prominent part.
A number of boatmen are killed in the explosion but when the bodies are removed from the canal an unidentified woman is amongst them. Who is she and was her death as a result of the explosion or had she been killed previously and dumped in the canal? To resolve this conundrum the immaculately dressed Sergeant Ernest Best of the Detective Branch and his partner plain clothed PC John George Smith are called in to investigate.
They work all over the Regent's Canal system and the historical and topographical detail is magnificent, readers will really feel as though they are there, traipsing round Victorian London as Best and Smith try to get to the bottom of the whole affair. And they are not given too much help as the boatmen keep themselves to themselves and don't want to give much away.
Unfortunately (for me anyway) the plot gets a little bewildering in the middle and one loses the thread somewhat. And then the ending is quite rushed and somewhat incongruous, which spoils the overall impression of a book that in parts is excellent, certainly in its descriptive passages.
A number of boatmen are killed in the explosion but when the bodies are removed from the canal an unidentified woman is amongst them. Who is she and was her death as a result of the explosion or had she been killed previously and dumped in the canal? To resolve this conundrum the immaculately dressed Sergeant Ernest Best of the Detective Branch and his partner plain clothed PC John George Smith are called in to investigate.
They work all over the Regent's Canal system and the historical and topographical detail is magnificent, readers will really feel as though they are there, traipsing round Victorian London as Best and Smith try to get to the bottom of the whole affair. And they are not given too much help as the boatmen keep themselves to themselves and don't want to give much away.
Unfortunately (for me anyway) the plot gets a little bewildering in the middle and one loses the thread somewhat. And then the ending is quite rushed and somewhat incongruous, which spoils the overall impression of a book that in parts is excellent, certainly in its descriptive passages.
August 30, 2019
Well-researched, entertaining detective story, introducing the immaculately dressed Inspector Best and his recently-promoted Sergeant, Smith. They investigate an explosion on a canal boat which turns up the dead body of an unidentified young woman.
August 26, 2018
Not for me
Looking for another series of crime books from this period but I couldnt really warm to the main character or the plot. I won't be continuing with Sergeant Best
Looking for another series of crime books from this period but I couldnt really warm to the main character or the plot. I won't be continuing with Sergeant Best
Read
July 30, 2022started off really well. It might have been the ebook format, but it seemed to become more and more discontinuous. By the end I had no idea what if anything had been solved.
March 8, 2023
Well-written, interesting characters (though perhaps too many - none developed very much), but rather poorly plotted and often unrealistic or inexplicable.
June 18, 2017
First book in a series of novels that mix fiction with real historical events. Sergeant Best investigates the death of a young woman whose body is discovered in the aftermath of a canal boat explosion.
There is an enjoyable mix of history and fiction here, with some nicely researched details, such as the advertisements of the time. The Victorian setting comes over well - the rise of the railways and the impact on canal traffic, the artists in St Johns Wood, the fog and horse drawn cabs. Best is a likeable protagonist, with potential to develop in future books.
The plot, however, is a bit muddled and wasn't resolved to my complete satisfaction, the ending was too rushed. There are also some annoying inconsistencies - a few pages after mentioning Best's 'warm brown eyes', the same character looks into his eyes and finds they are grey-green. Odd!
2.5 stars really, but there is a lot of promise here and I would read further books in the series, mainly for the historical setting.
There is an enjoyable mix of history and fiction here, with some nicely researched details, such as the advertisements of the time. The Victorian setting comes over well - the rise of the railways and the impact on canal traffic, the artists in St Johns Wood, the fog and horse drawn cabs. Best is a likeable protagonist, with potential to develop in future books.
The plot, however, is a bit muddled and wasn't resolved to my complete satisfaction, the ending was too rushed. There are also some annoying inconsistencies - a few pages after mentioning Best's 'warm brown eyes', the same character looks into his eyes and finds they are grey-green. Odd!
2.5 stars really, but there is a lot of promise here and I would read further books in the series, mainly for the historical setting.
April 26, 2012
‘Dead Image’ by Joan Lock
Published by The Mystery Press, February 2012. ISBN: 978-0-7524-6455-8
Set in 1874, the explosion aboard the canal boat Tilbury on an October evening in the fashionable St John's Wood area, is the backdrop to this intriguing mystery. For following the recovery of the bodies of boatmen William Taylor and the lad, and eventually the mangled body of skipper Charles Baxton, the rescuers find a fourth body, that of a slight woman with fair hair not facially recognizable. For Sergeant Ernest Best identification is further complicated when he discovers that only the Captain’s are known to the manager of the Grand Junction Canal traffic. As is explained to him, all the Captains take on their own crew. So could the Captain have had his wife on board, he asks?
As the investigation progresses and several likely possibilities are eliminated, Best is faced with a widening number of avenues to investigate, the barmaid, Liza Moody missing from The Three Tuns Public House since September 30th. But as the clothing seems of good quality, possibly a lady from one of the house's in St John's Wood that border the canal, or a Lady's maid who has received the good linen from her mistress. Or, maybe another victim of the Thames murderer?
Joan Lock paints an interesting portrait of life in 1874, and the problems for a young Sergeant faced with interviewing the rich and privileged in order to uncover a murderer, and obtain justice for those less fortunate.
In the course of his investigations Ernest Best meets Helen Franks, whose sister Matilda is missing. When Best discovers that Helen has taken art lessons from Lawrence Alma-Tadema, whose house was damaged in the explosion, the case becomes even more complicated, as does his relationship with Helen Franks.
A fascinating insight into life in 1874 coupled with marvelous characterization, and an intriguing, and most satisfying mystery.
This is the first book in which we meet Detective Sergeant Ernest Best. There are a further six books in this highly acclaimed series - all excellent mysteries.
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Lizzie Hayes
Published by The Mystery Press, February 2012. ISBN: 978-0-7524-6455-8
Set in 1874, the explosion aboard the canal boat Tilbury on an October evening in the fashionable St John's Wood area, is the backdrop to this intriguing mystery. For following the recovery of the bodies of boatmen William Taylor and the lad, and eventually the mangled body of skipper Charles Baxton, the rescuers find a fourth body, that of a slight woman with fair hair not facially recognizable. For Sergeant Ernest Best identification is further complicated when he discovers that only the Captain’s are known to the manager of the Grand Junction Canal traffic. As is explained to him, all the Captains take on their own crew. So could the Captain have had his wife on board, he asks?
As the investigation progresses and several likely possibilities are eliminated, Best is faced with a widening number of avenues to investigate, the barmaid, Liza Moody missing from The Three Tuns Public House since September 30th. But as the clothing seems of good quality, possibly a lady from one of the house's in St John's Wood that border the canal, or a Lady's maid who has received the good linen from her mistress. Or, maybe another victim of the Thames murderer?
Joan Lock paints an interesting portrait of life in 1874, and the problems for a young Sergeant faced with interviewing the rich and privileged in order to uncover a murderer, and obtain justice for those less fortunate.
In the course of his investigations Ernest Best meets Helen Franks, whose sister Matilda is missing. When Best discovers that Helen has taken art lessons from Lawrence Alma-Tadema, whose house was damaged in the explosion, the case becomes even more complicated, as does his relationship with Helen Franks.
A fascinating insight into life in 1874 coupled with marvelous characterization, and an intriguing, and most satisfying mystery.
This is the first book in which we meet Detective Sergeant Ernest Best. There are a further six books in this highly acclaimed series - all excellent mysteries.
-----
Lizzie Hayes
July 2, 2013
Detective Sergeant Best works for the Metropolitan Police. When a canal boat explodes on the canal through Regent’s Park in 1874 killing and injuring several people Best finds himself trying to identify bodies including that of a young woman. Making enquiries he comes across the feisty Helen – sister of one of the missing young women who might possibly be the body in the mortuary.
This is an interesting Victorian mystery story, well written and well researched. I introduces the interesting, half Italian Best with his sad history and the up and coming Detective Constable Smith. It is a complex plot with some interesting diversions including a glimpse into several of the different groups in London at the time – artists – including Laurence Alma-Tadema – whose house is damaged by the explosion on the canal.
If you like your mysteries with a historical background then give this series a try. I hope we will be seeing the rest of the volumes in the series as e-books before too long.
This is an interesting Victorian mystery story, well written and well researched. I introduces the interesting, half Italian Best with his sad history and the up and coming Detective Constable Smith. It is a complex plot with some interesting diversions including a glimpse into several of the different groups in London at the time – artists – including Laurence Alma-Tadema – whose house is damaged by the explosion on the canal.
If you like your mysteries with a historical background then give this series a try. I hope we will be seeing the rest of the volumes in the series as e-books before too long.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews