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Inspector John Crow #2
Error of Judgment
Looking for a classic murder mystery from an acclaimed crime writer? Discover Inspector Crow of Scotland Yard. Enjoy a beautifully told story from a time before smart phones and DNA testing. Full of twists and turns, this will have you gripped from start to finish. A young woman is found dead in a college while the students demonstrate. It turns out she was the principal’s secretary and there was more to her than meets the eye. Who wanted her dead and why? And what does it have to do with the student revolt led by a charismatic firebrand from Iraq? Inspector John Crow is called in and has little doubt who’s responsible but a series of surprises will make him reconsider everything. Many of the faculty seem to have things to hide. This fast-paced mystery will have you enthralled from the start. Set in England in the late 1960s, this is the second book to feature Inspector John Crow. More coming soon. DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FAVOURITE MYSTERY WRITER Perfect for fans of Peter James, Ruth Rendell, P.D. James and Peter Robinson. Roy Lewis is one of the most critically acclaimed crime writers of his generation. PRAISE FOR ROY LEWIS MYSTERIES “Each Lewis seems to better the last. Here is an intriguing puzzle and likely police work and a fine picture of Northumbrian society and countryside.” The Times “Roy Lewis has demonstrated an enviable range both in geography and style…a nice neat story.” The Financial Times “Lots of cunning complications embracing conservation and financial fiddles.” The Guardian “A thorough, unpretentious and immensely solid piece of work with an interesting and likeable hero.” Times Literary Supplement “Tightly written, well paced and relentlessly accurate.” Oxford Times “Chilly drama with some stirring cliff hanger.” Sunday Telegraph THE DETECTIVE Skeletally-built, mild-mannered Inspector John Crow is established in the Murder Squad in London and constantly meets hostility when he is called upon to work on murder cases in regional crime squads in Wales and the Midlands. He displays strong moral feelings, and a sensitivity which brings him into conflict with regional staff as he doggedly and successfully pursues the truth in cases where he is called in. INSPECTOR JOHN CROW BOOKS Book 1: A LOVER TOO MANY Book 2: ERROR OF JUDGMENT Book 3: THE WOODS MURDER Book 4: MURDER FOR MONEY Book 5: MURDER IN THE MINE Book 6: A COTSWOLDS MURDER Book 7: A FOX HUNTING MURDER Book 8: A DARTMOOR MURDER ERIC WARD BOOKS Book 1: THE SEDLEIGH HALL MURDER Book 2: THE FARMING MURDER Book 3: THE QUAYSIDE MURDER Book 4: THE DIAMOND MURDER Book 5: THE GEORDIE MURDER Book 6: THE SHIPPING MURDER Book 7: THE CITY OF LONDON MURDER More books coming soon! Join the Joffe Books mailing list for updates.
239 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1971
1327 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Roy Lewis
173 books74 followersJohn Royston Lewis, who published his fiction under the name Roy Lewis, was a prominent English crime writer who wrote more than 60 novels. He was also a teacher, and he taught Law for 10 years before being appointed as One of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Further & Higher Education. He lived in the north of England where many of his novels are set.
Lewis is also the author of several law texts, which he published under the name J.R. Lewis.
Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Lewis is also the author of several law texts, which he published under the name J.R. Lewis.
Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
October 12, 2018
John Crow #2
Robert Franshaw is one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools. When he visited Burton Polytechnic, he got caught up in a student demonstration. He decides to take the lift and discovers a body inside it. Inspector Crow and Sergeant Wilson are called in to investigate the murder. The woman is identified as the principal's secretary and suspicion falls on several heads of department.
This is the second book in the John Crow series. My critics me of this book was when I read the blurb. It always annoys me when they describe women as "pretty" etc. What does it matter what she looks like! It would have worked just as well by saying " a woman was found in the lift". Apart from that, this is a well written book, with lots of twists and suspects. I like Crow and Wilson, they gel well together. I think this is going to be a good series. This book could be read as a standalone.
I would like to thank Joffe Books and the author Roy Lewis for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Robert Franshaw is one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools. When he visited Burton Polytechnic, he got caught up in a student demonstration. He decides to take the lift and discovers a body inside it. Inspector Crow and Sergeant Wilson are called in to investigate the murder. The woman is identified as the principal's secretary and suspicion falls on several heads of department.
This is the second book in the John Crow series. My critics me of this book was when I read the blurb. It always annoys me when they describe women as "pretty" etc. What does it matter what she looks like! It would have worked just as well by saying " a woman was found in the lift". Apart from that, this is a well written book, with lots of twists and suspects. I like Crow and Wilson, they gel well together. I think this is going to be a good series. This book could be read as a standalone.
I would like to thank Joffe Books and the author Roy Lewis for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 13, 2023
Author, Roy Lewis’ "Error of Judgment" is the second in his Inspector John Crow series. Crow is with the Murder Squad in London’s Scotland Yard but because of his expertise is often called out to regional areas where he is sometimes met with hostility from local detectives unhappy with his treading on their turf. The era in which the story is set is the 1960s, before the Internet, smart phones and DNA testing. On this occasion, Crow is called north – to Northumbria – where a young woman, a college principal’s secretary, is found dead. When Crow arrives, he immediately finds himself the centre of attention in a rowdy demonstration by a group of students led by an aggressive Iraqi named Sadruddin. This charismatic rabble-rouser becomes a thorn in Crow’s side as the detective attempts to unlock the intricate puzzle of the young woman’s death. But what is the connection between Sadruddin, the student unrest and the murder of the principal’s secretary? It is a mystery that Crow is doggedly determined to unravel.
The good news about "Error of Judgment" is that throughout the story, Roy Lewis closely follows police procedure when investigating a murder; the bad news is, he closely follows police procedure when investigating a murder. Police investigations are tedious, painstaking operations, particularly when in their early days, there are no serious suspects. Accordingly, it sometimes takes weeks, months or even years to solve the mystery. When writing a whodunnit, authors need to be wary of keeping the reader interested as the story plods on. Roy Lewis does this fairly well, but there are times when some readers might be grateful for a little more action. The author has carefully implanted some red herrings which go some way to keeping readers on their toes and while the story gets off to a slow start, it does pick up pace as it unfolds. The writing itself is flawless, the characters and the dialogue believable. This book may not be for those who love fast paced thrillers but for fans of murder mystery novels, it may well be right up their street and it is refreshing to read a novel set before the Internet and technology changed everything.
The good news about "Error of Judgment" is that throughout the story, Roy Lewis closely follows police procedure when investigating a murder; the bad news is, he closely follows police procedure when investigating a murder. Police investigations are tedious, painstaking operations, particularly when in their early days, there are no serious suspects. Accordingly, it sometimes takes weeks, months or even years to solve the mystery. When writing a whodunnit, authors need to be wary of keeping the reader interested as the story plods on. Roy Lewis does this fairly well, but there are times when some readers might be grateful for a little more action. The author has carefully implanted some red herrings which go some way to keeping readers on their toes and while the story gets off to a slow start, it does pick up pace as it unfolds. The writing itself is flawless, the characters and the dialogue believable. This book may not be for those who love fast paced thrillers but for fans of murder mystery novels, it may well be right up their street and it is refreshing to read a novel set before the Internet and technology changed everything.
October 16, 2018
3.5 stars
Inspector John Crow and his colleague, Sergeant Wilson, are called in to investigate the finding of a dead woman.
As they investigate, they discover that she was the principal's secretary. Several suspects come to the forefront.. all of them department heads.
Who would want this woman dead? What did she see .. or know? Was this a school-involved killing .. or more a personal one?
Set in England in the late 1960s, solving crime is difficult .. .there were no cell phones, no DNA tests, no personal computers.
This is a solid mystery with Crow first finding who he thinks is responsible ... and then trying to find the tangible proof. There are several twists and turns that led me in one direction, and then another. Crow and Wilson work well together, I enjoy how they relate to each other.
Although 2nd in a series, this one reads well as a stand alone. I do recommend starting with the first book, A LOVER TOO MANY, who first introduces the reader to Inspector Crow.
Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All / Jill Burkinshaw / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Inspector John Crow and his colleague, Sergeant Wilson, are called in to investigate the finding of a dead woman.
As they investigate, they discover that she was the principal's secretary. Several suspects come to the forefront.. all of them department heads.
Who would want this woman dead? What did she see .. or know? Was this a school-involved killing .. or more a personal one?
Set in England in the late 1960s, solving crime is difficult .. .there were no cell phones, no DNA tests, no personal computers.
This is a solid mystery with Crow first finding who he thinks is responsible ... and then trying to find the tangible proof. There are several twists and turns that led me in one direction, and then another. Crow and Wilson work well together, I enjoy how they relate to each other.
Although 2nd in a series, this one reads well as a stand alone. I do recommend starting with the first book, A LOVER TOO MANY, who first introduces the reader to Inspector Crow.
Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All / Jill Burkinshaw / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
October 19, 2018
Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for this arc.
I believe this is the 2nd of the Inspector Crowe stories being re-issued by Joffe Books having been initially written during the 1960s sometime. I found it to be a good solid police procedural story and well-plotted. I just had a tough time warming up to any of the characters. They all just felt so "stiff" to me. While I was around during the 1960s..... I was a young teen and don't really remember everyone being so formal. From the book's blurb, I imagined Inspector Crowe to be a more curmudgeonly character (and who doesn't love a curmudgeon?) but I just found him abrupt and almost condescending. The story did hold my interest all the way through however so on that basis I rate this 3 stars. I'll perhaps try another one in the series, but I'm not sure I'd seek out others.
I believe this is the 2nd of the Inspector Crowe stories being re-issued by Joffe Books having been initially written during the 1960s sometime. I found it to be a good solid police procedural story and well-plotted. I just had a tough time warming up to any of the characters. They all just felt so "stiff" to me. While I was around during the 1960s..... I was a young teen and don't really remember everyone being so formal. From the book's blurb, I imagined Inspector Crowe to be a more curmudgeonly character (and who doesn't love a curmudgeon?) but I just found him abrupt and almost condescending. The story did hold my interest all the way through however so on that basis I rate this 3 stars. I'll perhaps try another one in the series, but I'm not sure I'd seek out others.
October 16, 2018
This is the second Inspector Crow book by Roy Lewis, first published in 1971, and it is just as excellent as the first one, to which I gave a glowing review. Roy Lewis, who started publishing in the late sixties, and was active into this century is unjustly underrated, and deserves to be considered in the first rank of British crime writers. Over the years I read just about everything of his that was published in the United States, and enjoyed them thoroughly.
“Error of Judgment” is set primarily at a Polytechnic college, which seems to be less than a university, but more than a community college in American terms. A young woman is murdered, and Inspector Crow is called in. There are suspects galore, and a secondary plot of student unrest and demonstrations. I don’t like spoilers, so I will say no more on the subject.
The reader is reminded that this book was written nearly fifty years ago, but it is not particularly dated. A good story is a good story, and people are the same now as they were then. There is less reliance on technology, but this only increases the human dimension. Inspector Crow has to rely on his common sense and his understanding of human nature to solve the crime. I freely confess that the ending took me by surprise.
You cannot go wrong by reading a book by Roy Lewis. This is not a thriller, it is a detective story, and it is first-rate. I am eagerly looking forward to the next one.
“Error of Judgment” is set primarily at a Polytechnic college, which seems to be less than a university, but more than a community college in American terms. A young woman is murdered, and Inspector Crow is called in. There are suspects galore, and a secondary plot of student unrest and demonstrations. I don’t like spoilers, so I will say no more on the subject.
The reader is reminded that this book was written nearly fifty years ago, but it is not particularly dated. A good story is a good story, and people are the same now as they were then. There is less reliance on technology, but this only increases the human dimension. Inspector Crow has to rely on his common sense and his understanding of human nature to solve the crime. I freely confess that the ending took me by surprise.
You cannot go wrong by reading a book by Roy Lewis. This is not a thriller, it is a detective story, and it is first-rate. I am eagerly looking forward to the next one.
November 27, 2018
Interesting case, very unlikable characters
Concept good, large group of suspects not obvious, and I did not get the killer until the end of the book. The author did not give many clues but did have sufficient "Red Herrings" to keep the reader from catching on. Those were the pros. The con for me was that all the characters including Inspector Crow were uniquely unlikable. I would give the author the "Howard Coban Award" for the most miserable characters.
Concept good, large group of suspects not obvious, and I did not get the killer until the end of the book. The author did not give many clues but did have sufficient "Red Herrings" to keep the reader from catching on. Those were the pros. The con for me was that all the characters including Inspector Crow were uniquely unlikable. I would give the author the "Howard Coban Award" for the most miserable characters.
April 7, 2019
"Error of Judgment" is book two in the John Crow series by Roy Lewis. Inspector John Crow was heading home to see his family after being away for three weeks when he was deferred to lead a murder investigation at Burton Polytechnic. Even thought Inspector John Crow was not happy. However, he still got involved with the case, and he soon releases that case was not as straight forward as he first thought. The readers of "Error of Judgment" will continue to follow the twist and turns in Inspector John Crow investigation into the death of Rosemary Harland.
"Error of Judgment" is the first book I have read of Roy Lewis and it is an enjoyable book to read. "Error of Judgment" is well written and researched by Roy Lewis. I love Roy Lewis portrayal of his characters and the way they interact with each other throughout "Error of Judgment". Roy Lewis does a good job in describing his settings that help me to engage with the plot of "Error of Judgment". I was surprised by the conclusion of "Error of Judgment".
The readers of "Error of Judgment" will learn about the role of Scotland Yard in law enforcement investigations. Also, the readers of "Error of Judgment" will start to understand the English school system and the role of Inspector of Schools in Scotland.
I recommend this book.
"Error of Judgment" is the first book I have read of Roy Lewis and it is an enjoyable book to read. "Error of Judgment" is well written and researched by Roy Lewis. I love Roy Lewis portrayal of his characters and the way they interact with each other throughout "Error of Judgment". Roy Lewis does a good job in describing his settings that help me to engage with the plot of "Error of Judgment". I was surprised by the conclusion of "Error of Judgment".
The readers of "Error of Judgment" will learn about the role of Scotland Yard in law enforcement investigations. Also, the readers of "Error of Judgment" will start to understand the English school system and the role of Inspector of Schools in Scotland.
I recommend this book.
October 20, 2018
This is the second novel in the crime series featuring Inspector Crow. This time, a woman is found dead in a Polytechnic while a demonstration by the students is happening outside. The woman is the Principle's secretary and Crow is called in to deal with the investigation. All of the senior members of staff seem to be hiding something and the student leading the demonstration is an enigmatic but very attractive person.
As this novel was first published in the early 1970's, Crow has to rely on his brain to find the answer. The forensic side of policing was still in its infancy in those days and communication was much slower than it is now. We follow Crow's mind as he works his way through the mountain of lies he has been told before we are provided with the answer to the mystery.
I must admit to finding parts of this novel to be quite heavy-going, not because it is difficult to understand but because it tends to get bogged down in explanations of Crow's reasoning. My mind tended to wander at those parts and it was an effort to get back into the story.
If you like the nostalgia of the 60's and 70's, I am sure you will enjoy this story. I must admit to preferring the more up-to-date police mystery.
As this novel was first published in the early 1970's, Crow has to rely on his brain to find the answer. The forensic side of policing was still in its infancy in those days and communication was much slower than it is now. We follow Crow's mind as he works his way through the mountain of lies he has been told before we are provided with the answer to the mystery.
I must admit to finding parts of this novel to be quite heavy-going, not because it is difficult to understand but because it tends to get bogged down in explanations of Crow's reasoning. My mind tended to wander at those parts and it was an effort to get back into the story.
If you like the nostalgia of the 60's and 70's, I am sure you will enjoy this story. I must admit to preferring the more up-to-date police mystery.
July 13, 2025
I didn't care enough to finish once it bottomed out with a sordid infidelity.
December 24, 2018
Classic murder mystery set in late 1960s England - an age without technology and where attitudes far from our own prevail.
Inspector Crow is send down from London to investigate the death of a woman found during a student demonstration.
Light, easy read - one for fans of Endeavour, Heartbeat, Inspector George Gently.
Inspector Crow is send down from London to investigate the death of a woman found during a student demonstration.
Light, easy read - one for fans of Endeavour, Heartbeat, Inspector George Gently.
October 30, 2018
I was first introduced to Inspector John Crow when I was invited to take part in the blog tour for Roy’s first book ‘A Lover Too Many’, which is set during the Sixties. I absolutely love anything to do with the 1960s. I am an avid watcher of anything like ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Inspector George Gently’. I did enjoy reading ‘A Lover Too Many’ but I loved ‘Error Of Judgement’ even more. I absolutely loved reading ‘Error Of Judgment’ but more about that in a bit.
Inspector John Crow is a rather enigmatic character in that we don’t know a right lot about him. He is a middle aged man, who has been in the police force for a number of years. Crow has a low tolerance rate for people who believe that they can pull the wool over his eyes and for those who fail to give him the whole truth when he asks for it. He is rather blunt and at times his personal charm skills leave a lot to be desired. Crow certainly doesn’t beat around the bush and he gets stuck into a case straightaway. Crow is methodical and I think that he is not somebody who would cut corners whilst he is on a case.
It took me a little while to get into this book but I don’t mean that negatively. Roy has a particular writing style which is more old school and it took me a while to get used to it. Once I got used to it then blimey oh riley did I get into the book or what? Once I got into the book, then I seemed to speed through the rest of the story. The chapters are rather long but I didn’t notice how long the chapters took to read because I was so focused on the story and the investigation that I automatically kept turning pages without realising how many pages I had actually turned? I hope that makes sense. The page numbers seemed to fly by in a blur and it seemed to take next to no time to fly through the book. I was genuinely disappointed to finish reading this book, which I think is a lot better than the first book. It’s safe to say that I was addicted to reading ‘Error Of Judgement’ and I was always in need of my next fix. I enjoyed the way in which the book was written as it meant that I could play at being an armchair detective. I was so convinced by the story and the characters that I found myself interacting with the book. Before anybody pulls me up and reminds me that this is a work of fiction, I know that it is fictional but if I enjoy a book I tend to ‘live’ the story. I found myself shouting out random comments at the book, which gained me some strange looks from the other passengers on the bus. Reading ‘Error Of Judgement’ was like riding on a slightly scary and slightly unpredictable rollercoaster with twists and turns aplenty.
In short I really enjoyed reading ‘Error Of Judgement’ and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I would recommend this book to other readers and particularly to those who enjoy reading historical crime. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
Inspector John Crow is a rather enigmatic character in that we don’t know a right lot about him. He is a middle aged man, who has been in the police force for a number of years. Crow has a low tolerance rate for people who believe that they can pull the wool over his eyes and for those who fail to give him the whole truth when he asks for it. He is rather blunt and at times his personal charm skills leave a lot to be desired. Crow certainly doesn’t beat around the bush and he gets stuck into a case straightaway. Crow is methodical and I think that he is not somebody who would cut corners whilst he is on a case.
It took me a little while to get into this book but I don’t mean that negatively. Roy has a particular writing style which is more old school and it took me a while to get used to it. Once I got used to it then blimey oh riley did I get into the book or what? Once I got into the book, then I seemed to speed through the rest of the story. The chapters are rather long but I didn’t notice how long the chapters took to read because I was so focused on the story and the investigation that I automatically kept turning pages without realising how many pages I had actually turned? I hope that makes sense. The page numbers seemed to fly by in a blur and it seemed to take next to no time to fly through the book. I was genuinely disappointed to finish reading this book, which I think is a lot better than the first book. It’s safe to say that I was addicted to reading ‘Error Of Judgement’ and I was always in need of my next fix. I enjoyed the way in which the book was written as it meant that I could play at being an armchair detective. I was so convinced by the story and the characters that I found myself interacting with the book. Before anybody pulls me up and reminds me that this is a work of fiction, I know that it is fictional but if I enjoy a book I tend to ‘live’ the story. I found myself shouting out random comments at the book, which gained me some strange looks from the other passengers on the bus. Reading ‘Error Of Judgement’ was like riding on a slightly scary and slightly unpredictable rollercoaster with twists and turns aplenty.
In short I really enjoyed reading ‘Error Of Judgement’ and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I would recommend this book to other readers and particularly to those who enjoy reading historical crime. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
October 21, 2018
In this the second Inspector Crow mystery we find Crow and Sgt Wilson investigating the suspicious death of a young woman employed as secretary to the rector at the local Polytechnic.
There are certainly plenty of suspects for them to consider as well as dealing with a group of students demonstrating and causing unrest in the college.
As all the action takes place in the 60`s Crow doesn`t have technological aids at his fingertips and has to rely on seeking the truth through common sense and his experience.
This is another well plotted detective mystery which held my interest throughout and threw in a surprise on the final reveal.
I`m looking forward to reading more about Inspector Crow in the future.
Thanks to Joffe books for the chance to read this as an arc.
There are certainly plenty of suspects for them to consider as well as dealing with a group of students demonstrating and causing unrest in the college.
As all the action takes place in the 60`s Crow doesn`t have technological aids at his fingertips and has to rely on seeking the truth through common sense and his experience.
This is another well plotted detective mystery which held my interest throughout and threw in a surprise on the final reveal.
I`m looking forward to reading more about Inspector Crow in the future.
Thanks to Joffe books for the chance to read this as an arc.
November 6, 2018
The first thing you have to remember about this series is that it is set in the 1960s before all current DNA and forensic techniques were available. With some books this makes the story very slow and laborious, but Roy manages to make them intriguing as the murder is so much harder to solve.
This book revolves around the murder of a woman who is the principal's secretary at the local college.
DI Crow and DS Wilson are sent to investigate and it is a very intriguing case for them.
The are lots of suspects to start with but they are soon eliminated.
Finally after a couple of final twists Crow and Wilson did something i couldn't by solving the case.
Overall this is a brilliant book, which i enjoyed and am looking forward to the next thrilling installment
This book revolves around the murder of a woman who is the principal's secretary at the local college.
DI Crow and DS Wilson are sent to investigate and it is a very intriguing case for them.
The are lots of suspects to start with but they are soon eliminated.
Finally after a couple of final twists Crow and Wilson did something i couldn't by solving the case.
Overall this is a brilliant book, which i enjoyed and am looking forward to the next thrilling installment
February 25, 2024
In "Error of Judgment," Roy Lewis vividly brings to life the turmoil and discontent of a 1960s college campus. Conflicts only deepen when the body of a young woman is discovered just as student protests are about to start.
As always, Lewis presents an array of not necessarily likeable but undeniably fascinating characters and peppers his writing with dry, witty commentary about these odd yet weirdly convincing creations of his mind. The book is also excellently plotted and paced and kept me guessing until the very end.
As always, Lewis presents an array of not necessarily likeable but undeniably fascinating characters and peppers his writing with dry, witty commentary about these odd yet weirdly convincing creations of his mind. The book is also excellently plotted and paced and kept me guessing until the very end.
October 13, 2018
well I’m sorry to say I thought this book was boring. It didn’t seem to have the thrill fact the first book had. I struggled with it and if I’m honest, there was little substance to it, and not really much storyline.
A student gets murdered in the college and you know almost at once who is not the culprit, but it drags on until the end when it all becomes clear.
Not one of my favourite reads this year. Let’s hope the next one is better.
My thanks to Joffe Publishers for the ARC.
A student gets murdered in the college and you know almost at once who is not the culprit, but it drags on until the end when it all becomes clear.
Not one of my favourite reads this year. Let’s hope the next one is better.
My thanks to Joffe Publishers for the ARC.
November 10, 2018
The action in this book mostly takes place in the Burton Polytechnic where a body of a woman is found in the lift, while outside a student demonstration takes place. Inspector Crow is called in to solve the crime. As the book is set in the 1960's the investigation is without modern day forensics and DNA testing, so the questioning goes around the members of staff with a good few twists and turns until the truth comes out at the end of the book.
September 23, 2019
Judgement errors all around! Inspector Crow's included. The plot: students at a polytechnic face down 'the man' in 1960s England, while Crow et al investigate a murder. Several good characters, but the students are really just angry faces in dirty clothes. The part I enjoyed the most were bouts of lyricism that just popped up. A decent read if you enjoy reading about student unrest, protests etc.
1971
1971
October 10, 2018
Robert Fanshaw, an Inspectors of Schools, was visiting Burton Polytechnic and deciding to take a lift discovers the body of a female inside. Inspector Crow and Sergeant Wilson are called in, only to be faced with a large hostile crowd of students. Not a good start to the investigation.
Though I enjoyed the mystery I did find the student rhetoric somewhat boring and distracting from the story.
Though I enjoyed the mystery I did find the student rhetoric somewhat boring and distracting from the story.
September 19, 2019
Now we meet CI Crow
In the first book CI Crow was a secondary character . We learned a little about him . This time he is leading a murder inquiry about a staff secretary at the local college . Many confusing clues and characters . No cell phone or DNA or CCTV cameras . Great action . Lots of punctuation typos .
In the first book CI Crow was a secondary character . We learned a little about him . This time he is leading a murder inquiry about a staff secretary at the local college . Many confusing clues and characters . No cell phone or DNA or CCTV cameras . Great action . Lots of punctuation typos .
June 30, 2021
This book is so badly written it would embarrass a GCSE pupil. The author has no concept of a full stop with many sentences running on with only commas separating them: a common fault of school children. It got very annoying eventually. I don't think I shall be continuing with this series. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
October 23, 2018
A good old fashioned mystery, well written and entertaining. It was like travelling back in time and I really appreciated both the style of writing and the characters.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC
September 17, 2024
It doesn't matter how hard I try, I still don't like the way Lewis is writing. Every sentence is a wall of text that could and should be written with a third of all those letters. It's probably me. I've perhaps become pickier? Anyway, I am done with Inspector John Crow.
May 13, 2025
Quite a good murder mystery/police procedural, however, I just didn't find any of the characters endearing. Hopefully, they will develop further throughout the series, as this is only the second episode in a box set of eight.
October 17, 2018
From my era.
An interesting insight into detection before the days of reliance on forensics. Complex characters, looking forward to the next in series.
An interesting insight into detection before the days of reliance on forensics. Complex characters, looking forward to the next in series.
October 30, 2018
Good book!
This is an interesting mystery with memorable characters and a surprising ending. I highly recommend it to other mystery readers.
This is an interesting mystery with memorable characters and a surprising ending. I highly recommend it to other mystery readers.
November 9, 2018
A twisty story!
Good storytelling, good plot. I got a little weary of the explanations of student unrest but otherwise it's a good detective Stroh.
Good storytelling, good plot. I got a little weary of the explanations of student unrest but otherwise it's a good detective Stroh.
December 23, 2018
Another good story
Another good story in the Inspector Crowe series. It highlights the methods that had to be used before the recent enhancement s in crime detection.
Another good story in the Inspector Crowe series. It highlights the methods that had to be used before the recent enhancement s in crime detection.
February 14, 2019
Two stars
Too drawn out. It has was as though I was reading a story in another language. Not recommended by me.
Too drawn out. It has was as though I was reading a story in another language. Not recommended by me.
May 12, 2019
Can't say I thought much of this book. It is pretty dull and the writer seems to be trying to impress us by using obscure words.
August 20, 2019
Interesting read.
Didn't really grab me,very readable and interesting characters,Inp.Crow on the ball I will read more of him,at a later date.😎
Didn't really grab me,very readable and interesting characters,Inp.Crow on the ball I will read more of him,at a later date.😎
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews