Step in the Dark

Pollard & Toye #8

by Elizabeth Lemarchand

Pollard & Toye return for another village mystery! Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, M C Beaton, Sophie Hannah and Faith Martin. Expect the unexpected… The peace of the sleepy English town of Ramsden is disturbed when a corpse is discovered in highly peculiar circumstances. The victim – a young woman – was found at the bottom of the library stairs where she worked with a fractured skull. But did she fall or was she pushed? As the local constabulary delve deeper into history of the library at the Ramsden Literary and Scientific Society they begin to suspect a larger conspiracy could be at work. They enlist the help of Scotland Yard and Detective Superintendent Pollard and Detective Sergeant Toye are put on the case. What secrets are being hidden by Ramsden’s leading families? Could missing books from the library hold the key to the case? Or are Pollard & Toye on the wrong track altogether…? Step in the Dark is the eighth cosy village mystery in the Pollard & Toye crime an intriguing police procedural set in rural England. ‘the classic British mystery novel lives and flourishes’ – New York Times ‘the mistress of misdirection’ – The Telegraph 'In the best Agatha Christie tradition' – Argosy THE POLLARD & TOYE INVESTIGATIONS SERIES Book Death of an Old Girl Book The Affacombe Affair Book Alibi for a Corpse Book Death on Doomsday Book Cyanide With Compliments Book No Vacation From Murder Book Buried in the Past Book Step in the Dark Book Unhappy Returns Book Suddenly While Gardening Book Change for the Worse Book Nothing to Do with the Case Book Troubled Waters Book The Wheel Turns Book Light Through Glass Book Who Goes Home? Book The Glade Manor Murder

Genres: Mystery

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[June Mathis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

I think I give almost all books I read 5 stars. Why? I love to read! Those driven to write have a passion for it, whether good with a phrase or not.
But Lemarchand writes a good series, and Pollard, Toye, Jane, well, they are real, well defined, and a reader can picture them during the story.

[Doreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Love this series. Each mystery, set in a rural English town ( started in late 1960's and has progressed to early 1970's) in very different from all the others. This makes the search for the truth new and fresh for each book!Enjoy!!

[Mrs Anita Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

I am enjoying reading this series of books nice light read and the interaction between Pollard &Toye is developing with each book. They do tend to leave some unanswered questions at the end which I find irksome.

[Barry Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Old fashioned policing at its best. Pollard and Toye are sent to investigate the suspicious death of Annabel Lucas and the theft of valuable books from the Ramsden Literature and Scientific Society.

[Gardener0126 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable police procedural, with some cozy mystery elements. The characters are well defined and I wascleft guessing until the very unexpected ending.

[P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit too much re door locked or unlocked and exactly when, but over all a good read. Characters pretty good, writing excellent. Not all mysteries need a murder.

[Mary Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not necessarily my favorite. We will see what happens to Pollard next.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sherry party of the Ramsden Literary and Scientific Society. Soon part time library assistant Annabel Lucas is discovered dead. That and because of the theft of some old books Scotland Yard is brought in. Detectives Pollard and Toye investigate.
an entertaining mystery
Originally published 1976

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"UNDER A FACADE OF RURAL PEACE, HIDDEN EVIL ERUPTS IN MURDER

"What riddles like behind the doors of the normally sedate Ramsden Literary and Scientific Society that could have led to the death of a pretty young librarian? What secrets were hidden in the rare and valuable books that appear to have been stolen? Why has the Society's historian suddenly disappeared? And what frightening treasure has the cleaning lady's delinquent son unearthed?

"Superintendent Pollard and Inspector Toye dig up the long-buried pasts of Ramsden's leading families, and untangle the murky relationships of a secluded town and its tight-lipped citizenry. Elizabeth Lemarchand is in top form with this brooding tale of greed and jealousy in the sleepy English countryside."
~~back cover

Elizabeth Lemarchand is one of my favorite British mystery authors -- I have several of her books and am always delighted to discover one I've not read before. So I was a bit disappointed to realize that I didn't particularly care for this one. The plot seemed convoluted, difficult to follow, and the technique of the police seemed esoteric. Still, English mysteries are wonderful things, and I'd read this book again given the choice between it and any vampire, zombie or anime book any day!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly typical example of the cosy British detective story but none the worse for that. Set in a small county town with the usual old rivalries and prejudices, Pollard and Toye are called in to assist the local police to decide if the death of the pretty young librarian was accident or murder.

Not bad at all. Although it's not in the same class, if you like Crofts or Bellairs then you will probably like this.

[Cynthia Grove · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, reliable re-read with an interesting twist at the end, yet not one of the best in this series.
When unlovable Annabel is found dead of a broken neck at the foot of a spiral staircase and several valuable books are missing from the Society's library it sets off an investigation that Supt Pollard really does not want. There are five strands here, some very brief and incidental, that merge to an interesting conclusion. A tad messy so perhaps really 3.5 stars.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this and Change for the Worse at a yard sale - good solid British cozies. Very soothing :)