Cornish Conundrum: A Mort Sinclair & Priscilla Booth Mystery

Mort Sinclair Mystery #2

by Gene Stratton

An American police detective, Priscilla Booth, inherits a house in Cornwall from her murdered cousin, but she must live there 30 days. Her lover, Mort Sinclair, a multi-disciplined criminologist comes down from Oxford to stay with her. Gradually they get drawn into the mysterious past of the murdered woman, as a new murder occurs. Their suspects include people who frequent the village pub and also TV actors and technicians who are filming a miniseries at a nearby manor. They hear stories of ghosts and smugglers and Priscilla finds herself the object of seduction by both a leading actor and a powerful producer. Priscilla and Mort learn more and more astonishing details about her dead cousin, Sylvia. Exploring a secret tunnel, she suddenly finds herself alone with the killer. Mort cultivates the local police inspector, who is impressed by Mort's reputation. However, this acts as a split between Mort and Priscilla, and the solution to the murder comes with Mort's clue-solving, plus some unexpected physical exertion from an unsuspected quarter. Now that the murderer is caught, Mort and Priscilla must endeavor to mend their fractured relationship.

264 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Aka Eugene Aubrey Stratton

Gene served in the United States Air Force and then attended George Washington University where he received his B.A. in Economics. He then went into Law school. Following college, he became a Case officer for the C.I.A. and later Director of two Federal Computer Centers. For eleven years, he lived abroad in England, Germany, Greece, and Mexico. Gene was elected to the position of Historian General in September 1981.

Gene was elected as a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists in 1985, a member of the American Mensa Society, and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. In later years, he and Ginger became avid fans of the opera.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"An American police detective, Priscilla Booth, inherits a house in Cornwall from her murdered cousin, but she must live there 30 days. Her lover, Mort Sinclair, a multi-disciplined criminologist comes down from Oxford to stay with her. Gradually they get drawn into the mysterious past of the murdered woman, as a new murder occurs. Their suspects include people who frequent the village pub and also TV actors and technicians who are filming a miniseries at a nearby manor. They hear stories of ghosts and smugglers and Priscilla finds herself the object of seduction by both a leading actor and a powerful producer. Priscilla and Mort learn more and more astonishing details about her dead cousin, Sylvia. Exploring a secret tunnel, she suddenly finds herself alone with the killer. Mort cultivates the local police inspector, who is impressed by Mort's clue-solving, plus some unexpected physical exertion from an unsuspected quarter. Now that the murderer is caught, Mort and Priscilla must endeavor to mend their fractured relationship."
~~back cover

A very cut and dried precis, which eliminates the various twists and turns as the couple get drawn deeper and deeper into the mystery, with Priscilla find the corpse of the second murder victim.

The solution isn't obvious at all until Mort spells it out in the very last pages -- always the sign of a well plotted mystery!