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George Rogers #12
Dropped Dead
In the baking heat of a summer day, a woman's body lies in a wood on a remote hillside. Beneath a cloud of buzzing flies it sprawls awkwardly at the foot of a huge tree from which it seems to have fallen. Or did it, perhaps, drop from the sky? Detective Superintendent George Rogers reflects that there are, after all, two flying clubs in the neighborhood.
172 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
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December 11, 2025
Detective Superintendent George Rogers is called away from his golf game to view the body of a soman sprawled awkwardly beneath a huge tree on remote hillside. The body seems to have fallen from the tree, but when Rogers climbs up the tree in search of clues he finds evidence that the body fell from an even greater height. Perhaps from a plane? There are two flying clubs in the neighborhood and Rogers' investigation leads him to the Plattsburgh Aero Club. The description of the woman seems to fit Kirstin Mahir. Kirstin supposedly flew to France with one of the members--apparently she didn't make it that far. Did the pilot push her out of the plane? Is the answer that simple?
Of course not. The further Rogers digs, the more he learns about Kirsten's extracurricular activities. Her interests were in the pilots and not in their planes. There are ex-lovers who may have wanted Kirsten dead,; there's her husband who may have had enough of her philandering; and there are spouses and loved ones who may have resent her involvement with their men. It all comes down to who had sufficient motive and could pilot a plane at night.
The mystery is a good one and I enjoyed following Rogers through his interviews with suspects as well as his interactions with his right-hand man, the elegant Inspector Lingard. There are a few really good character studies-Kirsten's husband, Lisa Fromme--the lone female pilot in the club, and Wing-Commander Corbersley who runs the club, as well as a few others. But several of the club members receive short shrift in the character development department. It would have made for a much more satisfying read overall and would have made the suspect pool seem a little bit bigger.
Overall, a solid police procedural (as one would expect from a former policeman like Rossiter) and an interesting plot. ★★★ and 1/2 [rounded up here]
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
Of course not. The further Rogers digs, the more he learns about Kirsten's extracurricular activities. Her interests were in the pilots and not in their planes. There are ex-lovers who may have wanted Kirsten dead,; there's her husband who may have had enough of her philandering; and there are spouses and loved ones who may have resent her involvement with their men. It all comes down to who had sufficient motive and could pilot a plane at night.
The mystery is a good one and I enjoyed following Rogers through his interviews with suspects as well as his interactions with his right-hand man, the elegant Inspector Lingard. There are a few really good character studies-Kirsten's husband, Lisa Fromme--the lone female pilot in the club, and Wing-Commander Corbersley who runs the club, as well as a few others. But several of the club members receive short shrift in the character development department. It would have made for a much more satisfying read overall and would have made the suspect pool seem a little bit bigger.
Overall, a solid police procedural (as one would expect from a former policeman like Rossiter) and an interesting plot. ★★★ and 1/2 [rounded up here]
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
Displaying 1 of 1 review