Echoes of the Dead

Monika Paniatowski #3

by Spencer

Would a man really use his dying breath to play Russian roulette with his soul? If what Fred Howerd revealed under the seal of confession is true, then a grave miscarriage of justice has been allowed to lie festering for over 20 years - and that, for the Whitebridge police, is political dynamite. DCI Monika Paniatowski argues with the Chief Constable that it will be almost impossible to solve a case which is almost history.

But the real reason for her reluctance to take it on is more to do with her own past than with Howerd’s - because if she does solve it, there is a strong chance she will destroy the man who has been almost a father to her.…

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, British Literature, Procedural, Ebooks, Crime

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2011

Reviews

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK. Nothing outstanding about it.

[wendi wigham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A red pencil

A convicted murderer is allowed home to die. He once had all the power, now he is in his daughter's hands. As the daughter of a killer, she has suffered for years from gossips and neighbours alike.
Now it's time for payback - to get her revenge for all the years of suffering, before and after he went to prison for twenty two years. So she calls the priest.....

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good storyline, good mystery. At first I was a bit reluctant to go back in time with Charlie Woodend, but it works. Not easy to guess the ending, with a lot of twists and turns to get there. I would like a bit more about the personal life of Monika Paniatowski, but I think the author will get there eventually.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a typical Sally Spencer book: quick read, decent plot, and familiar characters. I liked that Charlie and Monika collaborated on this, an old case of Charlie’s.

Notably, Charlie was smoking a different brand of cigarettes.

[Sylvia Dinnage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Echoes of the desd

I really enjoyed ebook and I rate this writer Sally Spencer she weaves a good mystery and gets a good ending of you haven't read her books just give one a try you will be hooked.

[Marie Shirley Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

I like this series, but it's difficult to understand some of the things that are happening.

Some of the series are so difficult to read because the crime and its surrounding details are spelled out so blatantly it's so hard to read.

[Lou Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good story but way to many missing words totally wrong

pronouns, adverbs and adjectives to get more than a 2. Monika must defend her old boss Charlie from a mistake he might have made 22 years before.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Echoes of the Dead
Great book with well developed interesting characters,lots of action, and a great story line. It is great to see the main character grow as the story moves along. I would recommend this book and series to all serious mystery buffs. 2012

[Clyde]

Good mystery and good backstory for Charlie Wood.

[Tita · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 actual rating. Very long and convoluted. Hard to stay interested. I fell asleep a lot.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the annoying / detracting issues from the previous two books have now been resolved. I really enjoyed this and great twists and turns and storyline

[Christinac16 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this third book in the series. Kept me guessing until the end. A police procedural from start to finish with enjoyable characters.

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was enjoying this book very much until the very end when DCI Monika was explaining the solution to the murders. First, she said that the murderer was out of town, so someone else took Lilly instead. But due to some physical deformity, this person couldn't have strangled her. Then all of sudden the murderer is there, strangling Lilly at the allotment, helping the person who took her in the first place. I thought the murderer was supposed to be OUT OF TOWN! How could he instantly appear at the allotment? This was at 96% in the Kindle edition on my reader. I had to re-read the page several times to make sure. I'm disappointed in the author and his editors for not catching that huge mistake! It spoiled the whole book for me and now I'm probably not going to read any more in the series, if the other books are as sloppy as this one.

[Derk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. It's 5 stars for the writing, as such. This is the latest book I've read in the long series of mostly excellent stories by Spencer (who oddly reverses the usual practice of having a male pen name for a female, since Sally is the pen name for Alan). But the ending was so "pulled out of the hat" that I give the plot 3 stars at best. Perhaps, in retrospect it could have transpired as told, but to me it was most unlikely; it was particularly unlikely the police could have figured it out ahead of time. (I think a thought about the same thing for the previous book by Spencer I read)

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good mystery with an interesting cast of characters. The scene switches between 1973 and 1951 and Sally Spencer does a great job in making the reader feel they are in those years.

In 1951, a man confessed and was convicted for the rape and murder of a young girl. While lying on his deathbed in 1973, this same man has confessed to a priest that he did not commit the murder - he was coerced by police. DCI Monika Paniatowski must determine what really happened in an effort to protect the reputation of her retired mentor, Charlie Woodend, who now lives in Spain.

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was perfectly okay, kept me reading to the end, but the characters felt a bit wooden and some of the plot seemed forced (for one thing, DI Hall's recounting of his supervisor's wrongdoing to Monika; why would he do that?). And the solution left me a little confused as to the timeline of the crimes.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

3rd in this series -- she has 3 series going. Monica is the chief superintendent in this British series. Brought back one of the retired characters from an other series to solve a 22 year old cold case of a murdered 13 yr old girl. Quite intricate and interesting characters.

[☺Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that I may have had enough of police procedurals (even British ones) for quite a while. Way too much senseless murder and incompetence & injustice in the real world for me to even begin to enjoy reading about lots of the same in a fictional world, too. It's me, not you . . .

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't put this one down...I'm surprised by the so-so ratings. It is best read as part of the series, so perhaps my lucky read of the last Charlie Woodend last week made this an especially good read for me.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonably good murder mystery--focuses on a long ago murder that seems to have engendered some current murders, and why that would be.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy the Monika Paniatowski books, mostly because of Monika herself and her relationships with the men she works with.

[scherzo♫ · Rating 2 out of 5]

A basic premise doesn't work because a devout Catholic would not believe she'd get absolution from the sacrament of Penance in Elizabeth's situation.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

there's a good story here but the writing is awful.

[Raine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoy this series. You might fird out bits and pieces but Sally always finds a way to surprise you.

[Marilyn Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it well enough to want to read more by this author.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy this one as much as the other two I read. Perhaps after a break, I will go back to this series.

[Bentonkk · Rating 4 out of 5]

New author found - and love the books.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very clever plot!