Krishna
And to think that Jill McGown would not have become an author if she had not lost her job and decided to try her hand at writing! She does write well so I guess her move is of benefit to readers like us who are looking for new authors to read. Not that she is that new to the literature world, but you see where I am going with that comment.
Patrick Murray is a new teacher in the class where Kim and Natalie study. He is unconventional and charms the class. Judy Hill is married to Lloyd who is attending a training course. They both work for the police. Judy is on a stakeout and Lloyd is bewildered by what is becoming to ‘good old sleuthing’ by all this newfangled computer technology.
Colin Cochrane is a gym teacher (average), athlete (mediocre) and a TV personality (famous due to his telegenic face and good looks). He is married to Erica working in the same school. Erica is amused by the adolescent love letters from kids and TV viewers but Colin seems uninterested. One letter disturbs her and him too, we learn later.
On the police side, Tom is an up and coming detective who works for Judy, the acting chief, who has a relationship with Lloyd, a senior detective. Lloyd is in a course to further his career and if he can, surpass Judy. He hates courses, though.
Patrick, the lecturer who so impressed the class is a married colleague is meanwhile dropping hints that he is interested in Erica. And was asked politely to leave his previous school because of shady behaviour and his wife’s making a scene about his having a relationship with another teacher. He finally manages to seduce her.
Colin himself is in a mysterious affair. From Kim and Nat’s talks, it appears that Natalie is the object of his assumptions and so when you find him in a panic to reach Erica on time, we assume that they were together.
Tom is called to a murder scene where a girl has been strangled and dumped in the pipe and Erica and her dog Sherlock discover it. Tom is suspicious right away of Colin, since he usually jogs that way (though he denies he did that day), as well as since Tom deduces that Colin and Erica are not in the best of terms and since Colin’s cologne is found on the murdered girl.
Judy Hill coaxes out of Kim that Natalie may be seeing a teacher, probably Cochran, prior to her death. When the detectives catch Colin with a note from Natalie in his pocket, he visibly pales. It appears that he did not kill Natalie but left her there not knowing that she will be killed. He claims he avoided that area to avoid Natalie.
It seems to be true that Colin did not have sex with Natalie and was practicing to be an athlete all along, a twist that is shocking and confusing too. . Finally his story comes out, which is nothing but an ageing athlete regretting the decline of his abilities and pushing himself, throwing up on his clothes and sitting down in a near faint thereby losing time.
Meanwhile his car was spotted leaving the scene and we learn that Patrick was with Natalie and was driving Colin’s car because it broke down and he had offered to repair it and kept it. We also learn that Erica saw him leaving Natalie after having sex with her and shielded him from the police. We learn that Patrick did not kill Natalie because she was alive when he left. Kim is somehow a witness to all this and is now afraid of Patrick because she thought he may have killed Natalie. A very interesting but classic intertwining of events here.
The police also stumble upon the fact of the car because a witness saw the car leaving and also noted down the number place. Upon investigating Colin, they learn that Patrick had that car that day.
Meanwhile Patrick is taken to the station and forced to admit that he had sex with Natalie, even though he knew she was underage.
When they interview Patrick, they realize who the real killer is and another young girl Hannah, running from Patrick, seeks protection by the killer. You are surprised to have the killer revealed while there is still about 50 pages to go but it is all done with a very clever piece of misdirection.
The surprises keep coming and you understand who really did the killing is only known towards the very end and the expose of the killer by a clever trap set in the interview is amazing.
All in all, a great piece of work with plots woven neatly so as to create plausible motive for a lot of folks – Patrick, who had the car from Colin; Colin whose fame with girls and philandering image caused suspicion; Erica out of jealousy and some others – all done in great style.
A deeply satisfying, cleverly woven whodunit.
7/10
– – Krishna