River Deep by
Priscilla Masters
hbk out February 03
Published by Allison Busby
at £17.99
Shrewsbury coroner Martha Gunn is responsible for holding inquests into all sudden
and suspicious deaths in the area. When the River Severn floods its banks and engulfs
surrounding properties, the body of a man is sluiced from one of the cellars and it is
obvious he has been murdered. The police assume the dead man is that of respectable
Mr Humphreys, the occupant of the property, but they are in for a nasty shock when
his wife views the deceased only to find it is not her husband. And Mr Humphreys
has gone missing. The resulting mystery taxes Martha and her colleagues in the
police and pathology unit. Martha, who has been widowed, is the mother of two
children. A Swedish au-pair helps out though when there are tough decisions to be
made Martha is pretty much alone. Martha's grief for her husband's early death still
dominates her emotional life nine years after the event. A gentle mystery, strong on
the flavour of semi-rural life and the old, market town setting with solid domestic
details and a baffling and clever puzzle at its heart. One loose end, left dangling
deliberately, was a little frustrating and would have been better tidied away. Masters
also writes the Joanna Piercy police stories and a number of medical mysteries. River
Deep is the first in a new series featuring Martha Gunn.
Manchester Evening News 20.3.04
(
Cath Staincliffe
author of the popular Sal Kilkenny mysteries set on the mean streets of Manchester)
River Deep by
Priscilla Masters
