A convivial group of misogynists check into the Hopwicke Country House Hotel. One checks out early. Sometime around 3 a.m., Nigel Ackford, after drinking way too much as a guest at the Pillars of Sussex men-only dinner, retires to his room in the posh hotel owned by former model Suzy Longthorne. Kerry, the teenager filling in as a chambermaid until a big break makes her a rock star, discovers him swinging from the four-poster, his head decidedly askew. Eager to quash any bad publicity, Suzy, her ex-hubby, former rocker turned TV pop music critic Rick, Suzy's celebrity chef Max, Pillars clubmen Donald Chew and Bob Hartson, and the West Sussex constabulary all insist it's suicide. But Suzy's friend Jude, the self-appointed Fethering area crime-stopper who'd been helping out the short-staffed (and -funded) Suzy, immediately suspects murder. With the assistance of her neighbor Carole Seddon (The Torso in the Town, 2002, etc.), Jude eventually establishes a timetable of who was sleeping where, when, and with whom, and assigns motives to everybody, ranging from a cover-up of homosexuality to revenge for thwarted stardom to solicitor duplicity. There'll be another death, a vexing attempt at seduction, and a first meeting with her son's fiancee for Carole to deal with before the red herrings are dispatched in a burst of silliness. Smatterings of the Brett wit don't compensate for gaping plot holes and emphatically distasteful attitudes toward homosexuality. Agent: Jane Chelius/Jane Chelius Agency
The Hopwicke Country House Hotel once boasted a clientele of the rich and famous. But desperate times call for desperate measures, so owner Suzy Longthorne throws open her doors to welcome the Pillars of Sussex, an elitist group of local businessmen whose social gatherings revolve around drinking and off-color commentary. Short staffed, Suzy recruits Jude Seddon as a waitress to help keep the spirits flowing. But the next morning, Jude discovers the body of a young man, supposedly an initiate for Pillar membership, hanging from the beam of a four-poster bed. The police are quick to rule the death a suicide. The Pillars of Sussex deny that the victim was ever considered for membership, and Suzy just wants to forget that it ever happened. But Jude knows that both parties have something to hide, and she's determined to uncover the truth. She enlists a reluctant Carole to nurture her relationship with a flirtatious Pillar in the hope that they can crack him.
The Hopwicke Country House Hotel once boasted a clientele of the rich and famous. But desperate times call for desperate measures, so owner Suzy Longthorne throws open her doors to welcome the Pillars of Sussex, an elitist group of local businessmen whose social gatherings revolve around drinking and off-color commentary. Short staffed, Suzy recruits Jude Seddon as a waitress to help keep the spirits flowing. But the next morning, Jude discovers the body of a young man, supposedly an initiate for Pillar membership, hanging from the beam of a four-poster bed. The police are quick to rule the death a suicide. The Pillars of Sussex deny that the victim was ever considered for membership, and Suzy just wants to forget that it ever happened. But Jude knows that both parties have something to hide, and she's determined to uncover the truth. She enlists a reluctant Carole to nurture her relationship with a flirtatious Pillar in the hope that they can crack him.
The Hanging in the Hotel: A Fethering Mystery
The Hanging in the Hotel: A Fethering Mystery
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940169832624 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Blackstone Audio, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 06/26/2005 |
| Series: | Fethering Series , #5 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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