All Quiet on Arrival

September 6, 2010
Det. Chief Insp. Harry Brock and Det. Sgt. Dave Poole investigate the deaths of James and Diana Barton, a wealthy London couple who are murdered one week apart, in Ison's overplotted 10th Brock and Poole mystery (after 2009's Breach of Privilege). After Diana's body is discovered in the aftermath of a fire in her Chelsea house where a sex party is held while James is out of the country, Brock and Poole uncover the many extramarital affairs that she had had before her murder. As the number of suspects, including Diana's Australian daughter-in-law, increase to complicating effect, the characters lose their distinction and the plot becomes increasingly bogged down in repetitive dialogue. Diana's ex-husband, former lovers, and a con man in Australia all become part of a case that reaches a climax over a disputed inheritance of several million pounds. Weak characterizations, including those of Brock and Poole, diminish a story that fails under the weight of lackluster writing.

December 15, 2010
DCI Harry Brock and DS Dave Poole return in another banter-filled mystery. Their case begins with the stabbing murder of a woman in her own home. Her husband, out of town when the crime occurred, is baffled. Who would want to kill his wife, and why was there a party going on at his house while he was away? Turns out, all is not what it seems, and the womans murder might be connected to her sexual appetites. A police procedural with two very likable leads, the book is ideal for readers who enjoy their mysteries laced with witty dialogue and lightly comedic moments.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)