Detective
Inspector Daniel Skelgill of the Cumbria Police is fishing by himself in
England’s Lake District – one of the greatest pleasures he finds in life. His
mobile phone rings, and he grouses at the interruption as he answers it. There
went the pleasure of solitude and fish. A murder has been reported at one of
the area hotels.
His usual
partner on leave, Skelgill arrives at the hotel still in his fishing gear, and
meets his assigned partner – Detective Sergeant Emma Jones. She’s still dressed
for an undercover operation at a warehouse rave party, which means barely
dressed. Together they begin to investigate the murder of a partner in an
advertising firm, co-headquartered in London and Edinburgh and having a firm
holiday in the Lake District.
Suspects and
possible motives abound. There’s the wife of the deceased, who might have
gotten a little tired of her husband’s philandering. There’s the other
owner-partner, sweating a possible sale of the fire. There are employees,
jealous of both the wife and each other. There’s a former employee, recently
fired, who says he was birdwatching but can’t really account for his time.
 |
| Bruce Beckham |
Murder
in Adland is mystery
writer Bruce Beckham’s first novel in the Inspector Skelgill Investigates
series (there are a total of eight, not to mention three other books not part
of the series written by the author). Beckham is an award-winning copywriter
and author, lives in Great Britain, and is a member of the Society of Authors.
Based on the scenes and settings of this novel, he is also likely well-versed
in mountain running, birdwatching, and fishing. And the Lake District.
The detectives’
investigations lead them to London and Edinburgh, with a side trip to Norfolk
(for the birdwatching). Time after time each lead ends in nothing, and
Skellgill is in danger of losing the case to a rival in the police force. And
then he goes fishing, and it is while sitting in his boat on the lake that a
seemingly insignificant detail comes to mind.
Written in the present tense (which adds a sense of urgency and even tension), Murder in Adland is an entertaining introduction to a new
police detective series.
Photograph of the English Lake District
by George Hodan via Public
Domain Pictures. Used with permission.
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