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Basking in the warmth of the Mallorquin sunshine sounds like paradise.
But despite the close-knit community, sandy beaches and crisp sea-breeze, the town of Llueso is far from peaceful.
As news breaks of the sudden death of one of the town's quieter residents, Miriam Spiller, Inspector Enrique Alvarez is disturbed by the community's content at dismissing her death as an unfortunate accident.
An isolated and hermit-like young woman, she had clearly had too much gin that evening and, in her drunken haze, had slipped over the balcony.
Or perhaps her lack of friends, beauty or success became too much and drove her to suicide.
The problem is that nobody seems to care.
With so few leads to follow, Alvarez must work twice as hard to decipher which of those who knew Miriam knew her habits well enough to prove that her death was no accident.
An obvious lead would be her fiance, Frank Finnister, an unsuccessful novelist who relied on Miriam for money in order to avoid deportation.
Then there was Carol Davidson, Finnister's mistress, who made no secret of her longing for Frank's affections.
And what about Agnes Newbolt, Miriam's employer, who had always treated her with contempt?
Brenda Stewart, Miriam's nearest association to a friend, makes her suspicions well known to Inspector Alvarez. But whilst he expects to find crime at the heart of this unexplained story, what he doesn't account for is the impact it will have on his personal desires.
Just Desserts is a thrilling murder mystery, perfect for fans of classic crime-fiction.
'Excepting the late Agatha Christie, few authors have concealed a denouement as perfectly as Jeffries does' - Publishers Weekly
'... guaranteed to surprise even the most confirmed murder story addict.' - Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer
'A first-rate whodunit turning on the resourcefulness of a country gentleman who exploits the process of the law to delay its action. Author on the top of his legal and social form.' - Francis Goff, The Sunday Telegraph
'Roderic Jeffries established a very high reputation for himself in the field of the legal thriller with Exhibit No. Thirteen and Dead Against the Lawyers. Once again he has used a little known quirk of the law, and woven round it an enthralling story of immense intricacy.' - Maurice Richardson, The Observer
'The resulting legal intricacies make fascinating reading.' - Hester Makeig, The Spectator
'First-class, smoothly told, fine court scenes and sketches of lawyers entirely absorbing.' - John Clarke, Evening Standard
'The most ingenious of Mr. Jeffries's exercises in legal trickery.' - Julian Symons, The Sunday Times
'... is for the mystery story connoisseur and particularly the man who can appreciate this ingenious exercise in legal trickery.' - Police World
Roderic Jeffries was born in London in 1926 and went to sea in 1943. Six years later he left that trade to become a lawyer. He again changed profession to become a writer. Since 1951, he has written over one hundred and sixty novels under his own name and several other pseudonyms. He began his career by writing books featuring his father's character, Blackshirt, a popular detective whose adventures have appeared in print for many decades. In time Jeffries branched out and began to write a variety of mystery novels under his own name and several pen names, including Peter Alding and Jeffrey Ashford.
Genre: Mystery
But despite the close-knit community, sandy beaches and crisp sea-breeze, the town of Llueso is far from peaceful.
As news breaks of the sudden death of one of the town's quieter residents, Miriam Spiller, Inspector Enrique Alvarez is disturbed by the community's content at dismissing her death as an unfortunate accident.
An isolated and hermit-like young woman, she had clearly had too much gin that evening and, in her drunken haze, had slipped over the balcony.
Or perhaps her lack of friends, beauty or success became too much and drove her to suicide.
The problem is that nobody seems to care.
With so few leads to follow, Alvarez must work twice as hard to decipher which of those who knew Miriam knew her habits well enough to prove that her death was no accident.
An obvious lead would be her fiance, Frank Finnister, an unsuccessful novelist who relied on Miriam for money in order to avoid deportation.
Then there was Carol Davidson, Finnister's mistress, who made no secret of her longing for Frank's affections.
And what about Agnes Newbolt, Miriam's employer, who had always treated her with contempt?
Brenda Stewart, Miriam's nearest association to a friend, makes her suspicions well known to Inspector Alvarez. But whilst he expects to find crime at the heart of this unexplained story, what he doesn't account for is the impact it will have on his personal desires.
Just Desserts is a thrilling murder mystery, perfect for fans of classic crime-fiction.
Praise for Just Desserts
'Excepting the late Agatha Christie, few authors have concealed a denouement as perfectly as Jeffries does' - Publishers Weekly
'... guaranteed to surprise even the most confirmed murder story addict.' - Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer
'A first-rate whodunit turning on the resourcefulness of a country gentleman who exploits the process of the law to delay its action. Author on the top of his legal and social form.' - Francis Goff, The Sunday Telegraph
'Roderic Jeffries established a very high reputation for himself in the field of the legal thriller with Exhibit No. Thirteen and Dead Against the Lawyers. Once again he has used a little known quirk of the law, and woven round it an enthralling story of immense intricacy.' - Maurice Richardson, The Observer
'The resulting legal intricacies make fascinating reading.' - Hester Makeig, The Spectator
'First-class, smoothly told, fine court scenes and sketches of lawyers entirely absorbing.' - John Clarke, Evening Standard
'The most ingenious of Mr. Jeffries's exercises in legal trickery.' - Julian Symons, The Sunday Times
'... is for the mystery story connoisseur and particularly the man who can appreciate this ingenious exercise in legal trickery.' - Police World
Roderic Jeffries was born in London in 1926 and went to sea in 1943. Six years later he left that trade to become a lawyer. He again changed profession to become a writer. Since 1951, he has written over one hundred and sixty novels under his own name and several other pseudonyms. He began his career by writing books featuring his father's character, Blackshirt, a popular detective whose adventures have appeared in print for many decades. In time Jeffries branched out and began to write a variety of mystery novels under his own name and several pen names, including Peter Alding and Jeffrey Ashford.
Genre: Mystery
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