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Gil Mayo Mystery #11
The Superintendent's Daughter
The disappearance of his daughter, Julie, and the brutal killing of her best friend since childhood, Kathryn Conolly, finds Gilbert Mayo ensnared in a very personal investigation of murder and kidnapping.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 11, 1999
About the author
Marjorie Eccles
53 books45 followersAka Judith Bordill, Jennifer Hyde
Marjorie Eccles has written several romantic and crime novels, which have been published both in the UK and in the US. Many of her book shave been translated and serialised around the world. She has one grown up son and now lives in Hertfordshire
Marjorie Eccles has written several romantic and crime novels, which have been published both in the UK and in the US. Many of her book shave been translated and serialised around the world. She has one grown up son and now lives in Hertfordshire
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 11, 2018
Superintendent Gil Mayo involved in a very personal investigation. His daughter's best friend has been brutally murdered, and his daughter has disappeared.
The victim is found murdered in a hotel room .. and she had registered as Julie Mayo, the Superintendent's daughter.
This book was released in 1999, so there is little in the way of forensics, smart phones, DNA testing was still in it's early stages and not accepted by everyone in law enforcement. Good old fashioned and diligent police work is what is required.
There is mystery and suspense, several credible suspects, and a story line that is engaging. Most of the story encircles the murder, her friends, her family.
This is a well written police procedural, if just a tad dated.
Many thanks to the author / Endeavour Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
August 7, 2018
Two close friends since schooldays, Julie Mayo and Kathryn Conolly. But one is found dead in a hotel, murdered, and the other goes missing. Superintendent Gil Mayo is too close to the investiagtion but follows his own enquiries. Meanwhile Inspector Moon needs to find the guilty party.
I enjoyed this quite slowed paced police procedural
I enjoyed this quite slowed paced police procedural
January 23, 2017
I looked for a better cover for The Superintendent's Daughter, but couldn't find one. This one has little to do with the content. I have not read any other books in this series, although I read and enjoyed another book by Eccles several years ago.
Registering under the name of Julia Mayo, Kat checks into a country house hotel where she is murdered in short order. When her body is found, Superintendent Gil Mayo is notified and arrives horrified at the idea. His fears are dispelled when he discovers that the body is not that of his daughter, but sadly, that of Julia's best friend.
Mayo is excluded from the investigation because he is too close to the situation, but since he is unable to locate his daughter, he proceeds on a separate and parallel search to locate Julia.
The novel begins with a letter from Kat to Julia--and is quite slow. The information in the letter(s) provides information that will be useful later, but does not intrigue as it was intended. Nevertheless, the plot does pick up, and Eccles deftly introduces the characters who could be guilty of Kat's murder.
Sometimes having a number of suspects feels contrived, but the way the suspects are introduced makes each one a genuine possibility, and I suspected each one without ever being confident.
Initially, I was not even certain whether Kat or Julia was the intended victim.
Recently republished.
NetGalley/Endeavor Press
Crime/Police Procedural. 1999. Jan. 13, 2017. Print length: 248 pages.
Registering under the name of Julia Mayo, Kat checks into a country house hotel where she is murdered in short order. When her body is found, Superintendent Gil Mayo is notified and arrives horrified at the idea. His fears are dispelled when he discovers that the body is not that of his daughter, but sadly, that of Julia's best friend.
Mayo is excluded from the investigation because he is too close to the situation, but since he is unable to locate his daughter, he proceeds on a separate and parallel search to locate Julia.
The novel begins with a letter from Kat to Julia--and is quite slow. The information in the letter(s) provides information that will be useful later, but does not intrigue as it was intended. Nevertheless, the plot does pick up, and Eccles deftly introduces the characters who could be guilty of Kat's murder.
Sometimes having a number of suspects feels contrived, but the way the suspects are introduced makes each one a genuine possibility, and I suspected each one without ever being confident.
Initially, I was not even certain whether Kat or Julia was the intended victim.
Recently republished.
NetGalley/Endeavor Press
Crime/Police Procedural. 1999. Jan. 13, 2017. Print length: 248 pages.
June 18, 2022
It was okay but am not sure I want to read any more about Superintendent Gil Mayo. I had to check the date the book was written, 1999 I think it was when forensics were in operation and being used in court. It has the feel of a book sort of set in the 1960s/70s.
It's the story of Mayo's daughter Julia and her childhood friend Kat Connolly. They are apart in different countries but still writing to each other. Mayo doesn't even seem to know in which country his daughter currently is, having not heard from her for ages. Kat meantime is still in the same town, her father is dying and is being nursed at his working partner's house, his partner being the millionaire Max Fisher. Kat is living there caring for her dad.
Until one day she turns up dead on a bed in her negligee in a hotel room using the name of Julia Mayo. This is probably the best part of the book.
The investigation is led by Abigail Moon as Mayo is too close to the corpse to be able to be involved. The investigation limps along and people are popping up just about everywhere with a motive for killing her. In the end I was glad to reach the end.
It's not particularly tense, it's not particularly fast paced, it's not particularly good at holding your attention, but it just about passes as alright with the storyline. I feel that a lot more could have been made of that storyline, it seemed to get a bit jumbled up around the middle of the book. Okay for an undemanding read on a hot summer's day curled up in the shade on the swingseat with the cat who no longer pukes when she joins me on the swing. Good job really.
It's the story of Mayo's daughter Julia and her childhood friend Kat Connolly. They are apart in different countries but still writing to each other. Mayo doesn't even seem to know in which country his daughter currently is, having not heard from her for ages. Kat meantime is still in the same town, her father is dying and is being nursed at his working partner's house, his partner being the millionaire Max Fisher. Kat is living there caring for her dad.
Until one day she turns up dead on a bed in her negligee in a hotel room using the name of Julia Mayo. This is probably the best part of the book.
The investigation is led by Abigail Moon as Mayo is too close to the corpse to be able to be involved. The investigation limps along and people are popping up just about everywhere with a motive for killing her. In the end I was glad to reach the end.
It's not particularly tense, it's not particularly fast paced, it's not particularly good at holding your attention, but it just about passes as alright with the storyline. I feel that a lot more could have been made of that storyline, it seemed to get a bit jumbled up around the middle of the book. Okay for an undemanding read on a hot summer's day curled up in the shade on the swingseat with the cat who no longer pukes when she joins me on the swing. Good job really.
January 23, 2017
A slow start to this book and jumping back and forward in time. It was well written but did not grip me from the start. Superintendent Mayo is looking for his missing daughter and her best friend is found murdered. I was almost halfway through before I started to enjoy this book. Good characterisation and would make a good read for holidays. Thank you Net Galley for my copy.
September 23, 2021
Lynn and I had started watching the Gil Mayo series on britbox. I noticed the stories were derived from a book series, so I got this one from the library. Good mystery, just very different from the britbox series. The latter is more along the lines of a light-hearted British cozy. The novel is more straight up police procedural. Both enjoyable, but in different ways.
July 22, 2017
This is an extremely boring book. Kind of dares you to stay awake. Sometimes you don't.
May 19, 2018
I enjoyed this entry in the Gil Mayo series. Marjorie Eccles does not disappoint in her crafting of intriguing mysteries and interesting, very real, characters!
April 16, 2017
This is a well written and plotted novel.
Since this is my first Superintendent Mayo book, I cannot speak to the paucity of personal information given about the main characters, but only assume that such facts were given in previous stories.
Cat Connolly is found murdered in a hotel. Since she had registered as Julie Mayo, Superintendent Mayo is excluded from the case until it is discovered why she did so. In comes a Super from another district who is very capable but not well liked.
What follows is a very detailed and painstaking investigation into Kat's murder. Following clues, interviewing witnesses and forming hypotheses the detectives delve into Kat's life and death.
The murderer came as no surprise to me, for I had them pegged from the beginning. Nonetheless, it was good reading getting to the conclusion. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Since this is my first Superintendent Mayo book, I cannot speak to the paucity of personal information given about the main characters, but only assume that such facts were given in previous stories.
Cat Connolly is found murdered in a hotel. Since she had registered as Julie Mayo, Superintendent Mayo is excluded from the case until it is discovered why she did so. In comes a Super from another district who is very capable but not well liked.
What follows is a very detailed and painstaking investigation into Kat's murder. Following clues, interviewing witnesses and forming hypotheses the detectives delve into Kat's life and death.
The murderer came as no surprise to me, for I had them pegged from the beginning. Nonetheless, it was good reading getting to the conclusion. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews