When Colonel Ambler, the last of a long line, meets an unfortunate death at the riverside, Sergeant Cluff promptly goes on a fishing holiday -to observe. Inmediately things begin to happen; the Rector, frustrated with passion, is found dead in his bath; the young Sims, although apparently penniless, buys himself a motor-cycle and kills himself on it within twenty-four hours. Is there a connection between these accidents? Sergeant Cluff had never been known to take a holiday before.
Gil North is the pseudonym of Geoffrey Horne, a British writer. He was born in Skipton Yorkshire and educated at Ermysted's Grammar School and Christ's College Cambridge. He married Betty Duthie in 1949. From 1938 to 1955 he was a civil servant in the African colonies. He has also written novels under his own name.
Beautifully-written third novel of the series. North has a habit of making his Detective Sgt Cluff representative of the area of the planet in which he lives - rugged, stoical, tough, but also empathetic and fair. It’s a wonderful combination, and the narrative is sharp and slightly humorous. The Sergent’s dog, Clive is vital to him - as with many men and women in the Yorkshire Dales where it is set.