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Rafferty and Llewellyn Police Procedural Series #5
Absolute Poison
Librarian note: alternate-cover edition of B005JER1XQ.
Detective Inspector Joseph Rafferty is having a bad week – two pensioner suicides already and he can’t help feeling trouble comes in threes. Also niggling in his mind is the fact that Llewellyn, his posh sergeant, has brought a ‘bargain’ suit from Rafferty’s mother. Sure to be stolen goods, the suit is bound to drop Rafferty in it when the holier-than-thou Llewellyn wears it on his wedding day – with the hated Superintendent Bradley in attendance….
Rafferty’s first premonition turns out to be accurate when a company manager is found dead at his desk. The tyrannical Barstaple had known full well that he was hated by most of the office. But did he really deserve to be poisoned? And so horribly.
Rafferty thinks his week has been trying enough. But then someone else is poisoned and from bad to worse becomes worse again. And when you take the ‘bargain’ suit into the equation, the week really has gone to Hell in a handcart. And taken Rafferty with it.
Detective Inspector Joseph Rafferty is having a bad week – two pensioner suicides already and he can’t help feeling trouble comes in threes. Also niggling in his mind is the fact that Llewellyn, his posh sergeant, has brought a ‘bargain’ suit from Rafferty’s mother. Sure to be stolen goods, the suit is bound to drop Rafferty in it when the holier-than-thou Llewellyn wears it on his wedding day – with the hated Superintendent Bradley in attendance….
Rafferty’s first premonition turns out to be accurate when a company manager is found dead at his desk. The tyrannical Barstaple had known full well that he was hated by most of the office. But did he really deserve to be poisoned? And so horribly.
Rafferty thinks his week has been trying enough. But then someone else is poisoned and from bad to worse becomes worse again. And when you take the ‘bargain’ suit into the equation, the week really has gone to Hell in a handcart. And taken Rafferty with it.
- GenresMystery
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2003
14 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Geraldine Evans
50 books100 followersaka Geraldine Hartnett.
I'm a British author and live in Norfolk, England. I write mystery/detective novels and have two series on the go: Rafferty & Llewellyn and Casey & Catt.
Series:
* Rafferty and Llewellyn Mystery
* Casey and Catt Mystery
I also write historical novels, of which my first is Reluctant Queen: The Story of Mary Rose Tudor, the Defiant Little Sister of Infamous English king, Henry VIII.
I'm a British author and live in Norfolk, England. I write mystery/detective novels and have two series on the go: Rafferty & Llewellyn and Casey & Catt.
Series:
* Rafferty and Llewellyn Mystery
* Casey and Catt Mystery
I also write historical novels, of which my first is Reluctant Queen: The Story of Mary Rose Tudor, the Defiant Little Sister of Infamous English king, Henry VIII.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 27, 2018
This is my first book in this series. If the rest of the series is as good as this book, then I can see a BBC tv series on PBS for it. It is what I kept thnking as I was reading. Read it for yourself and see.
August 15, 2018
Another gem in the Rafferty and Llewellyn series! Geraldine Evans continues to come up with baffling mysteries for the duo to solve as they become a better team and get closer to becoming family with the approach of Llewellyn's upcoming wedding.
Rafferty's Ma, her shenanigans, and his "Catholic conscience" continue to be a bain to his existence throughout this case. Every since Llewellyn bought a bought a high quality, bargain priced suit from Rafferty's ma, intending to wear it for his wedding to Rafferty's cousin Maureen, Rafferty has been trying to find a way to talk to him about it. How can Joe tell the upright David that his ma got the suit from a dodgy tailor? The last thing he wants is Ma up on charges!
Then the town is floating in bodies, all in one week, with the suicides and a poisoning. With an entire office full of suspects it's more than Rafferty can cope with. Everyone has a reason for a grudge against the victim. For once even Rafferty isn't quick jumping to conclusions.
Get your copy today and see if you can figure out who the murderer is amongst all the possibilities. I didn't see this one coming!
I was gifted a copy of the boxset which includes this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Rafferty's Ma, her shenanigans, and his "Catholic conscience" continue to be a bain to his existence throughout this case. Every since Llewellyn bought a bought a high quality, bargain priced suit from Rafferty's ma, intending to wear it for his wedding to Rafferty's cousin Maureen, Rafferty has been trying to find a way to talk to him about it. How can Joe tell the upright David that his ma got the suit from a dodgy tailor? The last thing he wants is Ma up on charges!
Then the town is floating in bodies, all in one week, with the suicides and a poisoning. With an entire office full of suspects it's more than Rafferty can cope with. Everyone has a reason for a grudge against the victim. For once even Rafferty isn't quick jumping to conclusions.
Get your copy today and see if you can figure out who the murderer is amongst all the possibilities. I didn't see this one coming!
I was gifted a copy of the boxset which includes this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 6, 2008
I really this author...
January 25, 2018
This series is a bit Midsomer Murderish but provides a change from the usual gritty stuff that I read. Very enjoyable.
February 15, 2024
DI Joseph Rafferty has problems. He has just attended the scene of the second corpse in a week and is morbidly confident that the third will be reported before the week is out. Compounding his problems, his Ma, who is always on the look out for a ‘bargain’ and is not choosey of the bargain’s origins, has sold a wedding suit to Rafferty’s Welsh Sergeant Dafyd Llewellyn, who is more upright and law abiding than the pope.
When a hated company manager is found dead at his desk, Rafferty takes no pleasure in that his premonition has been vindicated. There are more suspects than one can shake a stick at. Certainly, all the office personnel from poor Harris on his third warning to Linda Luscombe, single mother. Then there are the cleaners, and the security staff, not to mention the day’s visitors, all therefore needing all Rafferty’s attention. But the whole of his investigation is overshadowed by the thoughts of Llewellyn’s impending wedding day, and the obvious expensive suit, which seems to have acquired a Mark’s & Spencer label, sure to be a talking point, groans Rafferty.
This was a real find. Geraldine Evans knows how to make a character leap off the page at you. PC Timothy Smales does not actually appear for a couple of chapters, but I knew him well before he even made an appearance, and Sgt Llewellyn reminded me of ‘Padget’ in Agatha Christie’s The Man in the Brown Suit.
Although only a brief appearance is made by the company’s owner, Alistair Plumley, we know him. As explained by Rafferty, Alistair Plumley doesn’t like people dying on the premises. Apart from being bad for the company image it shows a sad lack of team spirit. Plumley likes his employees to die in their own time, and on their own premises.
Between numerous suspects and the ‘iffy’ suit, Raferty has his work cut out, but surprises abound. The blurb on this book says, bizarre, quirky and ingenious. I can’t disagree with that. I loved it.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes
When a hated company manager is found dead at his desk, Rafferty takes no pleasure in that his premonition has been vindicated. There are more suspects than one can shake a stick at. Certainly, all the office personnel from poor Harris on his third warning to Linda Luscombe, single mother. Then there are the cleaners, and the security staff, not to mention the day’s visitors, all therefore needing all Rafferty’s attention. But the whole of his investigation is overshadowed by the thoughts of Llewellyn’s impending wedding day, and the obvious expensive suit, which seems to have acquired a Mark’s & Spencer label, sure to be a talking point, groans Rafferty.
This was a real find. Geraldine Evans knows how to make a character leap off the page at you. PC Timothy Smales does not actually appear for a couple of chapters, but I knew him well before he even made an appearance, and Sgt Llewellyn reminded me of ‘Padget’ in Agatha Christie’s The Man in the Brown Suit.
Although only a brief appearance is made by the company’s owner, Alistair Plumley, we know him. As explained by Rafferty, Alistair Plumley doesn’t like people dying on the premises. Apart from being bad for the company image it shows a sad lack of team spirit. Plumley likes his employees to die in their own time, and on their own premises.
Between numerous suspects and the ‘iffy’ suit, Raferty has his work cut out, but surprises abound. The blurb on this book says, bizarre, quirky and ingenious. I can’t disagree with that. I loved it.
----
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes
September 24, 2018
Joseph Rafferty is as usual anxious and grumpy in this latest murder adventure.
March 9, 2021
Very poorly written, boring murder mystery.
August 8, 2023
Dated
May 3, 2016
Good one!
Llewelyn got one at last! Love Mrs. Rafferty. The mystery was a little too scattered and lightweight but the book was fun to read as usual. Getting the next in the series right now.
Llewelyn got one at last! Love Mrs. Rafferty. The mystery was a little too scattered and lightweight but the book was fun to read as usual. Getting the next in the series right now.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews