Bad Blood

Rafferty and Llewellyn Police Procedural Series #7

by Geraldine Evans

Detective Inspector Rafferty battles to set the world to rights
Investigating the murder of wealthy widow Clara Mortimer, estranged from her family and living alone in an up-market sheltered apartment, Rafferty fears his own family estrangement. Because when Abra, his girlfriend, said she might be pregnant, his reaction wasn't exactly New Man . . .
Between the grudges of Clara's estranged family and those of her adoptive family' the other apartment residents Rafferty had suspects and questions in plenty. Why had the sensible Clara Mortimer chosen to open her door to a burglar? Why had her daughter insisted Clara's husband was dead? And when he considered the other awful lies her family told, how could he not conclude they had something to hide?
As Rafferty tries to get back into Abra's good books another tragedy ensues. But still he manages to fight his way past all the lies to find the sad truth a very modern murder.

Genres: Mystery

208 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2005

About the author

aka 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.

Reviews

[Carol Bridgestock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent spirited mix of detection and family drama with plenty of suspects to muse over. It's another page-turner from Geraldine Evans in my opinion the English crime writing queen herself.

[Allison Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and compelling whodunit with a very down-to-earth sleuth/investigator and an eclectic and interesting host of suspects! Kept me guessing right till the end.

[Saundra Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful mystery takes a dark look at a family that has a problem telling the truth. What should be a grieving family, after losing their mother and grandmother, soon becomes a family of suspects when they just can’t keep their stories straight.

When Rafferty and Llewellyn are called to the scene of an elderly woman’s murder, it looks like a burglary gone bad. Clara Mortimer is discovered by her neighbor when they notice Clara’s door is ajar.

However when Clara’s daughter is notified of her mother’s death, she seems more angry at her mother than she does a grieving daughter. She is soon caught out for lying to questions posed by the police. The case turns into one where almost all members of this broken family have been caught in lies. It is hard to investigate a murder when no one is willing to tell the truth.

See how Rafferty and Llewellyn handle this motley bunch. Will Clara ever find justice?

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rafferty, the hero/cop, reminds me of a long line of British cops like Morse and Ian Rankin's hero. He's selfish, slightly rakish, and gets into trouble with women. The name Raffles reminds me of the late Victorian hero/thief, Raffles, who succeeds inside and outside the world of crime. What does Evans add to the stereotype? Rafferty has a "feminine" sensitivity that makes him either a very complex character, or something of an unbelievable character. I was torn on this one. At times, I couldn't believe his character would have as much insight as he did into his suspects' motivations. Evans' writing is good, though sometimes dialogue falls into the "talking heads" syndrome. There is also a strong moralistic tone to the novel, with Rafferty eerily seeing his likeness to the selfish liars and criminals he interviews. I also wasn't completely convinced that this was a thoroughly "modern" crime, though I might give away spoilers if I explained why. Still, Evans is worth a read and I will probably try another of her novels.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

,An elderly woman is battered to death in her own home, but why? DI Rafferty is on the case.