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Lloyd & Hill #11
Scene of Crime
It's three days before Christmas and the Malworth Amateur Dramatic Society's rehearsal of "Cinderella", scripted by local GP Carl Bignall, is struggling. Then police discover the body of Carl's wife, Estelle. Is Carl a murderer? DCI Lloyd takes charge of the investigation.
391 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Jill McGown
34 books39 followersJill McGown (9 August 1947, Campbeltown, Scotland – 6 April 2007 in Kettering, Northamptonshire) was a British writer of mystery novels. She was best known for her mystery series featuring Inspector Lloyd and Judy Hill, one of which (A Shred of Evidence) was made into a television series. McGown wrote her first mystery novel after being laid off from the British Steel Corporation in 1980. She is sometimes credited as Elizabeth Chaplin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
November 6, 2015
The Malworth amateur dramatic society is rehearsing its Christmas pantomime of Cinderella. Unfortunately half the cast seem to be absent for one reason or another and the rehearsal is not going well.
DI Judy Hill - eight months pregnant - is dragooned into playing Cinderella just for that evening and DCI Lloyd - her partner - is persuaded to read the part of Buttons and finds he quite enjoys himself. But the evening is interrupted by a call to Lloyd saying the Dr Carl Bignall's wife has been found dead at home after what appears to be a burglary. Carl is also a member of the dramatic society.
Lloyd is baffled by the case as he knows there is something not quite right about the scene at the house but he can't put his finger on exactly what it is which bothers him. The neighbours appear to have seen and heard contradictory things and at different times but maybe they have their own activities to hide from the police
As the police dig deeper into the circumstances surrounding the death they uncover more and more things which people might want to have kept from them and the case becomes more complex. It seems that none of the people involved could have committed the murder.
This is an excellent, well plotted murder mystery and it kept me guessing even though the clues are all there when I looked back through the book when I had finished reading it. I recommend this book and this series to anyone who likes well plotted and well written murder mysteries with little on the page violence and virtually no bad language.
DI Judy Hill - eight months pregnant - is dragooned into playing Cinderella just for that evening and DCI Lloyd - her partner - is persuaded to read the part of Buttons and finds he quite enjoys himself. But the evening is interrupted by a call to Lloyd saying the Dr Carl Bignall's wife has been found dead at home after what appears to be a burglary. Carl is also a member of the dramatic society.
Lloyd is baffled by the case as he knows there is something not quite right about the scene at the house but he can't put his finger on exactly what it is which bothers him. The neighbours appear to have seen and heard contradictory things and at different times but maybe they have their own activities to hide from the police
As the police dig deeper into the circumstances surrounding the death they uncover more and more things which people might want to have kept from them and the case becomes more complex. It seems that none of the people involved could have committed the murder.
This is an excellent, well plotted murder mystery and it kept me guessing even though the clues are all there when I looked back through the book when I had finished reading it. I recommend this book and this series to anyone who likes well plotted and well written murder mysteries with little on the page violence and virtually no bad language.
January 8, 2019
Scene of Crime is the eleventh book in Jill McGown's series about two British police officers, Judy Hill and a male officer who uses only his last name, Lloyd. In the course of the series, they have fallen in love and, as this volume begins, Hill is well along in pregnancy. They have both attained the rank of Detective Chief Inspector.
A young woman is found dead in her home, apparently killed during a burglary there. She was bound and gagged, and appeared to have suffocated on her gag. It is not certain whether her death was intentional or not.
When word comes of that woman's death, Hill and Lloyd happen to be with her husband, a physician, at a rehearsal for a Christmas season play. Lloyd is put in charge of the case, assisted principally by Sargent Tom Finch. They look for clues and suspects, and find lots of each.
Lloyd is known for coming up with scenarios in which each possible suspect might be the killer. Some of these seem straightforward; for example, a young burglar who is caught selling items taken from the dead woman's home certainly might be a suspect. Of course, so might that young man's even younger brother. Or a neighbor. And as the investigation continues, others also appear to be likely suspects as well.
This is not the kind of police story in which the mystery exists so that the characters of all concerned can be made manifest. On the contrary, the very intricate and tricky developments of the investigation make up most of the story. And the details of that investigation are quite intriguing.
This is the main difference between McGown's Hill and Lloyd series and another series with a somewhat similar premise, Deborah Crombie's books about romantically involved British police officers Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid. Crombie's books are largely about the lives of her characters, not only James and Kincaid but their children, parents, siblings, friends, and fellow officers. I don't think that one of these methods of writing mysteries is intrinsically superior; they are just different.
Jill McGown wrote only two more books in this fine series before she died in 2007 at the age of fifty-nine.
A young woman is found dead in her home, apparently killed during a burglary there. She was bound and gagged, and appeared to have suffocated on her gag. It is not certain whether her death was intentional or not.
When word comes of that woman's death, Hill and Lloyd happen to be with her husband, a physician, at a rehearsal for a Christmas season play. Lloyd is put in charge of the case, assisted principally by Sargent Tom Finch. They look for clues and suspects, and find lots of each.
Lloyd is known for coming up with scenarios in which each possible suspect might be the killer. Some of these seem straightforward; for example, a young burglar who is caught selling items taken from the dead woman's home certainly might be a suspect. Of course, so might that young man's even younger brother. Or a neighbor. And as the investigation continues, others also appear to be likely suspects as well.
This is not the kind of police story in which the mystery exists so that the characters of all concerned can be made manifest. On the contrary, the very intricate and tricky developments of the investigation make up most of the story. And the details of that investigation are quite intriguing.
This is the main difference between McGown's Hill and Lloyd series and another series with a somewhat similar premise, Deborah Crombie's books about romantically involved British police officers Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid. Crombie's books are largely about the lives of her characters, not only James and Kincaid but their children, parents, siblings, friends, and fellow officers. I don't think that one of these methods of writing mysteries is intrinsically superior; they are just different.
Jill McGown wrote only two more books in this fine series before she died in 2007 at the age of fifty-nine.
May 23, 2018
DCI Judy Hill is trying to be patient through her last month of her first pregnancy. She wants her partner, DCI Lloyd, to take part in the birthing and raising of the baby, but Lloyd, having been through all this before, still has the mindset that it should all be handled by the wife. Hill is involved with the production of Cinderella by a local drama society, and drags Lloyd along to a rehearsal. While there, Lloyd is notified that Estelle Bignall has been found dead after what is at first glance a burglary gone wrong. Her husband Carl Bignall is at the rehearsal when the call comes in, so that leaves him in the clear--or does it? Lloyd is confronted with what at first seems an easy to solve crime, but the more he observes the crime scene, the more questions he has and the more complicated it all seems. A local young thief is tied to the crime, but has never done violence before, and insists he didn't now. The man next door, an ex-cop, seems angry, defiant, and refuses to tell the police anything. There are just too many conflicting clues, and evidence doesn't show a clear timeline for any of the numerous suspects. So was it murder, or just an unfortunate accident?
This is the 11th book in the 13-book Hill & Lloyd series. I believe I have read one or two others, but certainly not the entire series. I found this book extremely well written, with engaging and realistic dialog, interesting characters, and a complex plot. The ending totally surprised me, and I like when that happens. Since I haven't read the whole series I can't tell you if they should be read in order, but I was able to quickly grasp the relationships with this one, so it seems that each will stand alone. That said, I would like to find time to go back and read the earlier ones.
This is the 11th book in the 13-book Hill & Lloyd series. I believe I have read one or two others, but certainly not the entire series. I found this book extremely well written, with engaging and realistic dialog, interesting characters, and a complex plot. The ending totally surprised me, and I like when that happens. Since I haven't read the whole series I can't tell you if they should be read in order, but I was able to quickly grasp the relationships with this one, so it seems that each will stand alone. That said, I would like to find time to go back and read the earlier ones.
September 10, 2018
"Real-life crime has engulfed the domestic life of the Riverside Theatre players. For starters, thee's the violent death of Estelle Bignall, the beautiful, neur=tic wife of a well-to-do doctor (and aspiring resident playwright). In truth, suicide seemed more Estelle's line -- especially during the Christmas holidays -- but a thief saved her the trouble, stealing all the presents and leaving her bound, gagged, and suffocated.
"Instinct tells Detective Chief Inspectors Lloyd and Judy Hill that Estelle's murder is far more complicated. At the crime scene there are too many footprints, too many fingerprints, too much conflicting evidence -- and too many suspects: an elusive burglar, a sinister next-door neighbor, the victim's secret lover, a scared kid with fresh bruises on his face. But which of them was desperate enough to commit murder?"
~~back cover
Too many is the correct descriptor for this book. I'm delighted this is the last in the series. I only pushed on reading them because of a subplot that advanced achingly slowly from book to book. And now it's all neatly wrapped up. Rejoicing all round.
"Instinct tells Detective Chief Inspectors Lloyd and Judy Hill that Estelle's murder is far more complicated. At the crime scene there are too many footprints, too many fingerprints, too much conflicting evidence -- and too many suspects: an elusive burglar, a sinister next-door neighbor, the victim's secret lover, a scared kid with fresh bruises on his face. But which of them was desperate enough to commit murder?"
~~back cover
Too many is the correct descriptor for this book. I'm delighted this is the last in the series. I only pushed on reading them because of a subplot that advanced achingly slowly from book to book. And now it's all neatly wrapped up. Rejoicing all round.
October 31, 2022
stelle Bignall is found dead in her home, apparently the victim of a burglary gone wrong. She is tied up and gagged, and she has suffocated. WAs it an accident? Did the gag cause her to suffocate?
When Detective Chief Inspector Lloyd begins to examine the body and the case, he soon discovers more than one possible suspect, more than one possible scenario. Along with his paramour, the hugely pregnant Inspector Judy Hill, he takes apart each of the possibilities and looks for inconsistencies in the stories of witnesses.
There are several. Figuring out which person is telling the truth, which persons are simply mistaken, which are lying, is a big job. It is not helped by the victim's husband being part of a theater group (she had been, too, but did not attend this night's rehearsal), and the theater group members each have something to add.
Yet they somehow piece it together.
It was a well-plotted procedural, with some interesting characters. I didn't become attached to any of them but the book kept me reading.
When Detective Chief Inspector Lloyd begins to examine the body and the case, he soon discovers more than one possible suspect, more than one possible scenario. Along with his paramour, the hugely pregnant Inspector Judy Hill, he takes apart each of the possibilities and looks for inconsistencies in the stories of witnesses.
There are several. Figuring out which person is telling the truth, which persons are simply mistaken, which are lying, is a big job. It is not helped by the victim's husband being part of a theater group (she had been, too, but did not attend this night's rehearsal), and the theater group members each have something to add.
Yet they somehow piece it together.
It was a well-plotted procedural, with some interesting characters. I didn't become attached to any of them but the book kept me reading.
January 9, 2018
Lovely. I'm guessing there was probably swearing at some point, but I don't recall, so it must have been mild. There was some innuendo related to the crime, but that was mild, too. It was fun to read something that I could actually follow the line of reasoning on (whodunit) without getting bored. Will definitely read more.
February 11, 2018
Not quite as good as the previous few books in the series, but still good. The mystery just wasn't quite as interesting, although it was still pretty convoluted, and Lloyd and Hill don't spend as much time together in this one. The best part was Sargent Finch and the dramatic change in people's reaction to him because he cut his hair.
Two books left in the series.
Two books left in the series.
March 13, 2018
Nothing heavy, just a nice escape
I usually don't go for the lighter type of mysteries, but for the genre, it held my interest throughout and had lots of serpentine twists. Quite well written and I liked the characters so much, I'll read more of the series.
I usually don't go for the lighter type of mysteries, but for the genre, it held my interest throughout and had lots of serpentine twists. Quite well written and I liked the characters so much, I'll read more of the series.
March 11, 2022
I didn’t guess who had done it.
Well written. Easy reading. Turns and twists worthy of Agatha. Carefully crafted with interesting characters. I recommend it without qualifications.
Well written. Easy reading. Turns and twists worthy of Agatha. Carefully crafted with interesting characters. I recommend it without qualifications.
March 20, 2019
Excellent. Highly recommended.
June 30, 2020
I enjoyed it.
December 14, 2024
There are some very questionable commas, but this murder mystery has some satisfying twists and turns.
December 22, 2024
Very well written, kept me guessing at every chapter. Lloyd and Hill are great characters, and all the extra characters give the book character. Would recommend!!
December 28, 2024
Murdle is better
November 16, 2025
I didn't guess who dunnit (or how dunnit).
November 26, 2025
This book was 230 pages and it took me like 130 to really get into it lol I ended up really enjoying it and the twists were super good!
February 5, 2026
Thrilling
May 29, 2014
RATING: 3.5
Detective Chief Inspector Lloyd and Judy Hill have been involved for a long time. As the book opens, Judy Hill is 8 months pregnant, and Lloyd is struggling to show that he's not a fossil but rather will be a new-age father to their child, which was not the case with his first family where he had a more traditional relationship with his wife. Judy is being rather cranky, so Lloyd is anxiously trying to please her when he decides to go along to a rehearsal of her amateur theater group which is about to present Cinderella. During the rehearsal, one of the cast members, Dr. Carl Bignall, receives some bad news. His home has been broken into and his wife, Estelle, killed.
Lloyd is called to the scene of the crime. Working with Detective Sergeant Tom Finch, they sort through a mass of iron-clad alibis and suspicious behavior on the part of some of the witnesses. Why is Eric Watson, the Bignall's next-door neighbor and former cop, so unwilling to talk about what he saw? How did Ryan Chester, son of the Bignall's cleaning lady end up with a sack of their Christmas presents taken from the scene which he was selling to his contacts? And then there's his younger brother, Dexter, who was seen running away from the scene of the crime. Could Estelle have taken on a lover who ended up killing her?
Everyone has a convincing story to tell and seems perfectly innocent. Finch and Lloyd puzzle over the timing of the crime. There's about a 45-minute window where most of the activity took place. They test theory after theory (which did feel rather redundant after a while), each time running into some niggling detail or another that proves them wrong. They almost get it right
several times, only to find that they've made an incorrect assumption. Finally, they find the truth.
I haven't read the previous books in this series, but I gather that generally Lloyd partners up with Judy Hill in the investigations. He comes up with all sorts of wild ideas about what happened, and Judy applies logic to bring his theories closer to reality. In this book, she is working from home since she is 8 months pregnant and is only tangentially involved in anything to do with the crime.
The book is pretty much a standard police procedural. The plot was nicely complex, and the characterization well done. In one respect I didn't feel McGown played fair in that she let you in on what the characters were thinking in their own minds, and those thoughts were often misleading if you took them literally. There was a nice variety of suspicious characters, making it just difficult enough to figure out who was the killer.
Detective Chief Inspector Lloyd and Judy Hill have been involved for a long time. As the book opens, Judy Hill is 8 months pregnant, and Lloyd is struggling to show that he's not a fossil but rather will be a new-age father to their child, which was not the case with his first family where he had a more traditional relationship with his wife. Judy is being rather cranky, so Lloyd is anxiously trying to please her when he decides to go along to a rehearsal of her amateur theater group which is about to present Cinderella. During the rehearsal, one of the cast members, Dr. Carl Bignall, receives some bad news. His home has been broken into and his wife, Estelle, killed.
Lloyd is called to the scene of the crime. Working with Detective Sergeant Tom Finch, they sort through a mass of iron-clad alibis and suspicious behavior on the part of some of the witnesses. Why is Eric Watson, the Bignall's next-door neighbor and former cop, so unwilling to talk about what he saw? How did Ryan Chester, son of the Bignall's cleaning lady end up with a sack of their Christmas presents taken from the scene which he was selling to his contacts? And then there's his younger brother, Dexter, who was seen running away from the scene of the crime. Could Estelle have taken on a lover who ended up killing her?
Everyone has a convincing story to tell and seems perfectly innocent. Finch and Lloyd puzzle over the timing of the crime. There's about a 45-minute window where most of the activity took place. They test theory after theory (which did feel rather redundant after a while), each time running into some niggling detail or another that proves them wrong. They almost get it right
several times, only to find that they've made an incorrect assumption. Finally, they find the truth.
I haven't read the previous books in this series, but I gather that generally Lloyd partners up with Judy Hill in the investigations. He comes up with all sorts of wild ideas about what happened, and Judy applies logic to bring his theories closer to reality. In this book, she is working from home since she is 8 months pregnant and is only tangentially involved in anything to do with the crime.
The book is pretty much a standard police procedural. The plot was nicely complex, and the characterization well done. In one respect I didn't feel McGown played fair in that she let you in on what the characters were thinking in their own minds, and those thoughts were often misleading if you took them literally. There was a nice variety of suspicious characters, making it just difficult enough to figure out who was the killer.
August 21, 2008
Listening to PBS one day, I heard an interview with Jill McGown about her latest book. These summer reruns make havoc of our lives. The woman is in her grave these 15 months, and I was looking for her latest work.
Well, accidentally, while browsing the shelves of the Takoma Park DC library, one of those charming boxes funded by Andrew Carnegie, I happend to see McGown's name and checked out a mystery called SCENE OF CRIME. That sounds like the caveman in the GEICO adds giving the title of a movie or documentary; but who's knows what ? lurks in the hearts of authors?
I feel cheated. Apparantly there is one of those steamy romances brewing between Inspector Lloyd and Judy Hill...all of this in romantic Glascow and environs. By the time I got to one of the books, she is slightly preggers with Lloyd's child, is tentative about marrying the bloke, yet they rationate about the case despite the obvious behind the scenes drama.
Well, I give the book a B. McGown does some very clever plotting by ascribing passages to most of the characters which may point to their guilt in the murder of Estelle. The cast is described with lively brush strokes...coppers, and swagmen and porn masters...all this in a little town.
True confessions; it was a page turner; I wanted desperately to find out who dunnit, so I could finish the book. That's scant praise, and I am truly sorry I did not read an earlier book when Judy and Inspector Lloyd thought they hated each other.
Well, accidentally, while browsing the shelves of the Takoma Park DC library, one of those charming boxes funded by Andrew Carnegie, I happend to see McGown's name and checked out a mystery called SCENE OF CRIME. That sounds like the caveman in the GEICO adds giving the title of a movie or documentary; but who's knows what ? lurks in the hearts of authors?
I feel cheated. Apparantly there is one of those steamy romances brewing between Inspector Lloyd and Judy Hill...all of this in romantic Glascow and environs. By the time I got to one of the books, she is slightly preggers with Lloyd's child, is tentative about marrying the bloke, yet they rationate about the case despite the obvious behind the scenes drama.
Well, I give the book a B. McGown does some very clever plotting by ascribing passages to most of the characters which may point to their guilt in the murder of Estelle. The cast is described with lively brush strokes...coppers, and swagmen and porn masters...all this in a little town.
True confessions; it was a page turner; I wanted desperately to find out who dunnit, so I could finish the book. That's scant praise, and I am truly sorry I did not read an earlier book when Judy and Inspector Lloyd thought they hated each other.
July 20, 2025
This is the eleventh book in the author's police procedural series (13 books) featuring Detective Chief Inspector Lloyd and Detective Chief Inspector Hill. I first came across this series in the early 1990s and have read them all at least once.
This is the third time I have read this and while when I started to read it again I had not remembered much about it after a few pages I spotted the clue which revealed the murderer. This did not stop me from enjoying reading it again.
Judy Hill has just been promoted to Detective Chief Inspector and so she is not directly involved in Lloyd's investigation but she does point out some crucial things. Just before Christmas a woman is found dead at the scene of a burglary and as ever there are various suspects. It is a complicated plot but the characters are believable and there are some nice touches of humour too.
The writing is better than the writing in most of the books I have read this year (2025) and I am really glad that I decided to re-read this series.
This is the third time I have read this and while when I started to read it again I had not remembered much about it after a few pages I spotted the clue which revealed the murderer. This did not stop me from enjoying reading it again.
Judy Hill has just been promoted to Detective Chief Inspector and so she is not directly involved in Lloyd's investigation but she does point out some crucial things. Just before Christmas a woman is found dead at the scene of a burglary and as ever there are various suspects. It is a complicated plot but the characters are believable and there are some nice touches of humour too.
The writing is better than the writing in most of the books I have read this year (2025) and I am really glad that I decided to re-read this series.
December 5, 2013
I have only read the books from this series which my library has available, so that would be 5, 7 & 9. I will charitably assume that a lot of character development was done before I came in and that is why Judy & Lloyd are so bland and nondescript. Finch is the only officer I find remotely interesting.
That said, the mystery aspect of each plot has been decent enough and this one was far better than the previous book I'd read (Plots and Errors). It didn't drag as much and wasn't totally confusing at the end.
All in all, I'd read other books in this series if they came across my path, but I won't go to any trouble to seek them out.
That said, the mystery aspect of each plot has been decent enough and this one was far better than the previous book I'd read (Plots and Errors). It didn't drag as much and wasn't totally confusing at the end.
All in all, I'd read other books in this series if they came across my path, but I won't go to any trouble to seek them out.
July 16, 2015
If you like complex mysteries where most of the details are given but require a focused, analytical mind to sort the essential from the chaff, then this book may appeal to you. I, frankly, got lost in the myriad details surrounding the crime, especially the number of suspects for the murder and the various thefts. One would need to create a timeline to keep straight who was where and when. The author's technique of including first person accounts for pretty much all the characters -- the detectives, the suspects and even the deceased -- made for a slightly muddled effect. I really didn't identify with the "good guys" as much as I did with the "bad guys". The author does explain it all. I'd give it a 3.5 for a strong mystery elements, but it was a little overdone for my tastes.
April 12, 2011
Detective Chief Inspector Judy Hill is in the Riverside Theatre group when there is a violent death of the wife of the amateur playwright. It seems like there are just too many suspects - the petty thief, his brother who has unexplained bruises, the neighbor, the Doctor's partner, the partner's wife - or some random burglar.
September 8, 2008
Not what I had hoped for, which was more along the lines of Josephine Tey or Ngaio Marsh, just b/c McGown's British. This one was a little more gritty, procedural, than the cozies I favor. I probably won't read more of the series--the detective couple wasn't compelling enough.
November 6, 2015
Another very good Jill McGown mystery with the detectives, Lloyd and Hill....an intriguing series....wish I had been able to read the books in order after reading the first one but our library only carries 4 different copies and now I have read them all.....
January 24, 2026
Enjoyed this one! I love finding a new mystery author and this was a nice tight story. Not too gritty, not too cozy. I'll be keeping an eye out for the author's other books.
Thank you to the publisher for the copy of this book for review.
Thank you to the publisher for the copy of this book for review.
December 7, 2010
Less complicated than the plot of the last book in this series but very fiendish; one of those everyone could've done it but no one seems to've done it kind of things. Nice.
December 9, 2010
It was good though not too original.
August 20, 2016
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11372452
Released!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11372452
Released!
June 19, 2013
Decent crime thriller but not one of the greats!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews