SOLVED. Mystery with Unknowing Incest Relationship; a teenage or early twenties boy and girl, are in love. In the course of the investigation of the murder victim, they learn that they either are siblings or half siblings [s]

[Bargle]

It's a mystery set in GB, part of a series. The lead detective character isn't likeable, a deliberate choice of the author, I think.

In this book, two of the characters, a teenage or early twenties boy and girl, are in love. In the course of the investigation of the murder victim, they learn that they either are siblings or half siblings. The girl becomes very depressed and hangs herself, something which doesn't trouble the detective very much.

I read 2 or 3 books in the series before I realized the lead detective was unlikeable on purpose.

ETA: Odd bit I've remembered. A female character says to him one time, "You're in love with me, aren't you?" or something similar. He wasn't, she was mistaken.

ETA: The lovers were half brother and sister. Their father was something of a local Lothario and I think he was the murder victim in the story.

ETA: I think the detective was in his 30s or early 40s.

ETA: The couple don't find out they are half siblings until 2/3s or more into the book.

[Bargle]

Forgot to mention, I read in the 80s or 90s. It was set in contemporary times.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Lovejoy was very unlikeable, for me. I only read one in the series.

https://www.goodreads.com/series/5110...

[Bargle]

Nope, not Lovejoy. In the one I'm looking for, the character was a police detective, not an amateur. Thanks for trying.

Odd bit I've remembered. A female character says to him one time, "You're in love with me, aren't you?" or something similar. He wasn't, she was mistaken.

[M—]

Reminds me of the plot of Grave Sight (first in series), where teen lovers unknowingly commit incest due to their parents' infidelity and then die, but it published well outside of your time frame.

ETA: Remember Me fits with your time frame better, has teen lovers who are later discovered to be half-siblings, and a murder victim who was thought to have committed suicide. The detective was written as a disreputable drunk, but the book revealed he had a reason for that -- and I don't know if he shows up in the later books of the series.

[Feliks]

Under The Lake

[Bargle]

M, sorry, but neither is it. There were no paranormal or supernatural elements, just a straightforward mystery.

Feliks, not that one either. Mine was set in the UK, not U.S.

Thanks to both of you for for trying, though. :-)

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

What year was the book published, or what years were the series published? If you don't know, what year(s) did you read it or them?

Does the detective work for Scotland Yard or some other police body? Was the setting urban or rural?

[Bargle]

As I said back in message #2, I read it in the 80s or 90s.

Setting was urban, I think, but not London. I don't recall if he was on loan from Scotland Yard or was from the local force.

[M—]

A Great Deliverance? First novel of the Inspector Lynley series, contemporary UK setting. I seem to remember one of the books involving secret illegitimate children? Lynley was written as stuffy, and I (for one) didn't like him.

ETA for title correction. I'm really not up my mysteries...

[Bargle]

Inspector Lynley? Possibly, M. I've got the first book coming from the library. We'll see.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

OMG, I LOVE Inspector Lynley. Absolutely adore him. I've read every single Lynley book. That particular plot doesn't ring a bell, but I forget 90% of the plots...

I wouldn't call him unlikeable, just very direct. Okay, yes, he did leave his best friend crippled in an auto accident, but he feels the occasional twinge of guilt about it. And Simon forgave him.

[Bargle]

Well, I got "A Great Deliverance" and it isn't the book. It has an incest relationship, but not the one I'm recalling.

I have remembered a little more detail. The lovers were half brother and sister. Their father was something of a local Lothario and I think he was the murder victim in the story.

I did look at some synopses of other books in the series, but nothing rang a bell.

Thanks for suggestion anyway, M. :)

[M—]

Sorry it wasn't the one you were looking for. Hope you enjoyed the read anyway!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category...

Maybe one of the detectives on the list will strike your memory.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Is it Inspector Morse? Female characters were constantly hot for him, and he was always hot for the chicks, so one of them thinking the other one was in love with them and being mistaken is entirely possible.

I don't specifically remember an incest plot but I haven't read all the Morse books. Set in Oxford. Colin Dexter.

[Brenda]

One of the Peter Lovesey Peter Diamond mysteries, maybe? I've only read one or two of them, so not sure if any of them fit your plot. Diamond is pretty unlikeable in the ones I've read.

[Bargle]

Not Inspector Morse or Peter Diamond, though I recently acquired the first Diamond book and will be reading it soon.

Lobstergirl, I'm checking names on that list. but nothing pops out at me.

Thanks, you two.

[Bargle]

Another minor detail. I think the detective was in his 30s or early 40s.

[Lauren]

Sounds like something by Ruth Rendell - the Inspector Wexford series perhaps.

Perhaps or

[Bargle]

Well, I went through all the detectives on the list, including Inspector Wexford, and no luck.

I'm pretty sure the detective I'm looking for was single. He may have had a girlfriend, but wasn't married, at least not in the ones I read.

Thanks for trying, Lobstergirl and Lauren.

[Mir]

I vaguely remember a British (author or setting, not sure) mystery where it turned out that (view spoiler)[ the couple were being blackmailed over being half-siblings, and maybe the guy was the killer? (hide spoiler)]. But that was basically the end resolution. There might have been some art or travel element -- I feel like Greece or the Etruscans came up in some context.

[Bargle]

No, that's a different book. In the one I'm trying to identify the couple didn't find out they were half siblings until near the end and the girl commited suicide shortly thereafter.

Thanks for trying , though. You never know what will trigger a memory.

[Hilarion]

Was the author perhaps John Lawton (Inspector Troy), or Charles Todd (Inspector Rutledge)? The theme seems applicable.

[Bargle]

No, not Inspector Rutledge. The Inspector Troy stories are set too far in the past. The one I'm looking for was set in times contemporary to when it was published. 80s or early 90s.

Thanks for trying.

[Savannah]

Flowers in the attic by V.C Andrews maybe, but not really a mystery

[Andria]

The Killings At Badger's Drift came up when I searched mysteries, England, & incest.

And it's most definitely NOT Flowers in the Attic.

[Brenda]

I'm not the OP, but the details of The Killings At Badger's Drift don't match. The couple knows their relationship is incest from the start, and the two detectives are both married. The sidekick Troy is very unlikeable, however.

[Bargle]

Nope, not any of those. Thanks for trying, everyone.

[Bargle]

Suggested on another board and eliminated. The Inspector Gently stories by Alan Hunter.

[Bargle]

Suggested over at Librarything by JoLynnsbooks, the Inspector Jurnet stories by S. T. Haymon. I found mention of a bit of story element I think I recognize. Jurnet is studying to convert to Judaism so his girlfriend will marry him. The first book, Death and the Pregnant Virgin doesn't match, but a description I found for the 3rd book in the series, Stately Homicide does have an incest element. My local library system doesn't have that one anymore, so I've got it coming via interlibray loan. That usually takes a few weeks.

[Kate]

We look forward to knowing the answer!

[Bargle]

Yay! JoLynn got it. It was Stately Homicide, the 3rd Jurnet book. Thanks to everyone that tried to help. :-)