An open-and-shut case becomes one of Inspector Alvarez’s knottiest investigations in a mystery that “will have you . . . longing for a Majorcan cookbook” (Kirkus Reviews).
Inspector Alvarez is just considering whether he can surreptitiously leave work early when a colleague calls to tell him that an Englishman has been found dead in his car in his garage, the engine on and the tank empty. Alvarez, chafing over the prospect of missing one of his cousin Dolores’s delicious meals, proceeds to the scene, but his hopes of a quick and easy case are dashed—for while Señor Sterne was found in a car full of fumes, the coroner insists that the cause of death could not have been carbon-monoxide poisoning.
But who could have wanted the wealthy philanderer dead? Lots of people, as Inspector Alvarez soon learns. The list includes Sterne’s ex-wife, his adult children, a former paramour who claims she was promised a painting worth thirty-five thousand euros, and many cuckolded husbands. With his boss, the irascible Superior Chief Salas, breathing down his neck, Alvarez must rule out suspects one-by-one until he discovers the real culprit. On the trail of a wily killer, the cognac-loving detective quickly realizes that he only knows one thing for sure: When everybody’s got something to hide, the truth is harder to catch than an afternoon nap.
“Solid plotting, whimsical and engaging characters, understated humor, and relaxed style . . . Another winner in a thoroughly enjoyable series.” —Booklist
樂天KOBO
