The Hissing of the Silent Lonely Room: The Fifth Detective Inspector Christy Kennedy Mystery

United Kingdom: Do Not Press, 2002. 1st ed.,with complete number line beginning with 1. Fine in dust jacket, not price clipped, with protective mylar cover. "...The death of singer/songwriter Esther Bluewood appears to be another tragic rock 'n' roll story a sensitive, suicide-prone star succumbs too young. Her carefully arranged body is found near the open oven door; she had a history of failed suicide attempts; and her husband, a lover and a nanny are all eager to pronounce the death a suicide. But Kennedy, an admirer of Bluewood's classic album Axis; Kennedy's on-again off-again lover, journalist ann rea (always lower case); and others aren't so sure. The team's cautious and thorough approach to the forensic evidence is matched by a thorough probing into the tangled, tortuous relationships Bluewood forged while coming to terms with her craft. Charles paints a convincing portrait of an artist who fashioned her art out of her own pain and managed to give it near universal appeal. The parasites feeding off her success are not a pretty lot, but did one of them cause her death, and if so, how? A good puzzle, memorable characters and an elegant, if not simple, solution should help move Charles's series into the top rank of British police procedurals. " PW. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. Book.