The Salton Killings

Rating:
Summary: The best of the series
Review: This is the first Chief Inspector Woodend/Sgt Bob Rutter mystery and it is definitely the best of the series. This dark and intriguing novel is set in the early 1960s and makes for very compelling reading.

When the strangled body of teenager Diane Thorburn is found, the local police force decide to ask for 'outside' help -- just in-case things go horribly pear shaped, the people from Scotland Yard will get the blame and not the local force of Salton. Chief Inspector Woodend, also known as Cloggin'-it Charlie, is sent to handle things. Woodend is not exactly the flavor of the month at Scotland Yard; in fact more than one of his superiors hope that he will really fail at his task, so that they will be able to justify getting rid of him altogether. To this end, they have provided him with a new sergeant, Bob Rutter. Rutter is part of the new guard: a young man of good education, who believes that investigating crime is a matter of employing the various scientific skills of observation, evidence and criminal profiling. He is appalled at being teamed up with Woodend who prefers using old fashioned investigating skills, local knowledge/gossip and Charles Dickens's novels as a guide.

But as the investigation takes flight Rutter begins to see why Woodend's ways garner results. Because this unfortunate murder seems not to be the first of its kind. Before long, they discover that over the years there have been a spate of unfortunate 'deaths' -- all of teenage girls and going all the way back to 1942. Woodend and Rutter seem to have a serial killer on their hands! There seems to be no dearth of suspects; and the people of the town with their own secrets to protect are reluctant to come forward with useful information. And Woodend and Rutter begin to fear that they may run out of time before the killer strikes again.

This was an engrossing mystery that maintained its grip on me till the very last page. The later mysteries in this series are good too, however "The Salton Killings" is definitely the best of the lot and is a treat that should not be missed.