"A Late Phoenix"

Catherine Aird's fourth mystery to feature the work of Detective-Inspector C. D. Sloan, "A Late Phoenix," is the subject of today's review on the Classic Mysteries podcast. You can listen to the full review here.

In this 1970 novel, Sloan is faced with the problem of how to solve a murder that happened nearly thirty years earlier, during the German bombing runs on England during World War II. Workman excavating a bomb site in the town of Berebury discover the skeleton of a young woman - but a bullet lodged in the skeleton makes it clear that this was a case of murder. Yet, according to the records, nobody was ever reported missing at the time. So Sloan must try to identify the victim and then try to solve her murder. As he will discover, somebody in town wants to make very sure that the murder - and murderer - is never uncovered.

It's a delightful novel, written with Aird's usual dry humor. C. D. Sloan is an eminently likeable character, and he's really worth knowing. If you haven't met him yet, this might be a good introduction.