CONFESSIONAL

by Anthony Masters ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 15, 1994

In an unimpressive series debut by Masters (with Nicholas Barker, Red Ice, 1987, etc.), French Detective Chief Inspector Marius Larche of Interpol is asked by his old friend Eduardo Tomas, a Spanish politician, to foil his would-be assassin. Larche dismisses his friend's fears and then is horrified to hear of Tomas's murder in a church confessional. Although too late to save his friend's life, Larche travels to Spain to ease his own guilt by aiding in the murder investigation. When he gets to Molino, the Tomas family's ancestral island home, Larche discovers that the Spaniard's death was not the simple political assassination he had previously believed it to be. Furthermore, Larche realizes that the assassin is still at large on the island. When both his British colleague Alison Rowe -- who's there to pursue another branch of the investigation -- and Tomas's brother are found murdered on the beach, Larche steps up his investigation and discovers that nearby Sebastia -- charming fishing village by day, site of wild bacchanalias by night -- plays an important role in the mystery. The key to the murders will be found in the Tomas family's connection with the seedier side of Sebastia. Masters spends so much time giving his characters unusual histories that he barely has any left to devote to his mystery. As for the intended series, we can only hope that Larche will improve with age.

Pub Date: Aug. 15, 1994

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 224

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1994

Categories: FICTION