DEATH IN THE RAIN

Back to the West Country with wily poacher Dan Mallett (Fire in the Barley, Snare in the Dark), who's still trying to avoid regular employment while accumulating funds for his old mother's arthritic-hip operation. This time Dan finds himself a suspect in the murder of Mrs. Gweyneth Addison, found dead in the apartment of her pathetic, alcoholic neighbor Lady Dodds-Freeman--who has just sold the family silver for £5000 cash. Was Mrs. Addison killed while trying to prevent a thief from making off with the cash (now missing)? So it seems. And neither Dan nor his new girlfriend Natasha (would-be actress, sometime cleaning lady to Lady D.) can come up with an alibi for the night in question. Thus, with help from old Mrs. Mallett, who fancies Natasha more than Dan's previous girls, the twosome must found out whodunit--while avoiding the clutches of the police. The suspects, some of whom turn out to be blackmailing each other, are an unexciting crew of locals; the windup is pale. But, with Mrs. M. as eager, arthritic co-sleuth, this less rural episode has much of the dry, humorous charm that made previous Malletts so unpretentiously agreeable.