THE DEADLY SIDE OF THE SQUARE

Murder and skulduggery at a moldering block of flats in Sebastopol Square as somebody seems intent on clearing out the aging tenants, mostly WW II refugees, to make room for tomorrow's luxury living. Is it Ronnie Flower, the shopkeeper's son, and his sluttish girlfriend Denise? Inquisitive rent-collector Hubert Ringham? Estate- agent Kenneth Deacon? The safety of the last surviving tenant, tough old bird Sophie Mendel, depends on her doctor, Maggie Hollis, and Maggie's new boarder, Bill Seago, American-raised son of the last victim, who join forces against the killer, some nasty neighborhood toughs, and jealous Kenneth, whom Bill replaces in Maggie's bed. No surprises here, but the pervasive atmosphere of menacing urban blight is as quietly, unnervingly effective as the melodrama of last year's The Toy Cupboard.