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THE NIGHT LORDS by Nicolas Freeling

THE NIGHT LORDS

By

Pub Date: Oct. 12th, 1978
Publisher: Pantheon

Calm, sensitive Henri Castang's fourth case--and, as so often with Inspector Castang (whose artist wife Vera is pregnant at last), the beginning is marvelous, but things bog down a bit midway along. The delicious send-off: a highly respectable Vacationing English family discovers a nude female body in the boot of their Rolls upon arrival at a three-star restaurant in Castang's district. Most embarrassing--and the kid-glove handling of the Britishers by Castang and Company provides quintessential Freeling-esque amusement. Castang, busy (even a shoot-out) with two faked suicides in his own neighborhood, must try to identify the deceased and perhaps link her to the English--who declare that she must have been planted in the car while they sojourned at Tours. Solid police work, the ever-surprising Freeling prose--a heartening improvement over last year's leaden Sabine. But some tightening would help Castang climb up to the must-read category; for now, he's still among the if-you're-in-the-moods.