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The Malcontenta: A Brock and Kolla Mystery
The Malcontenta: A Brock and Kolla Mystery
The Malcontenta: A Brock and Kolla Mystery
Ebook397 pages6 hours

The Malcontenta: A Brock and Kolla Mystery

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Following Barry Maitland's first mystery, The Marx Sisters, Detective Sergeant Kathy Kolla and Detective Chief Inspector David Brock of Scotland Yard return in The Malcontenta, which won Australia's Edgar Award, the Ned Kelly Award for Crime Fiction, when it was first published.

Kathy is on temporary assignment away from London with the Family and Juvenile Crime division. Desperate to escape the second-rate duties assigned to her, she jumps at the chance to investigate the unnatural death of a young physiotherapist at an exclusive local naturopathic spa. Very soon it becomes clear that the apparent suicide is fraught with complications. Is a cover-up taking place to protect the reputations of wealthy clients? Or was the cause of death really suicide? Taken off the case before she has the chance to discover the truth, Kathy turns to Brock for help. But when Brock poses as a client, they both learn that spas are not always good for your health—especially if you’re a target for murder.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherArcade
Release dateApr 29, 2013
ISBN9781611459487
The Malcontenta: A Brock and Kolla Mystery
Author

Barry Maitland

Barry Maitland is the author of several mystery novels featuring D.C.I. David Brock and Det. Sgt. Kathy Kolla, including All My Enemies, No Trace, and The Raven's Eye. Born in Scotland and raised in London, Maitland lives in Australia. His work has been a finalist for the Barry Award, the John Creasey Award, and the winner of the Ned Kelley Award.

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Rating: 3.694915201694915 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

59 ratings6 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'm still enjoying these, but this one was very complicated. I think I should have kept notes on the whereabouts of the Canada Cover. I have learnt something about stamp collecting, and am enjoying the slow burn Kathy/Leon romance (at least I hope that's what it will be).I kind of guessed the ending, although not all of it. These would be even better honestly if they were one or two degrees less convoluted.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Chalon Heads is the fourth installment of the series featuring DCI Brock and his partner, Kathy Kolla. As the book opens, Brock and Kolla are called to speak with Sammy Starling, a career criminal who some years earlier had been arrested, but turned the tables on the police force by handing them some dirty policemen. Now Starling wants Brock's help because his wife, Eva (much younger than Starling) has, it seems, been abducted, and the kidnappers want Sammy to buy a very valuable Chalon Head stamp at an upcoming auction, rather than money, as the price of Eva's return. Brock & his fellow officers agree to help, but something goes terribly wrong in the process, leading to Brock's ouster from the case. It will be up to Kolla to take the lead in the investigation, but too many people are keeping secrets that they do not wish to reveal, making her job a most difficult one. Add to that a number of suspects, all with axes to grind -- and you have a mystery novel that will keep you reading. As a police procedural, it's good, but the further into the investigation the principals get, the more complicated the story becomes, making it a bit difficult at times to keep up. The overall story is well done, and there's a solid mystery here with an ending that I didn't see coming. I would certainly recommend this novel to readers of British mysteries and police procedurals. If you're a cozy reader, this might be a bit dark but at the same time, it's not as gritty as more hard-core police procedurals I've read, falling somewhere nicely in the middle.Overall -- not bad, and it's on to the next Kolla and Brock mystery novel.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book reminds me of the old detective stories which involved old fashioned police work. Thoroughly e njoyable read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    One of the more gruesome of the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very good entry in this excellent series. Lots to learn about stamp collecting and forgeries. Once more, old and new crimes mesh to require complex solutions. Brock under siege and Kolla to the rescue
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Clever story.Good characters.Well written.Kept my interest throughout.Would definitely read others in the series.

Book preview

The Malcontenta - Barry Maitland

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