Bodies

By Robert Barnard

Police superintendent Percy Trethowan found London’s Soho as colourful and full of life as every—except for the four corpses in a seedy photography studio. Shot doing a layout for Bodies, a soft-porn “health and fitness” magazine, the photographer, his assistant, and two models had left a camera loaded with film but no clues. Then one victim’s obsession with pumping iron sent Trethowan into the erotic world of body-building, where an out-of-shape policeman would learn that building biceps isbeautiful and the temptation to star in the buff in the bluest of movies could really be murder.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Release date: Nov 29, 2012
• ISBN: 9781447238713

Robert Barnard

Robert Barnard (1936-2013) was awarded the Malice Domestic Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Nero Wolfe Award, as well as the Agatha and Macavity awards. An eight-time Edgar nominee, he was a member of Britain's distinguished Detection Club, and, in May 2003, he received the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for lifetime achievement in mystery writing. 

Reviews for Bodies

[condorena · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Percy Trethowan is assigned to the case of a multiple murder in a Soho photographic studio. The bodies are found dropped in place as they were working on a layout that could be considered very soft porn. The photos were intended for a monthly magazine called Bodies which showcased everything from discretely posed nude people to healthy lifestyles and fitness.

As Perry tracks the background of the victims he is lead toward a killer that seemingly had no obvious motive because the dead people were were basically good people. The story is interesting and moves along well. I always enjoy Robert Barnard.