2008-06-09 too long by half

I was not gripped by this story. It is too long, the writing style is clumsy ("he looked like a stick insect with a fungus invading its face")and the plot relies too much on handy coincidences: finding a box of evidence in a loft; finding a key piece of information from a character who "just happened" to overhear the detective's conversation etc. etc. Also there are more flushes: "he flushed deeply" "a flush spread over her face" than a rain interval at Wimbolden. As with many British crime stories, it lacks pace and conciseness and rambles unconvincingly into quaint village life, while the policemen miss obvious clues and make unrealistic assumptions. The psychology is poor and it just fails to convince on any level really. If it had been half the length and heavily trimmed there might have been something there, but I'm sorry to say - having read the other reviews - that i was very disappointed.