- Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (May 26 1977)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0140043349
- ISBN-13: 978-0140043341
- Product Dimensions: 18 x 10.9 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 113 g
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Patricia Moyes' chief characters are Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Tibbett and his perceptive wife, Emmy. In BLACK WIDOWER, Sir Edward Ironmonger is the ambassador to the United States from the newly independent island nation of Tampica. The death of his beautiful and temperamental wife on the eve of sensitive negotiations with the US over its Tampican naval base creates a difficult situation. Tampica has nobody qualified to conduct the investigation, but the government wishes to keep US authorities from becoming involved. Because the Tampican embassy is technically Tampican territory, even though it is located in Georgetown near Washington DC, the government exercises its sovereignty and calls in Scotland Yard's Tibbett.
This is a very competent, well-plotted mystery. It keeps you guessing right up to the end, the Tibbetts are enjoyable characters, especially if you've met them before, and the writing is smooth and easy to read. Most fans of English "country house" mysteries will find this tale fun to read. The problem, as I noted earlier, is finding a copy of this, or any of Moyes' other books. BLACK WIDOWER is the fourth book by Moyes I've read, and I've enjoyed them all, but they are increasingly hard to find and, unless they are re-printed, it may be quite a while before I read another. If you do run across one of her books, give it a try.
Sir Edward Ironmonger, sent to the US from the fictional Caribbean country Tampica, was devoted to his beautiful wife, Mavis. But many had reason to want the woman dead, some because they were incensed at the interracial marriage, some because Mavis was so stupid that she was likely to ruin Ironmonger's career, and some because of past love affairs likely to come back to haunt them. Since the crime took place at the embassy, Ironmonger's seizes the chance to avoid calling in the DC police (he's in the middle of delicate negotiations with the US Navy and doesn't want the US involved in the crime scene) and asks for help from Scotland Yard.
I'm not sure how plausible that is, and various other points seem prett unlikely. But I like the mystery and the characters enough to go along with it. The story moves quickly. The Tibbets return again and again to the Caribbean in this book, The Coconut Killings, and Angel Death. This is the first in the Caribbean series, followed by the others in that order.