CLASSIC MISTAKE

A part-time car detective is dropped into yet another nasty case of murder.     

Jack Colby, who restores classic cars and sometimes finds stolen cars for the police, considers himself lucky that his marriage to beautiful, sexy, self-centered Eva ended long ago when she decamped with their daughter, Cara, and Mexican band leader Carlos. But when Carlos is found murdered on a towpath on the nearby River Medway and fiery Eva is in the frame, Jack investigates for Cara’s sake. At the same time, he’s trying to recover a stolen Morris Minor—a Moggie to the initiate—for lovely young Daisy, who was given the car by her gran, Belinda, a Thunderbird-driving beauty who definitely doesn’t look like a gran. Both cases may be linked to a shooting in 1978 at the May Tree pub, where the thieves who’d stolen a valuable collection of ancient gold had a fatal falling-out. The gold vanished along with one of the gang members and the wife of another. Ten years later, Carlos formed the Charros, a popular Mexican band, then deserted it to run off with Eva. The remaining band members have hated him ever since one of their number, the son of one of the gold thieves, committed suicide. Even so, the former Charros still get together for annual reunions. Jack finds the Moggie hidden in the garage of an archaeologist with Alzheimer's who used to hang out at the May Tree and whose caregiver is not only the Charros’ former singer, but was also Carlos’ lover before he fled with Eva. When he’s murdered, the Moggie vanishes again, and Jack must unravel the complicated relationships that conceal the real killer.     

For a man who prefers a peaceful life, Jack (Classic Calls the Shots, 2012, etc.) certainly gets his share of tough cases. This one will keep you guessing till the last.