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A Fine Italian Hand

Inspector Charlie Salter is back, and mystery fans will rejoice. Everybody loves Charlie, especially when he gets himself involved in a murder case that's sure to cause trouble for him and for the Toronto police. Actor Alec Hunter has been found knifed and strangled at the none-too-elegant Days 'R' Done Motel, the kind of place where drug deals and hour-long rentals are common and almost-famous clients are rare. What was Alec doing in such a sleazy place? And who was the Italian-looking gentleman who registered for the room? The police first assume that the mob has disposed of Alec to settle some gambling debts. But the mob denies the charge, and Italians in general are outraged at the suggestion. Charlie's job is to calm the community and find the killer. Alec had borrowed a thousand dollars from his girlfriend on Sunday night, and had next gone to visit his great-aunt at a nursing home. After that, the movements that led to his death at the seedy motel are a mystery. Charlie's concentration is not helped by an apparently serendipitous encounter with an old would-be girlfriend. He knew Julie Peters more than thirty years ago, and her reappearance reminds him of some unanswered questions left from their past. Wife Annie is away, so Charlie has time and opportunity to investigate both Alec Hunter's death and Julie's reappearance. Once again, it is Charlie Salter who is at the heart of award-winning author Eric Wright's novel. Salter begins this time in the grip of a powerful nostalgia, but he is policeman enough to pay attention to the small details that lead him to a killer.

  • Format
  • paperback
  • Pages
  • 252
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9780373261437
  • Genres
  • mystery, canada
  • Release date
  • 1994