The Butcher Beyond

May 1, 2003
DCI Charlie Woodend looks into a 30-year-old murder case that sent, he becomes convinced, an innocent woman to the gallows.

October 1, 2004
British detective Charlie Woodend takes a holiday in 1960s Spain, where the iron rule of Generalissimo Franco continues to inspire fear and loathing. But what was supposed to be a pleasure trip turns into a busman's holiday when the guest in the next hotel room, also British, plunges to his death off the balcony. After rushing to investigate, Woodend is "detained for questioning" by the malevolent Captain Lopez of the Guardia Civil. Once released, Woodend learns that the British government wants him to work with Lopez to investigate the case. Helped by a former Spanish cop turned private investigator, Woodend eventually discovers a tragic story that began with a catastrophic event during the war. A solid addition to an entertaining period procedural series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)

January 15, 2005
Detective Chief Inspector Woodend's vacation in Spain is interrupted when he witnesses the suspicious death of a fellow vacationer. Helped by a former Spanish policeman, Woodend raises more questions about the victim than he answers and must journey into the past for results. Good plot and dependable prose.

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