Tam Buchanan is a conservative solicitor who has undertaken a legal surgery at the local community centre. His request for typing assistance secures him the services of one Fizz, soon to be a mature law student. The flaw in the arrangement is that Fizz cannot type, but she is desperate to keep the job. To this end she strikes a bargain with Donna one of the main receptionists in the centre in return for Fizz furthering her cause with Tim, with whom she is romantically enamoured.
Murray Kingston, recently released from prison for molesting his daughter, wants Tam to help him obtain sufficient evidence to convince the Procurator Fiscal to reopen the case. Fizz who has a talent for making people talk to her, persuades a reluctant Tim to take on the case offering to do all the leg work. Against his better judgement Tam agrees.
Whilst Fizz interviews witnesses and the mystery unfolds, I found the greater part of my enjoyment of the book being the interplay between Fizz determined to hold onto her job, and Tim equally determined to fire her. Her tenuous position is not improved when Donna begins to get restive about the lack of progress on her case. As she says to Fizz "He doesn't seem to be any more aware of me as a woman. even when he gives me a wave you can tell he doesn't really see me. I've seen people waving at taxis with more affection” as Fizz says "When you have nothing to bargain with, all you can do is bluff and play for time. In time, after all anything could happen: Donna could drop dead, Buchanan could drop dead, Donna could meet someone else, Buchanan could go bald, Donna could turn frigid, or Buchanan could lose his mind and fall for her off his own bat."
This is the first in this now highly acclaimed series. I cannot recommend this book to highly. It is a must for all mystery fiction readers.
James Bryce has read most of the Joyce Holms books and he has a very pleasant
voice with that lovely Scottish accent. However, the most recent of Joyce’s
books Hot Potato was read by Joe Dunlop, and he seemed to me to have a younger
voice more in keeping with the ages of both Fizz and Buchanan, which I always
assumed to be late twenties, early thirties. This is just a personal preference
and does not detract from an excellent rendering of this book..
-----
Lizzie Hayes
The earlier books in the series are Payment Deferred, Foreign Body, Bad Vibes,
Thin Ice, Mr Big and Bitter End. To learn more about Joyce visit
her web site at http://www.joyceholms.com