Death of a Cave Dweller

Eddie Barnes, a guitarist with The Seagulls, has just been electrocuted by his amp.  It is classified as a murder.  For the Liverpool police it is going to be a difficult murder to solve, so Scotland Yard is called.  DI Charlie Woodend and DS Bob Rutter are assigned the case.

Woodend finds out that there had been a Battle of the Bands night, the night before Barnes was killed.  This puts several other groups in the picture, as well as the members of The Seagulls.

Concern is increased for the group when the manager of The Seagulls receives a not through his mail slot threatening the group.  Woodend finds out from the editor of a local music newspaper that Barnes was planning on leaving the group.  It isn't long after that that the manager is beaten very badly.

Both Woodend and Rutter have different suspects in mind, as does Inspector Hopgood, the liaison from the Liverpool police.  It is only when Woodend sees an advertisement in the music rag for a lead guitarist for The Seagulls that the replacement guitarist's life was in jeopardy.  It also allowed him to figure out who the culprit was.

Once again Sally Spencer has put together an excellent murder mystery in the Inspector Woodend series.  I look forward to reading the next in the series.