Select one of the keywords
Who Killed Callaway?: A Murder Mystery    by John Rhodes Amazon.com order for
Who Killed Callaway?
by John Rhodes
Order:  USA  Can
iUniverse, 2007 (2007)
Hardcover, Softcover
* * *   Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth

The scene: Kings School - an exclusive private boarding school for the sons of the British upper classes. What's wrong with this scene? There happens to be a dead student with a knife sticking out of his chest. The school rules it suicide! Chief Inspector Thomas Ford of Scotland Yard disagrees with this conclusion and sets about finding who is responsible.

The school authorities want to avoid negative publicity. Ford is haunted by bad memories of his years as a student at Kings School, as well as by his memories of being in the trenches during the Great War. A roiling mix becomes ever more interesting as more and more suspects are added to his list of candidates for the role of murderer.

Although schoolboys are involved, this is not about children. Scheming, greedy, officious adults are at the forefront of this extremely well-plotted story. Ford is blocked at every turn. Action carries the theme ever onward to a satisfying conclusion and he manages to bring the surprising culprit to justice. The characterizations are right on the money. The reader can feel a small boy's anguish as he tells of the horrors he is forced to endure simply because he is a lower school classman. The arrogance of one of the trustees is not to be believed and will set your teeth on edge - maybe even make you want to belt her one.

I found the background of the school intriguing. We have all heard of the very English boarding schools. As a mother, I find it inconceivable that I would send a son to one of them after hearing the stories that are rampant about students' mistreatment by both fellow students and masters.

Overall, Who Killed Callaway? is as fine a mystery as one can hope for.

Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.

Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews