cover image Chipped: A Peter Marklin Mystery

Chipped: A Peter Marklin Mystery

Neville Steed. St. Martin's Press, $16.95 (216pp) ISBN 978-0-312-02558-8

This engaging third entry in the Peter Marklin mystery series ( Tinplate ; Die-Cast ) showcases its eccentric characters with wit and warm understanding. Secretary Sally Newton (``70% Charlotte Rampling and 30% Jacqueline Bisset''), who knows a friend of Marklin's, is distraught over the sudden disappearance of private detective Gregory Mann, her boyfriend and employer. Antique toy dealer and amateur sleuth Marklin takes up the search reluctantly; his first two outings in the crime field had embroiled him in unwanted dangers. True to form, as a lack of leads and an abundance of suspects confounds, Marklin endures warnings from the police, attacks from Dobermans and beatings at the hands of irate suspects. Nevertheless, with the aid of ornery fisherman Gus Tribble and the aforementioned beautiful Sally, Marklin persists with the investigation and succeeds in endangering himself further until his trembling death seems only seconds away. It's entertaining fare set in an English countryside where thatched cottages still abound, and served up with plenty of toy-biz banter. (Jan.)