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Elizabeth Lemarchand
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Alibi For A Corpse (Pollard & Toye Investigations Book 3) Kindle Edition

by Elizabeth Lemarchand (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 380 ratings
Another case for Pollard & Toye! Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, M C Beaton, Sophie Hannah and Faith Martin.

Dark secrets lurk behind every door…

The peace of the English countryside is shattered one August morning by the discovery of a skeleton in the boot of a dumped car.

A murder has been uncovered and when Detective Superintendent Pollard and Detective Sergeant Toye arrive on the scene they discover that this hamlet buried deep in the country is not so calm a place as it first appears.

The inhabitants of the secluded village of Twiggadon, from Derek Wainwright, owner of the land where the body was found, to Henry Stobart, who has a skeleton or two in his own cupboard, are reluctant to air their individual secrets and offer the investigators little help.

Further complicating matters are the events that surrounded the apparent murder, which include a flood that caused the death of another man, a couple of family feuds and an odd case of mistaken identification.

How do you narrow down the suspects when the only person with an alibi is the corpse…?

Alibi For A Corpse is the third cosy village mystery in the Pollard & Toye crime series: an intriguing police procedural set in rural England.

'An exceptional crime novel cunningly constructed and dense with human strangeness and mystery … Miss Lemarchand has clearly emerged as a significant name in crime fiction' – Western Morning News

'With humor, skillful plotting and a thorough knowledge of police procedure, Lemarchand adds this solid and satisfying mystery to her previous Pollard and Toye adventures' – Publisher’s Weekly

'Nice atmospheric writing, and a plot that plays scrupulously fair with the reader' – Coventry Evening Telegraph

'In the best Agatha Christie tradition' – Argosy

THE POLLARD & TOYE INVESTIGATIONS SERIES
Book One: Death of an Old Girl
Book Two: The Affacombe Affair
Book Three: Alibi for a Corpse
Book Four: Death on Doomsday
Book Five: Cyanide With Compliments
Book Six: No Vacation From Murder
Book Seven: Buried in the Past
Book Eight: Step in the Dark
Book Nine: Unhappy Returns
Book Ten: Suddenly While Gardening
Book Eleven: Change for the Worse
Book Twelve: Nothing to Do with the Case
Book Thirteen: Troubled Waters
Book Fourteen: The Wheel Turns
Book Fifteen: Light Through Glass
Book Sixteen: Who Goes Home?
Book Seventeen: The Glade Manor Murder
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  1. Book 3 of 17
    Pollard & Toye Investigations
  2. Print length
    233 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    November 8, 2018
  6. File size
    3.0 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Shop this series

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There are 17 books in this series.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The discovery of a year-old skeleton in a car dump poses a sticky problem for Scotland Yard detectives Pollard and Toye. First of all, the identity of the dead man must be established. However, the inhabitants of the inbred village of Twiggadonfrom Derek Wainwright, owner of the land where the body was found, to Henry Stobart, who has a skeleton or two in his own cupboardare reluctant to air their individual secrets and offer the investigators little help. Further complicating matters are the events that surrounded the apparent murder, which include a flood that caused the death of another man, a couple of family feuds and an odd case of mistaken identification, which provides an alibi for the only party who seemingly doesn't need itnamely, the corpse in the car dump. With humor, skillful plotting and a thorough knowledge of police procedure, Lemarchand adds this solid and satisfying mystery to her previous Pollard and Toye adventures. February 15
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07HVSRQZ6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 8, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.0 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 233 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1912786305
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 3 of 17 ‏ : ‎ Pollard & Toye Investigations
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 380 ratings

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Elizabeth Lemarchand

Elizabeth Lemarchand

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
380 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the mystery quality of the book, with one review highlighting its well-crafted plot. Moreover, the book features interesting characters, and customers find it well worth the read.

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Mystery qualityCharacter developmentValue for money
7 customers mention "Mystery quality"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the mystery quality of the book, with one customer specifically praising its high standards of plot.

"I have been looking for these wonderful mysteries by Elizabeth LeMarchand for years. I found a couple in ex library hardbacks, but not this one...." Read more

"Love the Pollard & Toye stories & this is great. Well worth the read." Read more

"At last, a good, old fashioned mystery with excellent writing, a twisting and turning plot and fully developed, interesting characters set in the..." Read more

"Lots of hidden family secrets, quirky characters, creepy countryside, and a skeleton in the boot of a junked car...." Read more

5 customers mention "Character development"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, finding them interesting, with one customer noting that the main characters appeared early in the story.

"Really liked that the main characters showed up early in the book. Nice to have background, but the main characters need to be early in the book." Read more

"...This book has some fun characters, like the nine-year-old twins with detective fever, the local witch who communes with the dead and reads minds,..." Read more

"...There were also some interesting characters. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was that the book was slow-paced...." Read more

"...twisting and turning plot and fully developed, interesting characters set in the English countryside...." Read more

5 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well worth the read, with one mentioning it's a great third book in the series.

"...They are worth reading in spite if flaws. I plan to buy the rest of them." Read more

"Love the Pollard & Toye stories & this is great. Well worth the read." Read more

"At last, a good, old fashioned mystery with excellent writing, a twisting and turning plot and fully developed, interesting characters set in the..." Read more

"This series is really very good. Written in 1969 there are no cell phones, etc. Really makes policing tough especially out in the boonies." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great third book in series
    Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Really liked that the main characters showed up early in the book.
    Nice to have background, but the main characters need to be early in the book.
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  • YetiKitty
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good Classic English Mysteries
    Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Good read if you like classic English mystery and I do. For me they a real find and based on the writing would have gotten another star but I have nits to pick.

    I have read 10 of these so far including my old paperbacks I have reread so my criticism is based on the average, not just one book.

    1) They start too slowly with a few chapters of unnecessary exposition. After the first couple of books I skipped the beginning and had no trouble figuring out what had gone on before.

    2) The trouble with skipping a few chapters is that you no longer have a novel but a novella. The books are short anyway and the author probably had to add the opening to bring them up to a salable length.

    3) some of the deductions are so impossible they sound more like fortune telling than police work. I refuse to believe there is any kind of expert who can tell, by examining a bare skeleton, that the deceased had longish hair that had once been bleached but had grown out exposing a few inches of brown roots.

    They are worth reading in spite if flaws. I plan to buy the rest of them.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Carolyn B
    5.0 out of 5 stars So glad to see these books back
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I have been looking for these wonderful mysteries by Elizabeth LeMarchand for years. I found a couple in ex library hardbacks, but not this one. I have been using an electronic reader for so long that I find reading a paper book difficult. This particular mystery more than lived up to the high standards of plot and characterization that I have come to expect from this author. I was thrilled to see these books in electronic format on Amazon I hope Amazon will re publish the entire series.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Patto
    4.0 out of 5 stars A mystery skeleton baffles Inspector Pollack
    Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2019
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    A skeleton is found in a junkyard in the trunk of an old car. The case takes Detective Superintendent Tom Pollack to a remote hamlet rich in odd happenings and peculiar people.

    The victim had perfect teeth and sound bones — no dental work or old fractures to give the police a clue. A lot of drudge work is needed before Pollack can even begin to speculate about identity. This book has some fun characters, like the nine-year-old twins with detective fever, the local witch who communes with the dead and reads minds, and the local curmudgeon who guards his privacy obsessively.

    But most of all, this is a police procedural steeped in investigative detail. I found it a bit tedious at times. I really liked the first two mysteries I read by Elizabeth LeMarchand, but I’m a bit less enthusiastic about this one. I’ll try the next book, though, because Elizabeth Lemarchand is a good writer.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Website's Mom
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not my favorite by a long shot
    Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The story centers around a corpse found in the boot of an old car. Who is it? How did he die?
    Helpful
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  • Jane
    5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2020
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Love the Pollard & Toye stories & this is great. Well worth the read.
    Helpful
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  • J. A. Mine
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and different murder mystery.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This mystery novel was purchased in a Kindle edition. The investigation of a mysterious corpse found in an automobile graveyard was done thoroughly and carefully by Pollard and Toye as has been the case in the first two novels of this series. There were also some interesting characters. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was that the book was slow-paced. Perhaps this was more common in British mysteries of the late 1960's to early 1970's, but I don't remember it as being so. I'm old enough to make an educated guess.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Tripower53
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2018
    Format: Kindle
    5 stars

    Nine-year old twins find a skeleton in a car trunk. They and their parents are on a visit to a local manor house in Twiggadon that they inherited from a crusty old cousin who held a long grudge against that branch of the family. They have never been there before – or so the father Mr. Derek Wainwright says.

    The local police are completely frustrated by the case and Detective Superintendent Pollard and his sidekick DS Toye are called in to investigate the case. As Pollard and Toye interview and toss around theories and scenarios, they are getting nowhere fast. No one claims to have seen any action around the abandoned car, no one had seen any strangers in the area – well there are lots of hikers around in the summer. But who pays attention to them. Pollard and Toye are leaning toward a finding of the body’s being local and he was placed in the trunk by a local. But they don’t even have a clue who the man was; he had no dental work and no obvious injuries. Where to start?

    During their interviews, they meet all kinds of people, some odd, some sincere. There is a kindly farmer, a snotty elderly man, a maid/cook who is hiding something, the owner of the manor who is also hiding something, a self-styled medium and so on.

    It is possible that the skeleton may be a young man by the name of Steve Mullins. He was in the area at the right time and the description the locals give him fit the body. As the investigation drags on, Pollard and Toye begin to make some small progress. At least they think they are making progress. Those who have not quite told the truth are revealed and their secrets told at last. A young man who was drowned in a nearby flood figures into the story. It seems he might have been misidentified on purpose.

    This is a very well written and plotted cozy mystery. It is very well thought out. There is not a wasted word in the book. The transitions are relatively smooth and the story flows nicely. Superintendent Pollard has an understated way of questioning witnesses that is disarming. He is very clear in his questioning and doesn’t get rattled easily. There was enough background information given so as to make the Pollard seem more real, but not so much that it intruded on the story. I enjoyed the rather formal writing style of Elizabeth Lemarchand. The various dialects are very well done. I really liked this book and immediately went to Amazon to purchase the previous books in this series. I am very much looking forward to getting to them in my TBR pile.

    I want to thank NetGalley and Sapere Books for giving me the opportunity to read, enjoy and review this book.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Pam C Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Alibi for Murder
    Reviewed in Australia on January 31, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    It wa ok
    Report
  • BGS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Another difficult case for Detective Superintendent Pollard and Detective Sergeant Toye to deal with. The Wainwright family have just inherited a property in the countryside from an elderly Aunt. On their arrival the twins set off to explore while the couple inspect the property with the resident housekeeper Nora Pearce, later on the twins return to say that they have discovered a skeleton in the boot of an old car. The local police arrive but quickly call in Scotland Yard as the skeleton doesn’t match any local missing person from their area. It is up to Pollard and Toye to discover the identity of the skeleton and to find his killer.
    Report
  • Mr. A.J. PENDLEBURY
    4.0 out of 5 stars A most promising " new " series of reissues .
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 15, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    As I have said before ,any publicity which mentions cosy or Christie or even village should be treated with scepticism . The crime is brutal ;there are disturbing undercurrents with many of the characters and it is more hamlets surrounded by small towns.

    There are many aspects to this book which will be familiar with Freeman Wills Crofts fans ...bleak moorland...complex alibis ...a feeling of despair for the senior police and above all an Assistant Commissioner who bears close similarity to that of AC Ellison ..Chief Inspector French's boss.

    The characters of the Wainrights are quite well done as is the growing partnership between Pollard and Toye. In true Gadetection manner ,meals are not neglected. This is a series that I think would appeal to many readers of Gadection who also want to see it working in a slightly more modern age.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly fascinating
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 31, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Set amidst the glorious Devon countryside, this exciting murder mystery, featuring the very likeable duo of Scotland Yard detectives, Pollard and Toye, keeps the reader enthralled throughout. Highly recommended.
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  • Jill Howes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good author
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 2, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Excellent tale. Good author - will read more.
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