Rendered Incapable by A B Morgan
Meat really is Murder when the Quirks investigate a Manx Mystery.
Rendered Incapable is the fourth instalment of The Quirk Files, a series of cosy crime novels by A B Morgan.
Private investigators Connie and Peddyr Quirk meet more than they bargained for. Combining a short break at an idyllic farm on the Isle of Man with a routine probe into the mysterious background of butcher Nick Popadopoulos, they discover that instead of the ex-army officer he pretends to be, he is a serial philanderer and a financial fraudster. Could he also be a murderer? Uncovering the truth means scratching under the surface of the tourism and business communities on the island. It soon becomes clear that the pigs on the farm are not the only ones who should worry about the new sausage meat machine.
The story opens with nasty Nick trapped in a huge metal vat by two of the women he has wronged. How he ended up there is then explained as the Quirks lay bare the full extent of his treacherous duplicity. Even worse lies in store for Nick, though, as the book reaches its shocking and exciting climax.
Rendered Incapable was my first encounter with the well-named Quirks. As a stand-alone book, it worked well enough for me to make me look for more in the Quirk Files series. Peddyr Quirk is a smart investigator and an action man. His wife Connie complements him with her intuitive skills. The plot races along, some of the many characters also featuring in a strong and overlapping sub-plot.
All fans of complex, cosy crime will love Rendered Incapable.
Huge thanks to A B Morgan for her engaging story, and to Rebecca and Adrian of Hobeck Books for letting me read an advance copy of Rendered Incapable.
Nick Edmunds
Author of Miles Away.
