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In and Out

by Mat Coward

Billed as a 'Don Packham and Frank Mitchell Mystery', 'In and Out' is set in London, England. Although published in Maine as a hardback, Mat Coward's mystery books are evidently read in England primarily as paperbacks.

'In and Out' is mostly about a darts game and its team members in an old fashioned pub, the Hollow Head. On the very first page, we're introduced to the murder victim, one Yvonne Wood, known as Chalkie, because she chalked up the scores for the team although never actually playing herself. It seems that Chalkie once had a boyfriend on the team, and started chalking scores for them then - but she's been doing it for a number of years, long after said boyfriend was history.

Yvonne was killed by a concrete block which dropped on her head from the top of the door to the Ladies Room, where she had gone to visit the facilities. Placement of this murder weapon is one of the things I find hard to take in this mystery: If a concrete block of the size necessary to kill is placed on top of a door, a la the bucket of water, et al, for dumping on somebody - then that door must necessarily be part-way open. No lavatory - especially a public one - that I know of, would ever have a partly-opened door, and if it was, the facility user would certainly notice it. On top of that, it seems more likely that anyone would certainly notice a concrete block balanced on top!

The police investigators called to the crime scene in addition to the usual SOCO's are Detective Inspector Don Packham and his sidekick, Detective Constable Frank Mitchell. DI Don Packham lives alone, while DC Frank lives with his wife and new-born baby - allowing him little sleep, and even less when his superior decides to start the day at five A.M...

Suspects comprise eight members of the darts team itself, plus five other hangers-on, which include the murdered woman. The darts team also included the pub's licensee, Heather Mason, a rather unpleasant female in both looks and demeanor. Other members of the team are the two non-speaking brothers, Luke and Lee Rees, otherwise known as Bushy Bro and Baldy Bro (because of their hair or lack of it)- plus the black barrister, Kevin Lewis, Brian Gough, a stock manager for a small bathroom fittings chain, Gail Webb, employed at the call center, Clive Callow, nicknamed 'Superdart' and Sean Hall, in civil service.

Others who decidedly come under suspicion are Gail's husband, since the dectectives discover that Chalkie always had affairs only with married men, plus Di Callow, Clive's wife, who turns from shy to formidable when drinking - and Clive may have been one of Chalkie's conquests. Cliff Overton, an older man who works for a Do-It-Yourself hardware store (and uses his position in that store to intimidate the customers) was one of the 'hangers-on', as was Billy Page, who took early retirement from his job working with computers.

The actual motive for the murder is discovered, and turns out to be something unusual and unexpected - although DI Packham has to dig for it. The murderer willingly admits to the crime, but the book ends with a little doubt about whether or not Chalkie was actually dead when first found.

Most of 'In and Out' is written about interviews with the suspects listed above, and what the two detectives manage to uncover from their work. The novel is interesting, but it's not written as suspense, and it doesn't have the sparkle, the wit, or panache one tends to expect after reading work of the best mystery authors. All this, plus the fact that the main character, Don Packham, is not the most likeable detective found in fiction means I can't really recommend 'In and Out' to fans of the murder mystery. I can only hope that Mat Coward gets better in this area, if that is indeed his desire.

Alan Paul Curtis

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