The Deer Leap by Martha Grimes (1985)

 

This is Richard Jury #6.

Major characters:

• Una Quick, whose last act was a very long phone call
• Dr. Farnsworth, the village doctor
• Polly Praed, a mystery writer
• Carrie Fleet, 15-year old animal champion
• Baroness Regina de la Norte, Carrie's mother-figure
• Sebastian Grimsdale, trophy-hunter owner of the Gun Lodge
• --- Donaldson, huntsman for Grimsdale
• Amanda Crowley, mother of two troublemaker boys
• Dr. Paul Fleming, veterinarian
• John MacBride, owver of The Deer Leap
• Sally MacBride, his sexy but claustrophobic wife
• Naehle Meara, Sally's 9-year old niece

Locale: Ashdown Dean, England

Synopsis: Una Quick is sad after her dog, Pepper, dies from poison. Mystery writer Polly Praid is waiting for Una to finish up her phone call in a phone booth, and when she pushes on the door, Una falls out - dead. The doctor states it was heart failure.

Other cats and dogs have been disappearing in town, much to the concern of animal rescuer Carrie Fleet, who takes care of a number of strays and orphan animals at the home of Baroness Regina de la Norte, where she lives. Rumors of abductions by a local research lab abound. Carrie's nemesis is Sebastian Grimsdale, owner of the Gun Lodge, and a big trophy hunter.

Carrie interrupts two boys - sons of Amanda Crowley - in the process of abusing a cat, which she rescues.

The other lodge in town is The Deer Leap, run by John MacBride and his sexy but claustrophic wife Sally MacBride. Sally is discovered dead after being locked in a small playhouse behind the inn.

Superintendent Richard Jury investigates the two deaths, and also looks into an apparent extortion scheme to get money from Baroness Regina, over something in Carrie's past which is unknown. Jury puts Melrose Plant at Gun Lodge to spy on Grimsdale to pick up local gossip - while he is there, hunstman Donaldson (rumored to have an affair with Sally MacBride) is mauled and killed by Grimsdale's own dogs. Now Jury has three deaths on his plate.

Review:

This is a dark one, with intentional injuries to children and animals. Sensitive animal lovers may want to pass on it due to descriptions of injured animals and descriptions of research lab animals.

• Likes: Saucy secretary Fiona Clingmore is always fun as she flirts with Jury (Did Ian Fleming come up with that name?) Cyril the office cat is always enjoyable as he puts cat-hater Racer in his place. Mrs. Wasserman lightens up and even ventures out of her apartment to hoist a few at the pub.
  
  
• Dislikes: No appearance by Melrose's posturing Aunt Agatha. Melrose is also called upon to do something quite out of character to protect Jury. High body count (6). Messy shoot-em-up ending.

This title has a number of things which seem out of place in the Jury series. I was surprised at Jury's romantic interlude in the puzzle maze (isn't he on duty?) and by Melrose Plant's unexpected overreaction and use of a weapon to take out someone.

Note: Readers may be unfamiliar (as I was) with Carrie's activity of "unstopping earths". I found that earth-stopping meant "the act of blocking a fox's earth (burrow) while it is absent, so it is forced to stay above ground" as an illegal act to keep a fox active in a hunt. Thus, unstopping earths is cleaning out the burrows so the fox hax a chance to escape the hunters.