by Scott Corbett
Published 1971
In this third volume of the Inspector Tearle series, the Inspector begins the book with a cavity. And, like so many of us, he is not terribly excited about visiting the dentist.
One of the things I especially loved about this book were the descriptions Corbett gives us of the dentist. The other secondary characters are a lot of fun, too, but I get the feeling that the Inspector’s view on dentists closely reflect those of the writer (indeed, the book is dedicated to a dentist!). “Old Sarge” also makes an appearance in this book, adding to the small-town flavor that make these books so much fun.
Paul Frame, incidentally, illustrated these, and I love his line drawings so much. He illustrated a lot of books in the 1960’s and 70’s; I frequently stumble across then (Trixie Belden and Katie John come to mind).
All in all, this was another fun read about small-town “crime,” enjoyable and lighthearted. 4/5.
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