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Available
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Publication
Transworld Publishers (2000), Epub
Description
"Denton is having more than its fair share of crime. A serial killer is murdering local prostitutes; a man demolishing his garden shed uncovers a long-buried skeleton; there is an armed robbery at a local minimart and a ram raid at a jewellers. But Detective Inspector Jack Frost's main concern is for the safety of a missing eight-year-old, and soon after another girl is reported missing, her body is found . . . raped and strangled. Then Frost's prime suspect hangs himself in his cell, leaving a note blaming Frost for driving him to suicide. Coarse, insubordinate and fearless, DI Jack Frost is in serious trouble."
User reviews
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
At the risk of repeating myself, I am once again singing the praises of DI Frost and his creator, R.D. Wingfield. Winter Frost which is the 5th book in this police procedural series is as good, if not better, than his previous four. Frost is still the sloppy, funny, seemingly inept policeman that
Don’t get me wrong, these books are far from cozy, they are very dark. This time out Frost is searching for missing children and hunting a serial murderer who targets prostitutes. As one missing child turns up brutally raped and strangled, the pressure mounts. Thrown into the mix are the numerous other cases that Frost and his cronies must deal with, from armed robbery, hit-and-run accidents and the thirty year old remains of a skeleton.
These books are great reads, dark, intense, yet able to make you laugh out loud. An old-fashioned policeman, Frost very rarely goes by the book, he muddles through and eventually arrives at the correct finish. Deep down he is a very honourable man and is doing his best for the public Slightly formulaic in nature, I like to spread these reads out, and it is my great sadness that after this book I only have one more to look forward to.
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eventually solves his cases. He is still aided and abetted by a wonderful cast of characters including his dogmatic, rule imposing, boot licking superior and his new assistant who is even lazier and more slovenly than Frost himself but excels in fiddling both Frost’s expenses and the Crime Stats Report.Don’t get me wrong, these books are far from cozy, they are very dark. This time out Frost is searching for missing children and hunting a serial murderer who targets prostitutes. As one missing child turns up brutally raped and strangled, the pressure mounts. Thrown into the mix are the numerous other cases that Frost and his cronies must deal with, from armed robbery, hit-and-run accidents and the thirty year old remains of a skeleton.
These books are great reads, dark, intense, yet able to make you laugh out loud. An old-fashioned policeman, Frost very rarely goes by the book, he muddles through and eventually arrives at the correct finish. Deep down he is a very honourable man and is doing his best for the public Slightly formulaic in nature, I like to spread these reads out, and it is my great sadness that after this book I only have one more to look forward to.
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LibraryThing member edwardsgt
Usual well written Jack Frost detective novel, with humourous dialogue leavening the sometimes bleak plotline of serial killer and dead prostitute.
LibraryThing member lamour
I do not usually read mystery novels, but I find the Frost stories fun to read. In this case, Frost is looking for someone who abducts young girls, sexually assaults them and then abandons them in isolated areas. While trying to get a handle on this case, he is also trying to stopped a serial
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killer from killing more prostitutes. Other characters who hinder his investigations are his incompetent assistant, Morgan and his supervisor, Chief Superintendent Mullet whose main concern is to look good to his superiors. Wingfield's Frost novels are an odd combination of dark, evil, crime ridden streets and laugh out loud humour mainly provided by Frost's sarcasm. I could not put this book down until I reached the conclusion. Show Less
LibraryThing member ecw0647
The Frost series just keeps getting better and better. Detective Inspector Frost is in top form dealing with a serial killer of local prostitutes, a new acting inspector Liz Maud, and the continual harassment from Superintendent Mullett, who can never quite understand why Frost can never seem to
Mullett is already livid because his usual parking place had been taken by the bus when he arrived. Frost meets him in the parking lot and begins, "Your best bet is to say it was parked and some drunken sod ran into it." "That's exactly what did happen," snapped Mullett. "Good for you!" nodded Frost approvingly. "I almost believe you myself, and I can always see through a lie." Frost really has his hands full in this one. He has someone killing and molesting children, a serial rapist and killer abducting and torturing local prostitutes, a DC who keeps getting everything wrong, and then suddenly a thirty-fiveyear old skeleton pops up with its skull bashed in. Throughout he keeps making mistakes, wrong guesses, constantly flagellating himself for his errors, no doubt wishing it could be Mullett instead.
Throughout, he has to cajole, bribe, and browbeat Mullett into assigning more men to stakeouts, spending more on overtime, and signing Frost's forged receipts. Then his prime suspect commits suicide in a holding cell, claiming that Frost badgered him and humiliated an innocent man. And to make things worse, the evidence begins to point to the man's innocence. Set aside some time for this one, the ending will keep you riveted to your seat and chuckling all the while. Great stuff.
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find a filling station that provides printed receipts for his gasoline reimbursement. Fortunately, Frost has a new DC who is quite adept at completing long overdue crime statistic reports and changing "5's" to "8's" on the gasoline reimbursement forms. Lots of the scenes had me laughing out loud. He continues to have a knack at dealing with suspects: "Do you want to confess now, or shall we waste time beating you up and claiming you fell down the stairs while drunk?" Insisting that a bus load of drunken revelers be kept out of the station, fearing the mess they would make, Mullett orders them to be gotten out of the way. Frost has the inspired idea of putting them back on the bus, whereupon they steal it, driving off quickly, and smashing Mullett's new car in the process. Mullett is already livid because his usual parking place had been taken by the bus when he arrived. Frost meets him in the parking lot and begins, "Your best bet is to say it was parked and some drunken sod ran into it." "That's exactly what did happen," snapped Mullett. "Good for you!" nodded Frost approvingly. "I almost believe you myself, and I can always see through a lie." Frost really has his hands full in this one. He has someone killing and molesting children, a serial rapist and killer abducting and torturing local prostitutes, a DC who keeps getting everything wrong, and then suddenly a thirty-fiveyear old skeleton pops up with its skull bashed in. Throughout he keeps making mistakes, wrong guesses, constantly flagellating himself for his errors, no doubt wishing it could be Mullett instead.
Throughout, he has to cajole, bribe, and browbeat Mullett into assigning more men to stakeouts, spending more on overtime, and signing Frost's forged receipts. Then his prime suspect commits suicide in a holding cell, claiming that Frost badgered him and humiliated an innocent man. And to make things worse, the evidence begins to point to the man's innocence. Set aside some time for this one, the ending will keep you riveted to your seat and chuckling all the while. Great stuff.
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LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
R. D. Wingfield was primarily a writer of radio plays, most of which were broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was in one of these that Detective Inspector Frost first made his appearance, although in that initial outing he was a far more jaded and cynical character that in his subsequent television
After A Touch of Frost came to the television screens, Wingfield wrote a few ‘companion’ volumes, notable for the complexity of their multi-layered plots. While enjoyable, it was not difficult to spot that the novel was not Wingfield’s medium of choice, and that there was a certain formulaic nature to them.
Sadly this volume, published some years after Frost had become established as one of the most popular and enduring television detectives, is weaker still. At many points, the characters barely even manage to be two dimensional, and the plot is lamentable turgid. I am not sure why Wingfield bothered … and I wish I hadn’t.
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incarnation as portrayed by David Jason. After A Touch of Frost came to the television screens, Wingfield wrote a few ‘companion’ volumes, notable for the complexity of their multi-layered plots. While enjoyable, it was not difficult to spot that the novel was not Wingfield’s medium of choice, and that there was a certain formulaic nature to them.
Sadly this volume, published some years after Frost had become established as one of the most popular and enduring television detectives, is weaker still. At many points, the characters barely even manage to be two dimensional, and the plot is lamentable turgid. I am not sure why Wingfield bothered … and I wish I hadn’t.
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Awards
This Mystery is Amazing! (#3 — 2014)
Language
Physical description
512 p.; 6.8 inches
ISBN
0552147788 / 9780552147781
Local notes
A serial killer is murdering hookers, while yet another is kidnapping and killing young girls. Frost and the harassed Denton police force also face a host of lesser problems, including a drunken soccer mob, an extremely successful burglar and the discovery of a buried skeleton.