Not a detective story, but a Wallace-style murderless thriller about a gang of crooks with a manor house who operate -- as is customary in the genre -- by drawing as much attention to themselves as possible. Peter Bavent is a convalescing soldier who moves into a cottage in the village of Fleet Trinity while the owner, Admiral Milden, is away. His neighbour James Soane is a short-sighted eccentric who likes to keep the house lights blazing at night while he wanders around restlessly. Becky Sherwood is an attractive local painter with unexplained links to Soane -- unexplained to Bavent, that is, but not to the reader, whom the author favours with a god's-eye-view of the whole thing.
Despite the lack of suspense and its predictable outcome, The Fleet Hall Inheritance is surprisingly readable. The characters are engaging and the reader feels some sympathy for the over-ingenious Soane and his cronies. Fans of Edgar Wallace and JS Fletcher will find plenty to reminisce about here. I'll be seeking out more by this author.
Jon.| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
