The Padre - Peter Eversleigh -- and his wife Pamela arrive in the village of Temple Burton to intitiate a social revolution. It is just after World War II; and Eversleigh wants the ex-service men and women like themselves to lead a new movement for justice and reform. There are inflammatory speeches in the pub; and as a muscular Christian, Eversleigh leads a party to approach the mean-spirited local rector, Joseph Horlock, for permission to hold a meeting.
But Horlock is dead; and Eversleigh's considerable energies are diverted to investigating the death. At first it looks like an accident, but the Padre's investigations reveal there is more to it than that. Aided by the narrator, Michael Daring, he dashes about the countryside ruffling feathers and digging up the ancient history of the rector's household. Despite his efforts, there are two more deaths before the mystery is finally resolved.
There is some interest in the Padre's schemes of social reform, which appear to be based on a Chestertonian notion of good-natured communism, but a shortage of suspects makes the investigation itself rather dull. Daring is a typical Watson, understanding nothing and failing to draw the obvious conclusions; there is rather too much psychology; and the Padre keeps a vital clue all to himself until near the end. I also had reservations about the cause of death: would a Commando knife falling from ceiling height really gain enough momentum to penetrate a human skull?
These aside, the book is well-written and depicts its village environment convincingly enough. The Padre is appealing -- though not, perhaps, as appealing as the author thinks -- and it looks as though he might have been intended to become a series character. Any more known about this prolific but obscure author?
Jon.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
