Published by Serano Press,
28 August 2015.
ISBN 978-1-5152-8397-3
28 August 2015.
ISBN 978-1-5152-8397-3
A. H. Richardson has set her book
in an indeterminate Golden Age era. The delightful English village of
Little Shendon has a Midsomer Murders impression to it and the background of
behaviour, communications and relationships has a very old-fashioned feel.
The story begins with the violent
murder of Bartholomew Fynche in his antique shop, The Bygone Era. His
shop is on the High street in Little Shendon and it was well frequented in the
hours before he was struck down. This means that the local police
Inspector Burgess needs some assistance in making enquiries so he enlists his
old friend, Sir Victor Hazlitt, whose aunt lives in the big house near the
village, and Beresford Brandon, a noted Shakespearean actor. There is an
MI5 connection to the victim which is a reason for Victor’s involvement and
Beresford offers to help too.
There is need to question many of
Little Shendon’s inhabitants and they are a motley lot ranging from the lady of
the manor through the vicar, the young female librarian, the servants at the
manor, the innkeeper, a retired major, 2 American tourists and a Hungarian
countess. Amazingly they all have reasons to dislike the dead man whose
unpleasant style of behaviour had been consistent through his life.
A picture of Fyche’s actions
emerges but, as always, people do not always tell the full story. There
is a further murder related to the first. The evidence procured by the
three investigators is compiled and they formulate a theory. As in many
famous detective stories the denouement takes place at a meeting of village
inhabitants at the vicarage!
------
Reviewer:
Jennifer S. Palmer
Although she has written books in
another genre this is the first crime novel from A. H. Richardson, an
expatriate Englishwoman.
A.H. Richardson
was born in England and is the only daughter of Clive Richardson, one of
Britain’s foremost composers and concert pianists. She studied drama at LAMDA
(London Academy Music and Dramatic Art) which involved all sort of
Shakespearian roles and lots of Oscar Wilde! She is a treasured storyteller,
whose unlimited imagination conjures up challenging and unforgettable
characters, both good and evil, daring mystery fans everywhere to delve into
their own imaginations to enjoy the drama of solving the crime. The author has
always loved cosy tales of intrigue and mystery. She paints and sculpts, plays
guitar, trained dressage competitors, is a linguist, and acted on stage, film
and television. She now lives in and loves life in the U.S.A., Tennessee being
her adopted state
Jennifer
Palmer Throughout my reading life crime fiction
has been a constant interest; I really enjoyed my 15 years as an expatriate in
the Far East, the Netherlands & the USA but occasionally the solace of
closing my door to the outside world and sitting reading was highly
therapeutic. I now lecture to adults on historical topics including Famous
Historical Mysteries.
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