‘A Lurking Primrose’ by Suzette A. Hill

Published by Severn House,
2 July 2024.
ISBN: 978-0-7278-9041-2 (HB)

 Set in the late 1950s, our story opens with the staff of the local prep school, Erasmus, gathered around their agitated headmaster Mr Winchbrooke. The school inspectors are paying us a visit to do a full reconnaissance, he said. We may be old and established but we must show ourselves to be dynamic and go-ahead.  Several suggestions were made, some as outlandish as enrolling girls, but Winchbrooke winced, and said there was no room for skipping ropes and dolls’ houses. Then the geography teacher came up with the idea of replacing the paintings of sheep and Sussex churches that adorn the wall of the main corridor, with vibrant abstracts. The idea seemed sound until it was realised that someone would have to tell the artist Primrose Oughterard that her paintings were being consigned to the cellar.

Primrose meanwhile has been invited by neighbour Charles Penlow to meet Mr and Mrs Hamlyn, a new couple who had moved into Needham Court. All was going well until Douglas Hamlyn asked Primrose if she was related to the late Reverend Francis Oughterard.  Further chat revealed that Daphne Hamlyn was the cousin of poor Elizabeth Fotherington. For those not familiar with the series, the Reverend Francis Oughterard accidentally offed the annoying EF in the woods. Tut! Eventually, the conversation moved to a new topic and Primrose breathed a silent sigh of relief and ate a cake.

Although Winchbrooke had been sure that he could keep from Primrose the temporary replacement of her paintings the discovery of the body of the school’s assistant matron Miss Memling, in a Brighton hotel room clutching an empty gin bottle put paid to that. Primrose is a Trustee of the school; she needs to investigate.

The book is rich in characters, Nicolas Ingaza, whom we have met in earlier books, runs an art Gallery, and was the bane of her poor brother’s Francis’s life, and Dickie Icklington, a third former, known generally as Sickie -Dickie, is a grandson of a court judge of uncertain temper, who is also a trustee.  Then there is Mrs Dragson, the school matron who clearly disliked Miss Memling, and had been spotted by Sicky-Dickie meeting a gentleman in the school tool shed. And we mustn’t overlook Bertha Twigg, the school’s beefy gym mistress. Nor must we overlook Bouncer, the dog and Maurice the cat, who carefully observe what their mistress is up to.

Primrose sets out to investigate by engaging as many people as she can in conversation to ascertain what exactly happened to Miss Memling. She even tried wheedling some information out of Sergeant Wilding, but he just grinned and said, ‘Fishing are we, Miss Oughterard?’ and went on his way. But Primrose undeterred, continues to seek the solution to the Memling mystery?  Of course someone does most definitely not want interference from Primrose, and she finds herself caught in a very tricky situation. One from which she may not be able to extract herself. 

The story is narrated by Primrose, and letters from Emily Bartlett the secretary to her sister Hilda, and the observations of events by Bouncer and Maurice. The prose is witty, with a marvellous turn of phrase. Highly recommended.
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Reviewer. Lizzie Sirett

Suzette A. Hill was born in Eastbourne, Sussex, in 1941; but has lived in many locations - the Midlands, Nottingham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Berkshire - and finally in retirement in Ledbury, Herefordshire. Although being an English graduate of two universities and having taught ‘Eng. Lit.’ all her professional life, she never contemplated doing any creative writing herself. It was only when she was sixty-four and well retired, that out of idle curiosity she thought she might try her hand at a short story - just to see what writing fiction felt like. And to her ongoing surprise A Load of Old Bones plus its four sequels was the result. A Little Murder was the first in a new series featuring Rosie Gilchrist and followed by The VenetianVenture & A Southwold Mystery, Shot in Southwold. The Primrose Pursuit (2016), was the first book to feature Primrose Oughterard, and is a link to the original ‘Bones’ series. There are now eight books in this series.

http://www.suzetteahill.co.uk/