Faithful Unto Death: A Chief Inspector Barnaby Novel

Faithful Unto Death: A Chief Inspector Barnaby Novel

Faithful Unto Death is the fifth installment of Caroline Graham's popular Chief Inspect Barnaby Novels, and the basis for a TV episode in the Midsomer Murders series. When bored young housewife Simone Hollingsworth misses bell-ringing practice-her latest effort to find something to do-no one is surprised. In fact, if old Mrs. Molfrey, her neighbor, didn't report it to Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby, Simone's disappearance might have gone unrecorded in Fawcett Green. But ever Barnaby isn't concerned-until a body is found. Soon Barnaby is uncovering the passionate entanglements beneath the placid surface of Fawcett Green-and perhaps jeopardizing his career. Now, if he misconstrues the clue buried in Simone's garden-and a subtlety of human behavior his experienced eye should spot-a brutal killer may go free... Can you name a mystery about bell ringing? Of course-- The Nine Tailors , by Dorothy L. Sayers. How about another? Well, this book about small-town British coppers Chief Inspector Barnaby and Sergeant Troy might qualify: it begins when a young female campanologist in the village of Fawcett Green fails to show up for practice. Was Simone Hollingsworth kidnapped for ransom? Was her doting new husband involved? Or does her disappearance have something to do with her snooping neighbors--especially the neighbor's obsessive daughter? As she did so well in Written in Blood , Caroline Graham captures the inwardly seething inhabitants of a supposedly placid village with the skill of an expert entomologist observing an anthill. And Barnaby and Troy are once again the perfect pair: the chief inspector's calm introspection is a fine match for the younger, brasher officer's occasional outbursts and blunders. Not the least of Graham's accomplishments is keeping the subgenre of the traditional British village mystery fresh and meaningful. --Dick Adler Inspector Barnaby (Written in Blood, LJ 3/1/95) arrives in Fawcett Green looking for clues to the disappearance of a bell-ringer and the subsequent murder of her husband. Great stuff for British procedural fans. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. Here's an intricate and shocking British mystery, the latest installment in the Chief Inspector Barnaby series. When a young married woman disappears, nearly everyone in the village of Fawcett Green has an opinion. Did she leave her husband? Was she murdered? Did she just wander off, planning to return eventually? Barnaby collects a lot of theories--but not much hard evidence--as he tries to determine if a crime has even been committed. Readers who follow the engaging chief inspector on his seemingly pointless quest for answers will be amply rewarded: the conclusion of this excellent novel is truly surprising--plausible and satisfying, yet from far enough out in left field to be entirely unexpected. What begins as a seemingly typical British small-town mystery ends as an eyebrow-raising shocker that will leave readers feeling a little dizzy. Lovers of British mysteries who haven't yet sampled Graham's work will find this an excellent place to start. David Pitt A rewarding entry in the British police genre featuring reflective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby and his frequently obnoxious sidekick Sergeant Troy (Written in Blood, 1995 etc.). The tiny, gossipy village of Fawcett Green is on Barnabys turf, and strange things are happening there. Beautiful, fragile blond Simone Hollingsworth has disappeared in what soon appears to be a kidnaping for ransom, and her adoring husband is drinking himself into oblivion at Nightingales, their overdecorated house. Next door at the Larches live uptight Reg and Iris Brockley and their cruelly plain daughter Brenda, who is secretly obsessed with Hollingsworth. Her parents keep a sharp eye on their neighbor until Brenda, too, vanishes. When Hollingsworth is found dead of a prescription drug overdosea goodbye message on his computerBarnaby is unconvinced its suicide. His attention turns to Gray Patterson, cheated in business by Hollingsworth and once arrested for attacking him. But Pattersons energies seem focused now on Sarah Lawson, a reticent artist living in Bay Tree Cottage whose coming and goings carry their own mystery. The complex resolution of all this and more leaves Barnaby in a state of mind that combines satisfaction with frustration. Graham writes in an old-fashioned waywith leisurely grace, ironic wit, real-seeming characters, ongoing suspense, and a corker of a plot. The result: top-flight entertainment. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. “Barnaby applies his logical mind to the many false clues in this cunning case, but it takes all his acquired insights into human psychology to distinguish the killer from all the other cuckoo characters who live and thrive in the mad, mad world of Fawcett Green.” ― The New York Times Book Review “Simply the best detective writer since Agatha Christie.” ― The Sunday Times of London “Satisfies on