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Selected Crime Fiction Reviews
Selected Crime Fiction Reviews
One of the pleasures of this series of eight crime novels by Andrew Taylor is that the principal characters appear in all of them and we can follow their relationships from beginning to end. In this instance readers should certainly start with the first book if at all possible. Each novel features a different crime mystery of course, usually murder, but you will miss out on the subtleties of character development if you start elsewhere.
Andrew Taylor is a prolific author and those who follow his work will know that he has turned his hand to first-rate historical fiction of late, but this series is my particular favourite. An Air That Kills was first published in 1994 and the others followed over a period of twelve years allowing Andrew Taylor to fully inhabit his characters and give them a full and complex life. The setting for all of the stories is Lydmouth, a small county town with all the provincial attitudes you would expect in the late 1950s.
The first person we meet is Jill Francis on the train from Paddington, keen to escape London and stay with her oldest friends, Philip and Charlotte Wemyss-Brown. Her journalistic career has fizzled out because of personal circumstances and she is unsure of what to do next after a period of rest and recuperation.
Elswhere in the town, bomb site clearance is still a priority and workmen discover the bones of a child's hand, a silver brooch and fragments of the local paper. At about the same time a violent robbery has occurred at Masterman's, the local jewellery shop, and the newly promoted Detective Inspector Richard Thornhill, a newcomer recently transferred from the Fens, starts investigating both events. He is an enigmatic man, appearing formal and arrogant to some, including Jill Francis, but has an intuitive understanding of human beings that he feels he must conceal, especially from colleagues.
There is a murder, hardened criminals from London seem to be involved, Jill Francis's ex-lover makes an appearance, Charlotte, the owner of the local newspaper, is a natural busybody obsessed with organising everyone to her satisfaction.
This sets the scene for an excellent series of novels where we follow the fortunes of all of these people over several years and several murders. The repressive atmosphere of a small town is masterfully evoked, the petty jealousies, the social pressures to conform to what were, even then, outdated standards. Highly recommended for those who like a well-constructed and complex saga.
Amazon offers the paperback for £9.99 yet only £1.99 for the Kindle download. A true bargain!