Status
Available
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Collection
Publication
Penguin
Description
James Scotland, a young pathologist, decides on a quiet holiday in Melchester, but amid the cathedral town's quiet medieval atmosphere, he finds a hornet's nest of church politics, town and country rivalries, and murder. He is called upon to investigate and finds that some very curious alliances between the church, state and business exist. With modern forensic pathology he unravels the unvarnished truth about Melchester, but not before a spot of unexpected romance intervenes.
User reviews
LibraryThing member mrtall
A young but exhausted pathologist takes a holiday at the cathedral school where he once taught. But soon the Archdeacon's dead, and it's hard to find anyone who didn't bear him a grudge. I had only recently heard of Michael Gilbert, and was very pleased with this taut, stylish cozy-with-an-edge.
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I'll be reading more of Gilbert soon. Show Less
LibraryThing member cmbohn
James Scotland, a young pathologist, has been overworking himself and goes to visit a friend in a quiet cathedral town. But the town is in the middle of a heated battle within the cathedral and against the town as well. The dean and the archdeacon are the two opposing forces, and when the
I really enjoyed this book. It's a little hard to categorize. In some ways, it is a cozy, with the closed range of suspects and the amateur sleuth. In some ways, it is a classic British police story, except that the police are not very well represented. And in some ways, it is a forensic crime mystery. But however I might categorize it, I was very pleased to find that for the first time in a while, I was completely unaware of the identity of the murderer until the very last moment. Nicely done.
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archdeacon becomes ill at a large luncheon, not too many folks are sad to learn of his death. But Scotland is not content to ascribe the death to natural causes. It must have been murder; and it will take his skill and his contacts as a forensic pathologist to track down the killer.I really enjoyed this book. It's a little hard to categorize. In some ways, it is a cozy, with the closed range of suspects and the amateur sleuth. In some ways, it is a classic British police story, except that the police are not very well represented. And in some ways, it is a forensic crime mystery. But however I might categorize it, I was very pleased to find that for the first time in a while, I was completely unaware of the identity of the murderer until the very last moment. Nicely done.
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LibraryThing member antiquary
Poisoning of a businesslike archdeacon who is pushing for the sale of some cathedral land to a group of mildly shady developers. The cathedral dean --a tough former missionary --is suspected. James Scotland, a hardworking young pathologist on holiday, investigates, somewhat distracted by his
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growing love for the dean's daughter. The ending wraps everything up neatly in almost VIctorian fashion: ervry minor character properly rewarded or punished, including the villain, who is the next thing to a minor character. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Edgar Award (Nominee — Novel — 1985)
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Shortlist — 1983)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
216 p.; 22 cm