Death
of a Chancellor
By
David Dickinson
At
the end of Death
of an Old Master
(also reviewed on this site), I remember saying that I looked
forward to book four of this lively series—and here it is.
Lord
Francis Powerscourt was just off to fight the Boer War, and a whodunit
set during this time would be imaginative and thrilling indeed.
But such was not to be, and I was disappointed initially at what
sounded like a rather traditional tale about murder in a quiet West
Country cathedral city. However, with the aforementioned fourth
book this series eventually takes wing and is something of a treat.
Compton
Cathedral is about to celebrate its thousandth year anniversary
Easter 1901, as the nation awaits the crowning of Edward VII. But
the chancellor has died suddenly, and his sister suspects foul play
and hires the best, Lord Powerscourt. Soon he has a huge task on
his hands, but he risks being labeled a madman if he confides his
suspicions as to what is going on in Compton.
This story really is a lot of fun, and although
I would have dearly loved to read that Boer War whodunit (which
I wistfully envisage as John Buchan with murders) this more than
passed the time. Dickinson has got into his stride with this series
after a tentative beginning and has developed his own rather tongue-in-cheek
style that is more than a crime novel. Agatha Christie called this
sort of book an “extravaganza” and the name fits the
bill. To say why would totally spoil the story, which is enjoyably
plot-driven with a good period ambience. The character of Powerscourt
still fails to engage the emotions, but I tend to think of him as
a coathanger on which to hang a good tale. Plot and imagination
notwithstanding, I still think that it is the humor I enjoyed the
most, something which is lacking in too many crime novels, but here
it is used to good effect. Just sit back and enjoy this one.
Other
reviews in this series
Death & The Jubilee,
No 2
Death of an Old Master, No 3
Death
on the Nevskii Prospekt, No 6
Death
on the Holy Mountain, No 7
Death of a Pilgrim, No 8
Death
of a Wine Merchant,
No
Death
of a Chancellor, No
Death
Called To The Bar, No
Death in a Scarlet Coat, No 10 [review
1] [review
2]
Death
at the Jesus Hospital, No 11
|
The
Book |
Constable & Robinson |
27
January 2005 |
Hardback |
1841197785 |
Historical
Crime [1901 London and the West Country, UK] |
More
at Amazon.com US
|| UK |
The
Reviewer |
Rachel A Hyde |
Reviewed
2005 |
|