The “star” of this book is Robert Blair, a small-town lawyer who has spent his life in moderate tranquility, living with a maiden aunt, playing golf on his off hours, and working mostly with people who want their wills written. As the novel opens, he is sitting down to his habitual afternoon tea: At 3:50 on every working day Miss Tuff bore into his office a lacquer tray covered with a fair white cloth and bearing a cup of tea in blue-patterned chine, and, on a plate to match, two biscuits.
Suddenly the monotony rankles him. “Isn’t there more to life?”
he wonders. Within moments he receives a desperate phone call from a woman he has
never met pleading with him to help prove her innocence. His life changes abruptly
as he is drawn into the troubles of Marion Sharpe and her elderly mother who
have been accused of kidnapping a 15-year-old girl.
The rest of
the novel shows Robert acting as amateur sleuth, following up every possible lead
to discover the truth. With all the evidence against them, the reader sometimes
wonders if the Sharpe women are lying to him, which adds to the tension of the
story. Though most of the townspeople turn against Marion and her mother, there
is a rich cast of characters who risk their standing in the community to support
them and they do their best to help Robert solve the case.
The
characters are well drawn and the writing is lovely. There is a hint of romance,
but it takes a back seat to the mystery. I liked this book when I read it a few
years ago, but I loved it this time around because of the excellent audiobook
narrated by Karen Cass.
This was an
especially timely read because it shows how trusting people can be of the media, never questioning if something in print might be true or not. Tey is not heavy-handed
about this, but it is interwoven into the story in a way that kept me chuckling
throughout.
No comments:
Post a Comment