Martin Edwards's Blog, page 31

End Game - a Christmas mystery

Back in the 1990s, I wrote a Christmas story, a short story featuring my first series detective Harry Devlin. Fast forward to this year, and I was approached by Otto Penzler, owner of the legendary Mysterious Bookshop and head of the Mysterious Press, to write another. For thirty years, Otto has been commissioning writers to produce a Christmas story which he then presents as a free gift to customers of the shop in the run-up to Christmas.

As I mentioned on Monday, in the context of School of Hard Knox, I'm always very grateful for such invitations. The roll-call of authors who have written in this particular Christmas series is quite something: names like Donald E. Westlake, Ed McBain, Andrew Klavan, Mary Higgins Clark, Laura Lippman, and Jeffrey Deaver. Otto's only requirements are that the story should be set at the festive season and that the shop should be mentioned in some way.

Happily, an idea soon came to me. The result was End Game, and in many ways, it's a quintessentially British story, despite the reference to New York. There are various ingredients - Christmas, a ghost story by the fireside, and something to do with crime - and I enjoyed writing it. Just as important, Otto was happy with the result.

And just the other day I received the happy news that Otto is planning an anthology of these Christmas stories, which will include End Game. Another cause for festive celebration!

School of Hard Knox

School of Hard Knox is a just-published anthology of new short stories 'that break Father Ronald Knox's Ten Commandments for Crime Fiction'. The book is edited by a formidable trio of American crime writers, namely Donna Andrews, Greg Herren, and Art Taylor, and is published by that redoubtable imprint Crippen & Landru. I am one of the contributors, so I don't think it's appropriate for me to try to review the book, but naturally I'm very keen to talk about it! For those who would like a more objective view than I can offer, I suggest Jim Noy's review on The Invisible Event.

I was first approached with a view to contributing to the book more than a year ago. I'm always grateful when editors think of me as a prospective contributor to an anthology, not simply because it's good for morale, but mainly because the theme of the proposed book gives me a chance to stretch my imagination in a fresh direction, and that's always good. Unfortunately, it's not always possible, because of other commitments, to say yes to an approach of this kind. For instance, I've just regretfully turned down another approach from a couple of pleasant editors I've worked happily with in the past, simply because I'm too busy at present and the deadline wasn't manageable. A shame. But I felt that if I could come up with a strong enough idea related to Ronald Knox's 'rules', I'd like to have a go.

Having the right idea at the right time is crucial. When I was approached, at around the same time, to write a story for a Beatles-inspired anthology, I thought almost immediately of a story idea inspired by the song 'She's Leaving Home' - and that will be the subject of a future blog post. For the Knox book, an appropriate idea came to me quite quickly and that meant the project was feasible. After quite a lot of work, the idea morphed into a story called 'The Intruder'. Although it's entirely fictional, the setting is inspired by the immediate surroundings of my house in Lymm, and that made the writing especially enjoyable. No need to go travelling to do the research!

My fellow contributors include the three editors, Frankie Bailey (whom I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time recently, when we were both waiting for a bus in San Diego!), Marcia Talley, Dan Stashower, and Toni Kelner. And there's a wonderful bonus at the end - a very enjoyable poem by Peter Lovesey, 'Knox Vomica', which is characteristically witty and clever. A very interesting project to be part of, and I'm grateful to the editors and publishers for thinking of me and giving me the chance to contribute. 

Forgotten Book - Wake in Fright

I've had a copy of Kenneth Cook's Wake in Fright lurking on my shelves for a long time - upwards of fifteen years, I shudder to admit, even thought it boasts an intro by Peter Temple. And it's only recently that I got round to reading it. Now I'm wondering why on earth it took me so long. This is a debut novel of high calibre, chilling and memorable. 

John Grant is a school teacher who is, for financial reasons, tied to working at a remote school in a small village in the outback. As term comes to an end, he is desperate to get back to Sydney, where an attractive but distant girl called Robyn may or may not be pleased to see him again. He has just enough money to make a success of the trip.

The story has a low-key beginning, and Grant gets off the train at Bundanyabba (based on Broken Hill, a town which Cook clearly disliked) and is befriended by a local cop who is a bit of a slob. They drink together and the cop takes Grant to a gambling den. At first, Grant enjoys a winning streak. But it doesn't last...

Events become increasingly nightmarish as Grant - whose attitude towards the remote towns of the far west of Australia, and the people who live in them is condescending and negative - finds himself mixed up with a strange bunch of locals who are welcoming, but whose way of life is quite terrifying. I don't want to say more about the story than that. Anthony Boucher, who admired the book, questioned whether it is really a crime novel. Certainly, though, it has elements of suspense and menace - and yes, crimes are committed, although they are not necessarily of the kind you'd expect. Cook was obviously an interesting character, who had a rollercoaster life and career. This book and his second, Chain of Darkness, made it into the green Penguin series and I'm keen to read the latter. Wake in Fright was, incidentally, filmed in 1971, ten years after the novel was published.

Perfect Friday - 1970 film review

Perfect Friday is a fairly obscure film released in 1970 and directed by Peter Hall, better known for his work in the theatre. The cast is impressive and is led by Ursula Andress, Stanley Baker, and David Warner, with T.P. Mckenna, Garfield Morgan, and Julian Orchard also in attendance. The writers, less renowned, were Anthony Greville-Bell and Scott Forbes, and they came up with a screenplay that is uneven to say the least. But the result is very watchable.  

This is a bank heist film which teeters between comedy and drama, with some tense moments as well as one or two unexpected developments. Baker is an assistant manager at a bank, highly respectable but bored. We learn nothing much about his background and life, but when he meets Andress, his fate is sealed. He falls for her and they have an affair. He also wants to conspire with her to rob a bank. She is, however, married, to Warner, and they rope the husband into their little plot. But it's a scenario ripe for betrayal and I could see the final, by no means original, twist coming a mile off.

Before we got to that point, however, there was some enjoyable entertainment. Baker's plan involves taking advantage of the absence from the office of the senior manager to con McKenna's character (Baker's immediate superior) into believing that Warner is actually an envoy from head office, sent over to inspect the money in the bank vault. This part of the story is ingenious and well presented.

The lack of depth in the characterisation, coupled with Warner's innate eccentricity, mean that it's hard to take the key players seriously, even though Baker - as usual - delivers a strong performance. The score is by John Dankworth, but although he was a notable film composer, I found his jaunty themes intrusive. I suspect Hall wasn't quite sure what sort of film he was going to make, while the writers also seem to have been uncertain in their approach. So Perfect Friday is not a complete success, but the ingredients are genuinely interesting.

Cambridge Spies - 2003 TV series review

I missed Cambridge Spies when it was first shown on BBC2 twenty years ago, but having heard good things about it, I acquired the DVD and I've belatedly got around to watching it. I'm glad I did, because it's an entertaining account of a fascinating part of our history. When the series was first broadcast, several commentators made the point that historical accuracy is sometimes sacrificed. That's true, but of course in the murky world of spying, figuring out the precise truth is very difficult.

There's a distinct touch of glamour about the series, deriving in part from the Cambridge setting of key early scenes. This is the story of Kim Philby, Donald McLean, Guy Burgess, and Anthony Blunt, who were contemporaries at Cambridge and betrayed Britain because of a blind devotion to Russia. The casting is interesting. Toby Stephens, Rupert Penry-Jones, Tom Hollander, and Samuel West are all fine actors. What's more, they come from pretty privileged backgrounds - as does Benedict Cumberbatch, who has a smaller part - and I think their understanding of the world the spies inhabited gives their performances added zip.

Imelda Staunton, Anna Louise-Plowman, Anthony Andrews, and Ronald Pickup are among the other members of a high-calibre cast, while Peter Moffat's script copes pretty well with the extended timeline of events. Where the script doesn't work quite so well is in its failure to probe the inherent flaws of blind idealism, which are hinted at but not developed quite as effectively as they might have been.

Because of some of the blurring of historical fact, Cambridge Spies is emphatically an entertainment rather than a documentary. But it's nicely done and remains well worth watching because of the quality of the actors and the high production values.

Forgotten Book - The Manuscript Murder

In the course of his regrettably short career, Lewis Robinson, who also wrote as George Limnelius, displayed considerable flair as a mystery writer, making excellent use of his inside knowledge of military life. His best-known book is The Medbury Fort Murder, a locked room mystery of distinction that Bob Adey (who introduced me to his work) greatly admired. 
I acquired from Bob's estate Robinson's personal copy of The Manuscript Murder, published under his own name in 1933. He made a few handwritten notes on the text and also pasted on to the endpapers various reviews of the book. These included in particular a very positive notice in the Sunday Times from Dorothy L. Sayers, which must have given him enormous pleasure. My copy doesn't have a jacket and the above image comes from an excellent blog, The Grandest Game in the World
The Manuscript Murder is, as the title suggests, a 'bibliomystery', of an unusual and intriguing sort. An unconventional structural device is used in a very interesting way. A rich but disliked man dies and there is a very small pool of suspects. One of them, who is Jewish, is a detective novelist. He actually writes a story about the events leading up to the murder. But is he trying to pull the wool over the police's eyes? And what happens when another suspect then puts pen to paper?
I think this is a terrific concept and the story is well-written. The way in which the Jewish character is described would not be acceptable in a modern writer, but Robinson presents him fairly sympathetically and makes use of the antisemitic 'banter' (a loaded term) that the man suffers from his army colleagues as an element in the plot. On the whole, though, I didn't feel that the quality of the mystery quite lived up to my expectations, which were admittedly high. More could be done with this ingenious concept, I feel. But it's a laudably ambitious novel and I'm not surprised that Sayers was impressed. 

Gallows Court and an honour in Japan

 

I was thrilled to hear from my old friend Sachiko Tytler the other day. She brought news that the Japanese translation of Gallows Court has been voted Best New Comer (i.e. best crime novel to be translated into Japanese) by a group of 51 critics and other experts engaged by Hayakawa Mystery Magazine. 

The book also finished sixth overall in the list of the top ten translated crime novels, which is quite something. I've been delighted by the response to my writing in Japan and other parts of east Asia in recent times - an exciting and unexpected bonus to the writing life.

Great credit, of course, goes to my translator, Mr Kagayama. I'm really grateful for his enthusiasm for the Rachel Savernake novels. The next book in the series to be published in Japan will be Mortmain Hall.

Carol Pouliot on Country House Mysteries - guest blog

At Malice Domestic earlier this year, I had the pleasure of meeting Carol Pouliot, a charming lady whose latest book is RSVP to Murder. She's very keen on traditional mysteries and so I asked for her thoughts on some of the classic tropes. Over to you, Carol: 
'Whydo we love English country house mysteries?

 

I’vealways been drawn to this classic type of story. From childhood games of Clue (Isit Colonel Mustard or Miss Scarlet?) to my first reading of Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles, thissubgenre, which offers an escape from everyday life, has captivated myimagination. I bet you agree!

 

TheEnglish country house mystery is reliable, like an old friend. We proceedconfidently knowing the setting will charm, the characters will fascinate, theplot will challenge, and the ending will satisfy.
 
We opento chapter one and find ourselves elegantly attired, sipping champagne, andluxuriating on a velvety bench seat in a sleek automobile. Suddenly, soaring irongates loom, and our chauffeur turns onto a meandering drive. We navigate itsgentle curves, through magnificently manicured gardens, and arrive at the grandcountry mansion. Pampering and intrigue await!

 

Asthe butler greets us at the front entry, we eagerly anticipate a weekend of stunningsurroundings, fabulously good food and drink, captivating conversation, and, ofcourse, murder. The game is afoot, and we’ve got a front row seat.

 

Oneof the pleasures of the country house mystery is the cast of characters—bothupstairs and downstairs. These family members, guests, and servants are often quirky,sometimes exotic, and forever secretive. From the sleuth’s point of view, theyform a limited pool of suspects, each with a believable motive, and the meansand opportunity to have committed the crime. Many country house mysteriesfeature a reluctant detective who is on holiday. However, as the bodies beginpiling up, our sleuth can’t help but investigate.

 

The grandestate is always located in a secluded spot where the characters are cut offfrom the rest of the world, either by the location itself or by the weather,often a blizzard. These story elements increase the tension, and we find ourselvesturning the pages a bit faster now, our own reality a distant memory.

 

Aswe read, we’re pulled further into the complex world of a mystery filled withtwists and turns. We’re in a race with the sleuth, competing to see who solvesthe puzzle first. When we reach the end, we encounter a satisfying resolutionwhere all is explained and good triumphs.

 

Here’sto the English country house mystery!!'
Thanks, Carol, and here's to RSVP to Murder!

Sepulchre Street - paperback publication!

This week sees the publication - on Thursday, to be precise, of Sepulchre Street, the fourth novel in the Rachel Savernake series. You can buy it from your local bookshop or order it here on Amazon

I really enjoy writing Rachel's adventures - I'm having a whale of a time with book five, which I started recently: spoiler alert, in that one, Rachel goes to the seaside. In Sepulchre Street, there are key scenes on Romney Marsh, while the eponymous Sepulchre Street is to be found in the ancient and lovely town of Rye in East Sussex. And if American readers are wondering, the book will be published next year by Poisoned Pen Press (an imprint of Sourcebooks), under the title The House on Graveyard Lane. Different title, but same book!

And here are some of the reviews;

‘RachelSavernake is a 1930s feminist of independent means, who brings beauty andbrains to her mission to expose the seamier side of high society.

Her latestadventure finds her at a surrealist exhibition where the artist displays livemodels to re-enact violent deaths. The artist herself features as MarieAntoinette on the guillotine. A performance that turns horribly real when theblade falls.

The suicideverdict is beyond question, except that before the fatal act, the victim hadappealed to Rachel to unmask whoever had forced her to take her own life.

With astar-struck crime reporter in tow, Rachel embarks on a delightfully convolutedplot involving a glamourous courtesan with royal connections, a Soho gangsterbent on revenge and a hit man who leaves nothing to chance.

In treating usto what is as much a thriller as a traditional mystery, Edwards hits all theright notes to create a palpable hit.’

Barry Turner, Daily Mail                    

 

 

‘A fascinatingbook…Martin has done something rather magnificent here. If this was written as a pure thriller, it would be a deeply satisfyingbook, but woven throughout the thrills is a cleverly plotted mystery – with a cluefinderat the end to prove it. It’s worth reading, but I do warn the reader thatthey’ll end up repeatedly kicking themselves at the things that they missed…Allin all, this is an absolute triumph…The best book so far in an outstandingseries.’

In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel

 

‘I have a particular love of the golden age crime fiction and Sepulchre Street transports you backgloriously to the period, you can breathe in the setting, you get a real senseof time and location

For me Martin Edwards is the modern day master of the Golden Agecrime era and Sepulchre Street is theperfect example of why.

This is the fourth novel to feature Rachel Savernake andpossibly the best to date (it does though easily read as a standalone).

Here we have Rachel asked to solve a murder before it has evenhappened, but then has there even been a murder ?

The opening of the book is one of the most inventive I haveread, perfectly setting up what is to follow.

Martin Edwards poses many questions, with a wonderfullyinventive plot, the writing combines all that is good with the golden age butwith a modern day twist.

Theplotting is superbly thought out, constructed in a way that leaves a few cluesalong the way, though you may not always pick them up, the book is pacedperfectly for the period and just flows along. There are touches of the gothicwhich only heightens the reading enjoyment. In parts there is a conspiracytaking place with some definite unsavoury characters who act first then askquestions later, overall a slick and taut plot knitted together by the qualityof the writing.

Plotting though on its own is nothing if you don’t have thecharacters to match, this is another area where the book shines, it is hard notlike Rachel Savernake, strongly and fiercely independent she comes across as ano nonsense person not averse to taking a risk or two, then you have JacobFlint crime reporter for the Clarion a man who likes to get himself into tightcorners, thankfully he can rely on Rachel to come to his aid, i’m never quitesure of the relationship between the pair but it works, they look out for eachother. In this book I particularly liked the roles that Martha, Hetty andTrueman played. I love the way that characters have developed through thebooks. Martin Edwards writes characters that are relatable, you get a realsense of who each are and the period in which they live.

There is a certain humour within the book, equally its dripswith tension and drama, as it races towards the ending. Location plays itspart, the story moves seamlessly around, the way the book is written you canfeel yourself there.

One area as a reader I love about this period, is that thecrimes are solved by good old fashioned leg work and thought.

Sepulchre Street is a superb read, by a writer who knows how toengage with the reader, I was captivated throughout, the pace of the bookperfect for the times. It takes the best of the golden age and combines it witha read for today.

I find the cluefinder at the end most eluminating, well worthgoing back and re reading.

5* read which I would highly recomend and one which will appealto all, one of the year’s top reads.

Martin Edwards is a favourite author of mine, writing, plotting,character, location, setting his books have it all.’

Amwbooksreviews

 

‘I did wonder if coming into the series at book 4would present any issues, but I’m very happy to report that it didn’t – and Ifound Sepulchre Street a delight from start to finish!…a complexand deeply satisfying mystery which draws in changing identities, 1930sgangster violence, the emotional entanglements of the very high and mighty,some very worried civil servants and even a paid assassin! It’s a fascinatingmix, and thoroughly engrossing from start to finish.

It has to be said that Martin Edwards really can write. His plotting andnarrative are brilliantly done, and he weaves together marvellous threads whichculminate in some wonderfully dramatic climaxes throughout the book. SepulchreStreet itself is tucked away down in Rye, and there’s a particular section ofthe narrative which draws a number of characters to the town, all converging onthat one area and driven by different motives – really clever! There aremultiple plot elements but Edwards never loses his grip on these, and the finalresolution is one I would never have guessed!

There are so many intriguing aspects of “Sepulchre Street”, not leastthe issues which Edwards introduces. His knowledge of the period iscomprehensive, and one particular element is handled with great sensitivity(I’m trying to avoid spoilers here) He also builds in some lovely littlein-jokes and references to GA crime which I really enjoyed! The settings arevividly drawn and atmospheric, and I really felt I was inside the action – thebook is quite a page-turner. Although rooted in a period when GA crimeflourished, Edwards’ narrative introduces harder-edged elements at times, andthere is a real sense of threat, particularly from Ambrose and his cronies.They’re a nasty bunch, and although the action is not gratuitously graphic,enough is said for the reader to be very keen to avoid falling into theirclutches…

As well as plot and setting, Edwards really excels when it comes tocharacters. His players are lively, entertaining and very well conjured; I wasparticularly impressed by his ability to draw such strong female characters,and also to weave some of those issues women face into his plot without themever sounding forced. Central to the narrative, of course, is Rachel Savernakeherself, and although I haven’t read any of her previous exploits, enough wassaid about her backstory for me to fill in her past. The daughter of grim JudgeSavernake, she seems to have had a childhood under his thumb which went to formher singular character. Self-taught, as were her loyal band of retainers theTruemans (who are more like friends and colleagues), she combines beauty and intelligence,and is a most engaging heroine. I loved how she always seemed in completecontrol, particularly when Jacob is failing to cope!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this clever, absorbing and entertaining book; itsucceeds on all levels, mixing a wonderfully conjured Golden Age setting withexcellent plot and characters, and the pace never flags. I was on tenterhooksat some points in the story, rooting for the goodies and deploring the baddies;but the story is never simplistic, and Edwards has his characters display somereal sensitivity towards those they’re pursuing. There’s definitely the feelingthat Rachel in particular is driven by a need for excitement, mysteries tosolve and dangerous living, rather than simple crime fighting! Entertainingly,Edwards provides a Clue Finder at the end which reveals points in the storywhere attentive readers would have picked up important hints to the motives andsolutions which was a lovely touch. “Sepulchre Street” was a wonderful read,and I’m now very keen to go back to the start and exploring the adventures of RachelSavernake from the very beginning!’

Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings

 

‘Sepulchre Street is another fantastic,intriguing detective story from one of my favourite series…I loved thepremise…I really enjoyed being back with Rachel and Jacob, solving anothermystery with them…This book has a great pace to it…The author drops lots ofclues throughout the book so you have to pay attention to everything…There isalso a cluefinder at the back…I loved this idea and enjoyed going back to seethe (many) clues I missed…while I do think it could be read as a standalone,I’d urge you to start at the beginning as this is a fantastic series!’

Over the Rainbow blog

 

‘Sepulchre Street is the fourth in theRachel Savernake series and I think it is the best so far. It grips from thestart…I loved the nods to Golden Age crime fiction, the cluefinder, the map. Alot of the fun of the novel lies in the period details and the way in which the1930s are lovingly evoked: the clothes, the nightclubs, the songs (someinvented, but very much in the spirit of the time). Cocktails were all the rageand their appearance is something of a running joke…hat next outing can’t comesoon enough for me. I romped though the novel far too quickly and didn’t wantit to end. All in all a splendid read.’

A Reading Life

 

‘Awonderful homage to the Golden Age. After the dazzling opening, the tightlyknit plot moves around different viewpoints…the plot certainly racesalong…clever use of actual events…and nuggets of historical information. Thesettings are atmospheric and the writing enjoyable – in short, this book is aclassic crime treat…A cleverly plotted, witty whodunit which transports you toa roller-coast ride in 1930s London.’

Marsali Taylor, Promoting Crime Fiction

‘Ina nod to Golden Age fiction, Edwards has written another corker of athriller/detective story set in 1930’s London. Readers who have already readone, or all, of the previous three Rachel Savernake books will know to expect apuzzle Poirot himself would be proud to have solved! You will need to payattention to every word to try to work out the ending…

I hadonly read book three in this series so far (highly recommended) and I wasreally looking forward to meeting Rachel and Jacob again. Although she is thebrains behind the investigation, they work very well together and she gets himout of a number of scrapes in her clear thinking level headed way.I thoroughlyenjoyed it and would recommend it to fans of Agatha Christie who like a goodpuzzle to solve.’

Two Heads are Better Than One blog

                               

‘It’s been wonderful being back in the world of Rachel Savernake thatMartin Edwards creates.

Wendy Reads Books blog

 

‘Iabsolutely love this series…Rachel Savernake is an excellent protagonist. Nononsense, clever, tough, and mysterious herself, she loves a challenge…Atwisting piece of thrilling golden age crime fiction to get your teeth into!’

Travels along My Bookshelf

 

‘There are many questions to answer, and the clues are there for thosedaring enough to solve them...I can see why they call Martin the Master ofBritish Crime Fiction and I thoroughly enjoy reading his work. For me, theRachel Savernake stories are the best and I just love to find out what she’sbeen up to along with her brilliant side-kicks.

Murder Jo Wrote

 

‘I liked Rachel’s character, she is witty, clever and inquisitive.Alongside her sidekick Jacob Flint, the pair try to unpick the puzzle ofDemaris’s death and the mystery surrounding it.

Enjoyably there is also a touch of the macabre and matched with afast-paced, chic and sophisticated setting of the 1930s rounded this story offfor me. The atmosphere and detail of this golden era pull you in and fullytransports you to a classic world from the past. I’m also a fan of a female-lednarrative and Rachel is the perfect leading lady.

Secret World of a Book

 

‘SepulchreStreet will appeal to fans of classic crime fiction (think AgathaChristie and Dorothy L. Sayers) and those who enjoy the challenge ofunravelling an intricate plot. A neat touch is the addition of a ‘cluefinder’at the end of the book…Intriguing, clever, entertaining.’

What Cathy ReadNext     

 

‘Sepulchre Street is probably myfavourite to date; four books in the characters are developing nicely… Part ofthe pleasure of these books is in the details and references that Edwardssprinkles through them…There's a lot going on in here with all sorts of twists and turns, someinteresting hints for future directions the series might take, as many eastereggs as a dedicated classic crime fan could hope for, and a host of other funreferences to chase up. It's no easy thing to build a convincing past but Ithink Edwards does a really good job of it. It's his obvious knowledge of andaffection for Golden Age crime that makes it work for me, coupled with a castof characters who are neither self-consciously old fashioned, or entirelymodern but stuck in fancy dress.

Add the gothic atmosphere (John Dickson Carr wouldbe proud) and character development to the other elements here and it's a hardto beat series.’  

Desperate Reader blog

 

‘There is a dark, edge of your seat atmosphere in this bookand as Rachel investigates you feel like you just don’t know what is around thecorner. This is a thrilling and haunting read that is perfect for fans ofhistorical crime and detective fiction.’

A Cottage Full ofBooks

Forgotten Book - A Grave Affair

I've been a fan of Shelley Smith for many years but it's only recently that I got round to reading her penultimate book. A Grave Affair, which dates from 1971. One of the reasons why she was such an admirable writer is that she avoided repeating herself and this book is unorthodox and interesting. Those stern critics Barzun and Taylor admired it.

The blurb quotes the author's views: 'We like to think of ourselves as small independent units consisting of our families and friends, living our private lives as if they had no connection with anyone else. But that is not so at all. An invisible network connects each of us with everyone else, seen or unseen, known or unknown.' The events in this novel are designed to illustrate exactly what she means.

This sounds rather didactic, but it isn't. Rather, Smith shows us the perspectives of a wide range of very different individuals, while focusing on the misadventures of a politician called Edmund Burke (why she chose that famous name, I've no idea - I find it rather odd). There are some curious infelicities, notably when she switches viewpoint within a short scene, and I didn't find her portrayal of a libel trial particularly credible. Her decision to use elements of the Arab-Israeli conflict, was very bold, but although aspects of it are very dated, the sad truth is that conflict over Palestine remains a recurrent theme in modern life.

So this isn't a perfect book, but ambitious novels never are. I found it extremely readable and interesting as well as pleasingly unpredictable. My copy was inscribed by the author 'To Sister Duncan...from her grateful patient' and I do wonder if health problems explain why she only wrote three novels in the space of more than twenty years after a flurry of early successes. Whatever the reason, it's a pity there aren't more Shelley Smiths. The novels she published are invariably worth reading.