In Remembrance of Rose
In Remembrance of Rose by M.R.D. Meek 1989 Worldwide Mystery
[image error]This is a traditional detective mystery with Lennox Kemp as a lawyer and former private investigator. He is asked by wealthy Rose Amaury to write her will, which he does. When her daughter leaves the room, she confides to Lennox that someone is trying to kill her. A week later she is murdered in what appears to be a burglary by the son of her cleaning lady.
The setting is England and the Lennox is fully aware of the aristocrats and their opinion of him and the lower class. They expected Kevin Roding to kill Rose for some trinkets and are not unhappy when he is murdered in Holland where he escaped.
Lennox doesn’t think the case is so cut and dry. Kevin’s brother, Ted, tells him Kevin was set up. When Ted is arrested and Lennox is brutally attacked, he wants to know the truth and wants justice for Rose.
The heirs make perfect suspects, and Meek reveals the facts and introduces new details in a carefully crafted story. The Secret Intelligence Service add confusion initially but are part of the secret that caused Rose’s death.
Meek gave a huge clue that made the villain obvious to any reader paying attention, but the motive wasn’t revealed until later so that’s forgivable.
Older mystery authors introduced a bunch of characters in the beginning to give the reader plenty of suspects. Meek develops most of them enough to keep them clear in the reader’s mind. Danger is increased as Lennox gets closer to the truth. Being beaten up only makes him more determined to find the truth even when the secret service try to ruin his career if he doesn’t back off.
I didn’t like the emphasis on class. When wealthy Lettice shows an interest in Lennox, it is made clear she’s out of his league. She’s also too young for him, but she’s one of the most interesting of the characters. Also, the rich are quickly discounted as suspects and made the story less interesting.
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