The Edge

Thames Valley Mystery #20

by Clare Curzon

Awoken in the middle of the night by a banging barn door, farm manager Ned Barton braves the storm to investigate. Inside, he finds the mutilated body of a woman displayed like a sacrificial trophy on bales of straw.

Superintendent Mike Yeadings of the Thames Valley police is faced with multiple murder as three related bodies are discovered in the manor house: an entire family massacred, except for a missing boy. The hunt for him, whether as prime suspect or threatened survivor, unearths deeper layers of mystery.

Clare Curzon’s latest masterpiece presents a thrilling journey of intrigue and red herrings as Yeadings unpicks, link by link, the intricate chain of events that has led to these appalling murders.

Genres: Mystery

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Eileen-Marie Duell Buchanan (1922-2010) was a British author who specialized in writing literature belonging to the mystery, suspense, or detective genre. She wrote under a number of pseudonyms, including Marie Buchanan, Marie Duell, Clare Curzon and Rhona Petrie. She studied French and psychology at King's College in London.

Reviews

[Nessa Glowczewski]

Although the idea was interesting, I kept forgetting that the setting was set for modern times. It just felt "old".

[Debbie O'Mahony]

This is a good procedural crime novel with an intricate story. I enjoyed the read!

[Jeane]

A quick read when on vacation.

[Sharon]

An okay novel with an improbable and unsatisfactory ending.

[Tiffany]

4 ★'s because I kept forgetting this was set in the early 2000's — it sounded more like the mid/late 1800's.

[Beth Evans]

I have liked the Mike Yeadings mysteries in the past, but this one was overly complicated and extremely gory. I figured out the culprit well before he/she was revealed in the book, and there were SO many threads going on (including a heroin "mule" who swallowed too many packets of the stuff and you can imagine the result ... quite a red herring). Lots of dysfunctional family stuff, if you like that kind of thing.

[Stu]

Didn't do much for me. Pretty mundane and slow. Not much mystery. This is the first and last time I plan to read a Clare Curzon, Mike Yeadings mystery.