One morning before dawn in the stables of her country estate, Lady Truelove meets a violent death in an encounter with a dangerous horse. Classified as “death by misadventure,” this appears a gruesome accident. But Scotland Yard Detective Joe Sandilands suspects foul play—a misgiving he is struggling to separate from his personal grievances toward Sir James Truelove, who is Lady Truelove’s widower and the influential academic patron of Dorcas Joliffe, whom Joe one day hopes to marry.
Joe enlists old friend and former constable Lily Wentworth to trail James, and finds an ally in a fellow police officer familiar with the Truelove estate. But as the investigation yields surprising secrets about one of England’s most powerful families, Joe discovers how little he knows about not only the gilded lives of the moneyed, but also his relationship with Dorcas. Is Joe prepared to risk a future with the girl he loves to uncover the truth behind Lady Truelove’s death?
Barbara Cleverly was born in the north of England and is a graduate of Durham University. A former teacher, she has spent her working life in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk; she now lives in Cambridge. She has one son and five step-children.
Her Joe Sandilands series of books set against the background of the British Raj was inspired by the contents of a battered old tin trunk that she found in her attic. Out of it spilled two centuries of memories of a family – especially a great uncle who spent a lot of time in India – whose exploits and achievements marched in time with the flowering of the British Empire.
I wish Cleverly would bring Joe Sandilands back to India, the setting for the first few books in this series. The latest books, set in England, are not nearly as interesting or unique. I think Cleverly doesn't quite know what to do with Joe - focus on the mysteries or his romantic life? Neither particularly satisfying, for Joe or the reader.
A country house, a stalwart detective, a mishap in the stables, a dash of Satanic ritual - all the perfect ingredients for a good involving British murder mystery! And this solid entry in Barbara Cleverly's Joe Sandilands series doesn't disappoint. My full review is here: https://www.stevedonoghue.com/review-...
Some books just can't be read if you have not read any of the other books in the series. I felt because this was my first time reading a gook in this series that this did affect the way I felt about this book some. I only say some because this book was boring. It still would have been that way even if I had developed a relationship with Joe. The book started out ok but then it grew really slow and uninteresting quickly. First off, the death scene was a little blimp on my first clue to dull town. I was reading and than like ok so there is a body. I had to go back and re-read the moment that Lady Lavinia was crushed by the horse as I was already on my way to zoning out and it did not make an impression on me. Then there is nothing intriguing about Joe. In fact, he would look like any other regular "Joe". The rest of the characters did not come alive on the pages. I was already about to chapter 7 and it seemed like the investigation had not began yet. Again because I had no prior knowledge of Joe, I was not feeling the relationship between him and Dorcas. Some books sound better than they really turn out to be.
First Sentence: “Gingerbread? You’re sure it was gingerbread she asked for, Gracie?”
Death comes to a country estate when Lady Truelove is killed by a horse known for becoming violent. Or was she? Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Joe Sandiland is asked to investigate but the situation is complicated by Joe’s dislike of Sir James Truelove, who is also patron of Dorcus Jolifee, the woman Joe hopes to marry.
Cleverly excels at creating a sense of time and place. Here, we have a very clear picture of the titled/social set in the 1930s from dialogue, which is reflective of the time and suitable to the various classes; to food… “Joe was glad he’d taken the hint and declared for the strawberries; the plump miracles of summer magic were duly served on Delft-patterned dishes with a matching pot of yellow Devon cream so think it had to be spooned from the jug.”; to dress, “Suit is from Monsieur Worth and perfume from Mademoiselle Chanel, Officer.” One also can’t help but enjoy the inclusion of several literary passages.
This is very much a character/relationship-driven story with wonderful characters. It is rather nice to learn that the protagonist has shortcomings and to learn more about his background. However, there is one scene where one might be a bit disappointed by his attitude. Although Dorcus—known to readers of previous books—only plays a minor role here, the return of Lily Wentworth, former PC now working as a private enquiry agent, is delightful. Dr. Adelaide Hartest is also a wonderful addition to the story.
“Enter Pale Death” lures you in with bucolic descriptions, underlain with tension, escalating to a rather shocking scene. That said, the interesting and unexpected ending could leave one feeling a bit disconcerted. It will be interesting to see where things progress from here.
ENTER PALE DEATH (Hist Pol Proc-Joe Sandilands-England-1933) – G+ Cleverly, Barbara – 12th in series Soho Crime - December 2014
Lady Lavinia Truelove suffers a violent death after an encounter with a vicious and dangerous horse. It must be an accident since who could possibly manipulate a horse into killing a person? But Scotland Yard Inspector, Joe Sandilands, is suspicious that this is no chance accident. And investigating the case has much more importance than the usual mystery because Lady Truelove's husband is an important figure in the political scene, with aspirations of becoming Prime Minister. To add to the tangled web, Lord Truelove is also the academic mentor for Dorcas Joliffe, Joe's sweetheart, and Dorcas' relationship with Lord Truelove seems to be moving toward a much closer personal tie. And finally, as Joe begins to investigate on the Truelove estate, he uncovers a mysterious death of a young housemaid that occurred 25 years ago and was said to be suicide.
There are definitely enough plot twists and convolutions to satisfy the most ardent fan of police procedurals. Add in the setting - England in the 1930's - and you've got a well crafted period thriller. Cleverly does an excellent job of incorporating the time and setting into the story. From what people are wearing to the attitudes of the times, you quickly find yourself immersed into post World War I England. One of the aspects that I enjoyed the most is that the witnesses and suspects came from both the high born gentry as well as the serving class. It was very interesting to see the two very different sets of values and perspectives on life. Think of it as Downton Abbey meets Masterpiece Mystery!
The audiobook was well performed by Matthew Brenher, who does a nice job of throwing in a wide display of accents for the various characters from the well schooled Lord Truelove to all of the 'downstairs' staff. Definitely an enjoyable mystery!
An interesting mystery, lots of mythological references... and horses. I love horses, so that is a lovely extra for me *laughs*
As always, the sense of place and time is great, the descriptions gorgeous and the personal developments in the lives of the main characters are always something I look forward to seeing, and I wasn't disappointed here.
And I love that we get to see more from Lily in this book. I really like her :D I also liked Dr Adelaide Hartest quite a lot.
What I didn't like so much was Joe's attitude regarding Dorcas. Yes, he might try to be understanding of modern times but he's still a man who has been brought up with very victorian moral values and it shows here.
And I kind of knew what had happened from very early. Sure, I didn't have all the facts, that's true, but I still got it right. Yay, me! :P
All this said... I wish Joe would go back to India, I liked the first books more *sighs*
I read this by mistake. I recently read the one that precedes this in the series. It was dreadful. (You can find my one-star review if you want details of that.) But I forgot I had ordered the newer one from the library until there it was, waiting for me. I thought I would have a look.
Truthfully this one is a lot better than the one before it, but that only makes it tolerable. It starts off well enough, but there's too much the reader is never told and the writing is just not that good. Characters remain murky. Perhaps if you'd read them all in close order they would make more sense. But that would be painful.
I read the early Sandilands novels, which were set in India, and enjoyed them. I read a few set in England and felt they were slow, so I stopped reading them. This one received good reviews, and I like horses, so I thought I would try again.
The opening scene, featuring a horse, is riveting. The Clydesdales who appear throughout the story now and then add a nice touch. The setting (London, plus a country estate) is interesting: mid-1930s. The characters are also interesting, and most of them are worthy of suspicion, so I enjoyed that. And I particularly enjoyed reading about the unlikeable Green Man of the Woods, who roams the wooded areas of the country estate: he's a nasty person.
But I found the mysteries themselves (there's more than one murder) less interesting than the setting and characters. That is mainly due to the fact that the author keeps us from knowing what Assistant Scotland Yard Commissioner Joe Sandilands is thinking or concluding. This becomes annoying: the reader is not able to participate in solving the mystery because the reader isn't given all the facts. The facts are reported to Joe, but we aren't told what these facts are. In addition, the story ends without justice being done — not once, but twice — and that's less than satisfying.
My first Sandlilands mystery, and I can see why it's popular: clever plot, smart dialog, rich in details of time and place. It's set in the 1930s and has the feel of a Golden Age Mystery. Cleverly does a good job reflecting the changing social mores, with many old traditions clashing with the new. Suspenseful, emotionally charged, and rather gentle--we hear what happens but deaths are not described in gritty detail. Unhurried pace and a surprisingly charismatic villain. For the Downton Abbey crowd.
An improvement for me on the last few Joe Sandilands mysteries. A little too much of Joe finding something out and keeping it to himself, so the plot isn't really clever enough to reveal details without revealing the end. Also I really do not like the whole Dorcas/Joe storyline. I wish they would each find romance somewhere else.
Apparently I first read this book in 2017; I did not remember it at all. I'm not sure that has anything to do with the quality or enjoyment of it. It's a me issue. For the most part I view novels as mere entertainment and just let them wash over me whilst reading.
It is a lazy afternoon novel, not too taxing, no strong emotions, just a easy read
Well, this author certainly keeps surprising me. A completely unique murder weapon, death by horse, a completely unexpected twist to Joe's love life, and a completely surprising murderer of a Green Man. How fun. Great series
This book was thoroughly enjoyable on so many levels. The characters were wonderful, the setting was terrific and the mystery was topnotch. I was sorry when it ended.
Five stars for the scintillating first 200 pages; three stars for the workmanlike ending=a solid four-star rating overall. Ah, but for those 200 pages, I was in literary heaven as Cleverly so cleverly (pun intended!) channeled James Herriot, Dick Francis and Margaret Mitchell all wrapped up in the Suffolk landscape of my beloved Norah Lofts! No, it doesn't get much better than that, and alas, it was asking too much that it could carry through to the end. But, as I've said before, I'll take Barbara Cleverly on a bad day over most writers on their best day! The writing alone is witty, sharp and insightful. I don't always agree with her plot choices, but I can't fault her style! In this outing, she involves Joe Sandilands in a murder from 25 years ago, one from 3 months ago and one that occurs while he's investigating the other two. Another perk of this book, is that Joe is once again the real hero of the piece and even does some visible detecting, unlike some of the books in the series. So what do the apparent suicides of a young serving girl from 25 years ago and a creepy, hermitesque, "green man" have in common with the horrifying accidental death of a renowned horsewoman who is killed in an attack by a vicious horse? They all center on the survival of an estate in Suffolk, owned by a Cabinet Minister with ambitions to be Prime Minister. Who also just happens to have ambitions towards Joe Sandiland's quasi-fiancee! The denouement owes much to Dame Agatha herself, as Joe has all the suspects gather in the Great Hall for the big reveal! And while I bow to Cleverly's logic, it was a let down to me.
Joe Sandilands continues to be an Assistant Commissioner in London. Eventually he ends up at a country estate to help investigate the death of Lady Truelove. She was seemingly killed in a tragic accident with a horse. The accident occurred before dawn and has been classified as "a death by misadventure."
But Scotland Yard detective Joe suspects foul play. He asks Lily, a former police constable, to do some sleuthing for him by watching a man who has taken a hotel suite for the weekend. This man is a powerful man in the government who may one day become prime minister. The man's name is Sir James Truelove, the widower of the above lady killed in the so-called accident.
Sir Truelove seems to be showing no signs of mourning his wife at all. At the same time, Joe has a grievance against him so he has to tread carefully. Truelove is the influential academic patron of Dorcas Joliffe. Joe hopes to marry Dorcas some day. He feels Truelove is more than taking advantage of Dorcas. Sir Truelove is one smooth character.
JOe ends up meeting with a country policeman who has a post near the Truelove estate in the country. He and Hunnyton end up traveling together to check out the goings-in. He soon learns that Junnyton is a half-brother to Truelove.
Joe knows this is a very important family in England and walks softly as he investigates. He soon comes to realize that he does not know much about how the moneyed people live as well as manage life around themselves. He also comes to realize he does not know as much as he thought about Dorcas.
This story is a great one. Joe is up to his usual solutions although I was a bit surprised at the ending.
An enjoyable entry to the Sandilands books. While the early India setting was interesting, I'm enjoying the ones set in Victorian and Edwardian England more. This one is about a pair of cold cases in rural England involving a great house and a rising political star who seems destined for a Prime Ministerial office.
Less welcome was the aimless, rambling, and odd continuing relationship between the childish Dorcas Joliffe who seems a favorite of the author but is more a distraction than a useful character. Lots of interesting tidbits make up for this such as the dynamics of auctions, arcane old horse handling tricks, and some very interesting characters.
Sandilands continues to be an interesting and unique character, with a mix of hard, heartlessness and kind, good hearted nature without seeming forced or contradictory. The Indian years set up this personality well and he is a well-crafted person who seems and feels quite real.
This was a very interesting mystery. I had my doubts about Joe in the previous 2 books, but I'm getting to know him better finally. He really is a good detective, but he definitely has his (sadly typically male) personal weaknesses.
I particularly enjoyed the setting of the scene in Suffolk even if some of it seemed a little over the top, especially the Green Man, the horses, and the lady vet. What I liked best of all, though, was Joe's helper, Lily. I may have to read some of the older stories if she appeared in them.
I thought I recalled enjoying the Joe Sandilands series of books a great deal, but I must have been thinking of a different series -- although this was not bad. I do enjoy reading these charming British stories that get really complicated and don't amount to very much or make any sense in retrospect. I do like the Joe Sandilands character, and enjoyed the introduction of Adelaide as an interesting creature from that era -- also got a kick out of Adam Hunnybun .. must admit that a lot of this novel did not make too much sense to me though -- a bit too much horsey information.
This is the fifth Barbara Cleverly book and third with Joe Sandilands as protagonist. It is the first Sandilands mystery set in England. It takes place in the 1930s and I always appreciate the way that she can take the reader back to the period. The plot evolves slowly (as is typically the case in her books) and is filled with character development that is quite extensive and then layered on top is the plot that winds down with increasing speed. It is a formula that works pretty well. I heard it on an audiobook and the reader was excellent.
I don't know quite why, but this Joe Sandilands mystery struck me as a bit more sloppily plotted than usual. Maybe the author was having too much fun playing with characters like former constable Lily Wentworth, the engaging Adam Hunnyton, the intelligent and appealing Adelaide Hartest, and a cast of engaging minor folks. I do wish she would make up her mind about Sandilands' love life, though. The twists and turns are becoming tedious. 3.75 stars.
There are better mysteries readily available. Starting at the beginning of the series may improve the books, since much of this book hinges on the romantic relationship between the sleuth Joe Sandilands and Dorcas Joliffe, which is not at all established nor developed in this book, but may be in prior books. But the overwritten prose, easily-guessed plot, and uninteresting sleuth mean I’m not eager to start at the beginning.
I was perplexed when Detective Joe Sandilands appeared to be afraid of horses in an early scene of the book. In the earlier mysteries he led cavalry men in India, so I knew he was an expert horseman. As it turns out Joe's knowledge of horses leads to his solution of murder. Kristi & Abby Tabby
4 stars! I have long wanted to read books from this series, so when I found this one at my post office free, I took it! England 1933 is the setting and time period. Scotland Yard Commissioner Joe Sandilands suspects murder and enlists an old friend to help him solve the case of a woman trampled to death by one of her horses. Highly recommended
1933 ~ There were many layers and textures as there were several motives and cover~ups if only to preserve a way of life and a name ~ Truelove. Dorcas Joliffe, secretly engaged (known only to family members) to Sandilands but maybe in love or in hero worship to the charismatic and self~serving Sir James Truelove, Minister of Reform and Education... also her mentor, finally had her eyes opened regarding her hero and she and Sandilands had to re~evaluate their relationship in the light of the events that transpired in this book.
Interesting, but I found it a bit off to begin with, with its humour that made it sound more like a comedy, like *Topper* (Cary Grant movie) or a Country House Mystery (Gosford Park) not really familiar with authors and characters set in this time and genre - late 20s, early 30s - maybe Lord Peter Wimsey? In fact the way ended, played out like a game of Cluedo. Still fun, light reading.
Guess I've grown more accustomed to Inspector Ian Rutledge (Charles Todd) and Inspector Sam Wyndham (Abir Mukherjee). Perhaps I should go back to Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot).
Perhaps it's been too long since I last read a title in this series, perhaps I should start over?
I am enjoying the Detective Joe Sandiland series, this is #12 (I did skip 11-the description & some reader reviews just didn't appeal to me) I like the new female interest at the ene, not a damsel in distress who is somehow "unavailable". I'm looking forward to seeing where this one goes.
Number 12 in a 13 book series...I thought the book was a stand-alone and was then thrilled to learn of the series! Wonderful writer...”very British”...twice needed to refer to the OED! Will very much enjoy tackling these books in order.