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The Belting Inheritance
When a stranger arrives at Belting, he is met with a very mixed reception by the occupants of the old house. Claiming his so-called "rightful inheritance" the stranger makes plans to take up residence at once. Such a thing was bound to cause problems amongst the family, but why were so many of them turning up dead?
Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
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About the author
Julian Symons
256 books66 followersJulian Gustave Symons is primarily remembered as a master of the art of crime writing. However, in his eighty-two years he produced an enormously varied body of work. Social and military history, biography and criticism were all subjects he touched upon with remarkable success, and he held a distinguished reputation in each field.
His novels were consistently highly individual and expertly crafted, raising him above other crime writers of his day. It is for this that he was awarded various prizes, and, in 1982, named as Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America - an honour accorded to only three other English writers before him: Graham Greene, Eric Ambler and Daphne Du Maurier. He succeeded Agatha Christie as the president of Britain's Detection Club, a position he held from 1976 to 1985, and in 1990 he was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the British Crime Writer.
Symons held a number of positions prior to becoming a full-time writer including secretary to an engineering company and advertising copywriter and executive. It was after the end of World War II that he became a free-lance writer and book reviewer and from 1946 to 1956 he wrote a weekly column entitled "Life, People - and Books" for the Manchester Evening News. During the 1950s he was also a regular contributor to Tribune, a left-wing weekly, serving as its literary editor.
He founded and edited 'Twentieth Century Verse', an important little magazine that flourished from 1937 to 1939 and he introduced many young English poets to the public. He has also published two volumes of his own poetry entitled 'Confusions about X', 1939, and 'The Second Man', 1944.
He wrote hie first detective novel, 'The Immaterial Murder Case', long before it was first published in 1945 and this was followed in 1947 by a rare volume entitled 'A Man Called Jones' that features for the first time Inspector Bland, who also appeared in Bland Beginning.
These novles were followed by a whole host of detective novels and he has also written many short stories that were regularly published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. In additin there are two British paperback collections of his short stories, Murder! Murder! and Francis Quarles Investigates, which were published in 1961 and 1965 resepctively.
His novels were consistently highly individual and expertly crafted, raising him above other crime writers of his day. It is for this that he was awarded various prizes, and, in 1982, named as Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America - an honour accorded to only three other English writers before him: Graham Greene, Eric Ambler and Daphne Du Maurier. He succeeded Agatha Christie as the president of Britain's Detection Club, a position he held from 1976 to 1985, and in 1990 he was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the British Crime Writer.
Symons held a number of positions prior to becoming a full-time writer including secretary to an engineering company and advertising copywriter and executive. It was after the end of World War II that he became a free-lance writer and book reviewer and from 1946 to 1956 he wrote a weekly column entitled "Life, People - and Books" for the Manchester Evening News. During the 1950s he was also a regular contributor to Tribune, a left-wing weekly, serving as its literary editor.
He founded and edited 'Twentieth Century Verse', an important little magazine that flourished from 1937 to 1939 and he introduced many young English poets to the public. He has also published two volumes of his own poetry entitled 'Confusions about X', 1939, and 'The Second Man', 1944.
He wrote hie first detective novel, 'The Immaterial Murder Case', long before it was first published in 1945 and this was followed in 1947 by a rare volume entitled 'A Man Called Jones' that features for the first time Inspector Bland, who also appeared in Bland Beginning.
These novles were followed by a whole host of detective novels and he has also written many short stories that were regularly published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. In additin there are two British paperback collections of his short stories, Murder! Murder! and Francis Quarles Investigates, which were published in 1961 and 1965 resepctively.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
July 17, 2019
A truly enjoyable read for me! Occasionally I request and receive novels via Netgalley in the series of British Library Crime Classics. I am a fan of this series as it allows me to read some authors long forgotten who deserve absolutely to be brought back to contemporary readers enjoying good old murder mysteries, and Julian Symons is one of them. I can understand why for some readers his novels are not that enjoyable. Books written fifty or sixty years ago have some aura that may be hard to appreciate nowadays as they seem simply old-fashioned with the social nuances some of which are long gone. I believe Martin Edwards does a grand job with his Introductions to each book in the series. These introductions are a must for me, being a non-native speaker of English.
THE BELTING INHERITANCE introduces us to the story of an English family struggling to identify a man as a son who was presumably killed during WW2 and who arrives unexpectedly one day to claim his inheritance. The theme of an alleged imposter is based on a real 19th century case, as Mr Edwards explains in the Introduction, and was used by Ms Tey in one of her novels as well.
I enjoyed the first-person narration by Christopher Barrington who happened to be informally adopted by the Wainwrights and who witnessed the events and took active part in solving the mystery. His acute observations and witty remarks throughout the novel do make the narration truly enjoyable. The puzzle is craftily woven and let me stay alert till the very end.
*Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for providing me with arc in exchange for my honest review.*
THE BELTING INHERITANCE introduces us to the story of an English family struggling to identify a man as a son who was presumably killed during WW2 and who arrives unexpectedly one day to claim his inheritance. The theme of an alleged imposter is based on a real 19th century case, as Mr Edwards explains in the Introduction, and was used by Ms Tey in one of her novels as well.
I enjoyed the first-person narration by Christopher Barrington who happened to be informally adopted by the Wainwrights and who witnessed the events and took active part in solving the mystery. His acute observations and witty remarks throughout the novel do make the narration truly enjoyable. The puzzle is craftily woven and let me stay alert till the very end.
*Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for providing me with arc in exchange for my honest review.*
January 6, 2024
This is the second book I've read by Julian Symons. The first one, The Colour of Murder, I read because Patricia Highsmith admired his work and I had to see what it was all about. I thought it was interesting and a solid entertainment, though not up to Pat's snuff, if that makes any sense.
I ended up buying a copy of this one because while I was at a book conference in Arizona this spring, I visited The Poisoned Pen bookstore, and felt it was sort of apropos to buy a stylized, Golden Age novel there, rather than something hot off the presses.
This novel, published in 1965, was written in the same effortless fashion that I remembered from my previous experience with this author. I was pleasantly pulled into the situation. A long lost son returns to his family's hoity-toity estate after presumed dead in the war. Or is it an impostor, conveniently arriving just in time to collect an inheritance from his failing mother?
I won't spoil anything for you. And I won't tell you not to read it, because it honestly delivers those pleasures you get when you open a Golden Age novel. You're transported to a different time and place. You get to know characters only slightly, so if they get shot in the forehead, you barely feel a thing. You are concerned only with the breadcrumb trail, and the puzzle at hand.
Sometimes, though, these Golden Age mysteries are less clever than we'd like. Sometimes people are wearing questionable disguises, sometimes they come back from the dead. Sometimes there's no way on God's green earth you could put together the puzzle with the bouquet of red herrings you've collected along the way. And always (well, at least with the old dear, Agatha Christie), always there's some matchmaking, often with five fresh corpses decomposing in the next room.
They can be a bit silly.
There's some silliness here, too, but again, if you know what you're getting into, it's a charming and solid entertainment. No regrets (still, he's no Pat Highsmith....).
I ended up buying a copy of this one because while I was at a book conference in Arizona this spring, I visited The Poisoned Pen bookstore, and felt it was sort of apropos to buy a stylized, Golden Age novel there, rather than something hot off the presses.
This novel, published in 1965, was written in the same effortless fashion that I remembered from my previous experience with this author. I was pleasantly pulled into the situation. A long lost son returns to his family's hoity-toity estate after presumed dead in the war. Or is it an impostor, conveniently arriving just in time to collect an inheritance from his failing mother?
I won't spoil anything for you. And I won't tell you not to read it, because it honestly delivers those pleasures you get when you open a Golden Age novel. You're transported to a different time and place. You get to know characters only slightly, so if they get shot in the forehead, you barely feel a thing. You are concerned only with the breadcrumb trail, and the puzzle at hand.
Sometimes, though, these Golden Age mysteries are less clever than we'd like. Sometimes people are wearing questionable disguises, sometimes they come back from the dead. Sometimes there's no way on God's green earth you could put together the puzzle with the bouquet of red herrings you've collected along the way. And always (well, at least with the old dear, Agatha Christie), always there's some matchmaking, often with five fresh corpses decomposing in the next room.
They can be a bit silly.
There's some silliness here, too, but again, if you know what you're getting into, it's a charming and solid entertainment. No regrets (still, he's no Pat Highsmith....).
February 22, 2019
The prodigal son...
When Christopher Barrington is orphaned at the age of twelve, he is taken in by his mother’s rich aunt, Lady Wainwright, and becomes a member of the family at Belting, their country house. His mother had been estranged from her family so Christopher hadn’t met either Lady Wainwright, or her two surviving sons, Miles and Stephen, before. She had had two other sons, too, David and Hugh, both of whom had been killed in the war. As with many families who lost sons to the war, the dead boys have been put on a pedestal, while the living ones constantly suffer from comparison. In this case, though, it seems as if Hugh and David may have been their mother’s favourites even before they died. Time passes, and by the time Christopher is almost grown up, Lady Wainwright’s health is failing and she isn’t expected to live much longer. And then a letter comes out of the blue, purporting to be from David. He claims to have been held as a war prisoner for many years, and has since been trying to recover in Paris. Lady Wainwright is thrilled and ready to welcome him home, but Miles and Stephen are convinced he’s an impostor, after their inheritance. Christopher, our narrator, tries to discover the truth...
This book was first published in 1965, though set some years earlier in the ‘50s, and reads much more like the novels of the likes of Ruth Rendell or PD James than the earlier Golden Age novels. While there is a central mystery and clues for the reader to spot, it’s much more based on character studies of the various family members and of Christopher himself, and gives a great and, to me, entirely believable picture of the last throes of this type of minor aristocracy, quietly decaying into the middle-classes. It’s a slower read than some of the earlier mystery novels because it takes time to let us get to know the family before it reaches the point where the story really kicks off.
There’s also a coming-of-age aspect to it, as Christopher begins to be treated more as an adult by the family at Belting and, in turn, starts to look at them with the more critical eye of maturity. It’s told by him as an adult looking back, so he has the benefit of greater insight into himself and the people he meets than he might have had at the time. Although he’s been with the Wainwrights for six years when the story proper begins, he’s spent much of that time at boarding school, so he has something of the objectivity of the outside observer. He’s very convincing for a boy of that age and class, I felt – well educated and with the confidence that social status and money bring, but with a kind of insecurity in his dealings with girls and women, as is not unnatural for a boy with no sisters or mother who has spent his teen years in an all boys school. It’s only when he begins to talk to people outside the family to try to find out more about the mysterious David that he finds to his surprise that not everyone respects old Lady Wainwright nor is impressed by his own standing as a member of the family. It isn’t laboured, but it’s an interesting insight into the growing egalitarianism of the time, as the uppity proles began to think maybe they were just as good as the privileged blue-bloods after all.
Looking at reviews on Goodreads, I’ve been surprised to see that this is getting pretty average ratings. I thought it was an excellent novel, very well written and insightful. It reminded me a good deal of Gordon Macrae Burnet’s The Accident on the A35, in that, while both are undoubtedly crime novels, I feel both are also literary fiction, with our old friend “the human condition” taking precedence over the mystery aspect. Both have an excellent sense of place, and of class and social status within small spheres of society. I think it may be suffering from expectations – as part of the British Library Crime Classics series, I think some people have been disappointed by it not being a traditional whodunit. But the more I read of these books, the more I realise that the best of them were far more than that, often with much to say about the time and society in which they were set. And, for me, this is one of the best of them. Having now been highly impressed by both the Julian Symons’ novels I’ve read, I’m baffled as to why he’s fallen into relative obscurity and hope the reissue of these books will find him a new generation of admirers, of whom I’m certainly one. Highly recommended.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
When Christopher Barrington is orphaned at the age of twelve, he is taken in by his mother’s rich aunt, Lady Wainwright, and becomes a member of the family at Belting, their country house. His mother had been estranged from her family so Christopher hadn’t met either Lady Wainwright, or her two surviving sons, Miles and Stephen, before. She had had two other sons, too, David and Hugh, both of whom had been killed in the war. As with many families who lost sons to the war, the dead boys have been put on a pedestal, while the living ones constantly suffer from comparison. In this case, though, it seems as if Hugh and David may have been their mother’s favourites even before they died. Time passes, and by the time Christopher is almost grown up, Lady Wainwright’s health is failing and she isn’t expected to live much longer. And then a letter comes out of the blue, purporting to be from David. He claims to have been held as a war prisoner for many years, and has since been trying to recover in Paris. Lady Wainwright is thrilled and ready to welcome him home, but Miles and Stephen are convinced he’s an impostor, after their inheritance. Christopher, our narrator, tries to discover the truth...
This book was first published in 1965, though set some years earlier in the ‘50s, and reads much more like the novels of the likes of Ruth Rendell or PD James than the earlier Golden Age novels. While there is a central mystery and clues for the reader to spot, it’s much more based on character studies of the various family members and of Christopher himself, and gives a great and, to me, entirely believable picture of the last throes of this type of minor aristocracy, quietly decaying into the middle-classes. It’s a slower read than some of the earlier mystery novels because it takes time to let us get to know the family before it reaches the point where the story really kicks off.
There’s also a coming-of-age aspect to it, as Christopher begins to be treated more as an adult by the family at Belting and, in turn, starts to look at them with the more critical eye of maturity. It’s told by him as an adult looking back, so he has the benefit of greater insight into himself and the people he meets than he might have had at the time. Although he’s been with the Wainwrights for six years when the story proper begins, he’s spent much of that time at boarding school, so he has something of the objectivity of the outside observer. He’s very convincing for a boy of that age and class, I felt – well educated and with the confidence that social status and money bring, but with a kind of insecurity in his dealings with girls and women, as is not unnatural for a boy with no sisters or mother who has spent his teen years in an all boys school. It’s only when he begins to talk to people outside the family to try to find out more about the mysterious David that he finds to his surprise that not everyone respects old Lady Wainwright nor is impressed by his own standing as a member of the family. It isn’t laboured, but it’s an interesting insight into the growing egalitarianism of the time, as the uppity proles began to think maybe they were just as good as the privileged blue-bloods after all.
Looking at reviews on Goodreads, I’ve been surprised to see that this is getting pretty average ratings. I thought it was an excellent novel, very well written and insightful. It reminded me a good deal of Gordon Macrae Burnet’s The Accident on the A35, in that, while both are undoubtedly crime novels, I feel both are also literary fiction, with our old friend “the human condition” taking precedence over the mystery aspect. Both have an excellent sense of place, and of class and social status within small spheres of society. I think it may be suffering from expectations – as part of the British Library Crime Classics series, I think some people have been disappointed by it not being a traditional whodunit. But the more I read of these books, the more I realise that the best of them were far more than that, often with much to say about the time and society in which they were set. And, for me, this is one of the best of them. Having now been highly impressed by both the Julian Symons’ novels I’ve read, I’m baffled as to why he’s fallen into relative obscurity and hope the reissue of these books will find him a new generation of admirers, of whom I’m certainly one. Highly recommended.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
May 24, 2022
A gripping yarn from Julian Symons. I love stories that centre around possible intruders or impostors trying to wheedle their way into large country houses and the story revolving around trying to prove or disprove the person being genuine.
Symons had a very dry sense of humour and it was just up my street. Most enjoyable and a great twist!
Symons had a very dry sense of humour and it was just up my street. Most enjoyable and a great twist!
April 18, 2021
Another cracking British Library Crime novel!
Gothic country houses, odd families, and the return of a long thought dead heir.
Great story telling with wit, charm and atmosphere! Perfect reading material!
Oh and a small part about the decline of the great estates popped in there too!
Gothic country houses, odd families, and the return of a long thought dead heir.
Great story telling with wit, charm and atmosphere! Perfect reading material!
Oh and a small part about the decline of the great estates popped in there too!
January 24, 2019
4 Stars, review to follow.
November 22, 2018
It isn’t often I laugh out loud on the first page of a book, still less when it’s a detective story, but I did just that when I began reading The Belting Inheritance by Julian Symons. It’s a slightly unusual read for me, a rerelease of a book first published in 1965, which isn’t exactly the Golden Age of detective fiction. It’s set in Kent, where the Wainwright family is much-depleted by the war, and the narrator is Christopher, a poor relation taken in by the family after the death of his parents.
As with all detective fiction I can’t say too much about the plot for fear of spoilers, but it’s based around the appearance of a man claiming to be David, one of two brothers thought to have been killed in the war. His two surviving younger brothers are disbelieving and downright hostile, but their dying mother welcomes him with open arms. And, this being detective fiction, there’s a murder.
I really loved this book. It wasn’t just the plot, which was clever but perhaps not as twisty as the modern reader looks for. It was the characters. Symons captures the idiosyncrasies of family life, and the part where I laughed was where there’s a family joke that caught my attention — and engaged me immediately. The book’s huge strength is its characterisation, not just of Christopher himself but of its whole cast of fallible individuals, some of them more likeable than others but all of them human. And as the plot goes on Christopher, a somewhat pretentious would-be writer, grows up and becomes an altogether more mature human being.
Interestingly, there’s an introductory note which reveals the author’s concerns that he hung the plot too heavily on a coincidence for it to be a good book, but I didn’t find that. Yes, there was a coincidence, but it wasn’t too crushingly incredible, and it led off on a slightly mad section of the book where everything became very different to the first half. But that didn’t affect my enjoyment in any way — rather the opposite.
The cast of characters was diverse and all were handled well. I particularly liked Christopher’s Uncle Miles, the youngest of the brothers, with his fondness for jokes (especially bad and complicated puns), his genuine care for young Christopher and his tendency to slope off to watch cricket whenever things got difficult (which, of course, they often did).
It’s not a modern detective story, but it was a thoughtful and engaging read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Classics for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
As with all detective fiction I can’t say too much about the plot for fear of spoilers, but it’s based around the appearance of a man claiming to be David, one of two brothers thought to have been killed in the war. His two surviving younger brothers are disbelieving and downright hostile, but their dying mother welcomes him with open arms. And, this being detective fiction, there’s a murder.
I really loved this book. It wasn’t just the plot, which was clever but perhaps not as twisty as the modern reader looks for. It was the characters. Symons captures the idiosyncrasies of family life, and the part where I laughed was where there’s a family joke that caught my attention — and engaged me immediately. The book’s huge strength is its characterisation, not just of Christopher himself but of its whole cast of fallible individuals, some of them more likeable than others but all of them human. And as the plot goes on Christopher, a somewhat pretentious would-be writer, grows up and becomes an altogether more mature human being.
Interestingly, there’s an introductory note which reveals the author’s concerns that he hung the plot too heavily on a coincidence for it to be a good book, but I didn’t find that. Yes, there was a coincidence, but it wasn’t too crushingly incredible, and it led off on a slightly mad section of the book where everything became very different to the first half. But that didn’t affect my enjoyment in any way — rather the opposite.
The cast of characters was diverse and all were handled well. I particularly liked Christopher’s Uncle Miles, the youngest of the brothers, with his fondness for jokes (especially bad and complicated puns), his genuine care for young Christopher and his tendency to slope off to watch cricket whenever things got difficult (which, of course, they often did).
It’s not a modern detective story, but it was a thoughtful and engaging read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Classics for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
October 24, 2018
The Belting Inheritance by Julian Symons, first published in 1964 , is part of The British Library Crime Classics. It was somewhat historical in nature when first published, being written about a time that was approximately ten years post WWII. The writing is more characteristic of this time period, with longer, more complex sentences and people who speak more formally than typical characters in modern day fiction.
In this novel, Christopher is the central character and narrator of the story. The characters are well drawn, although none of them held much appeal for me. It was difficult to read at times as the narration was filled with word plays such as anagrams and spoonerisms. These didn’t translate as well in the modern era as they might have when the book was first written.
It took a few pages to feel comfortable reading the book, as I adjusted to the writing style and developed some skill at solving the word puzzles that were embedded in much of the story. In truth, I spent more time solving, or at least contemplating, these word puzzles than I did on the story itself. Christopher, aided by Elaine, a young woman he meets about two-thirds of the way through the novel do more wandering through the story than detecting.
The opening of the novel offered the promise of an interesting story which wasn’t fully carried through to the end. Some of this was due to the fact that it was difficult to develop any sympathy toward the characters as they were not particularly likeable nor were they drawn with much depth. Even Uncle Miles, who had more likeable qualities failed to capture and hold my interest. By the time I reached the end of the book I didn’t particularly care what had happened to whom or the true identities of the mysterious stranger and friends who and disrupt the life of the inhabitants of the Belting Estate.
My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing an advanced digital copy of this newest publication with not requirement for a positive review. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.
In this novel, Christopher is the central character and narrator of the story. The characters are well drawn, although none of them held much appeal for me. It was difficult to read at times as the narration was filled with word plays such as anagrams and spoonerisms. These didn’t translate as well in the modern era as they might have when the book was first written.
It took a few pages to feel comfortable reading the book, as I adjusted to the writing style and developed some skill at solving the word puzzles that were embedded in much of the story. In truth, I spent more time solving, or at least contemplating, these word puzzles than I did on the story itself. Christopher, aided by Elaine, a young woman he meets about two-thirds of the way through the novel do more wandering through the story than detecting.
The opening of the novel offered the promise of an interesting story which wasn’t fully carried through to the end. Some of this was due to the fact that it was difficult to develop any sympathy toward the characters as they were not particularly likeable nor were they drawn with much depth. Even Uncle Miles, who had more likeable qualities failed to capture and hold my interest. By the time I reached the end of the book I didn’t particularly care what had happened to whom or the true identities of the mysterious stranger and friends who and disrupt the life of the inhabitants of the Belting Estate.
My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing an advanced digital copy of this newest publication with not requirement for a positive review. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.
March 30, 2020
This is almost like two different books. The first half is a classic British mystery set-up: a family living in an elegant manor home, waiting for the family matriarch to die so they can inherit her fortune, is shocked when a long-thought-dead son appears out of nowhere. Is it really him or an imposter? The second half, unfortunately, dissolves into a mess of bewildering characters, mostly artistic dilettantes in bohemian Paris, and a labyrinthian explanation that takes nearly all the gloss off the wonderful set-up.
December 7, 2018
A woman who bore four sons expects to die soon. Two of the sons were declared dead in the war. The other two live. A man claiming to be her son David shows up. Is he who he states he is? The woman believes he is. The two sons do not. Will the sons be able to prove he's an impostor before she dies--or will the alleged son inherit with a changed will? It's a pleasant way to spend a few hours. I either read this book previously or one with a very similar plot because the plot seemed familiar all the way along to the ending. I received an advance copy from the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.
November 22, 2018
This review also appears on my blog
The story’s set up is not that unusual for a classic mystery: A man appears on Lady Wainwright’s doorstep, claiming he is her oldest son David who was declared dead in the second World War after his plane was shot down. Lady Wainwright, whose health is fading, needs not much convincing and happily accepts the man as her son. Miles and Stephen – her two other sons – are less certain that the man is really their oldest brother. Not long after he appears, a murder happens.
The only slightly unusual thing about it so far is the narrator: Christopher. He’s a distant relative who was taken in by the Wainwright’s after his parents’ death in a plane crash. So, he’s neither a policeman nor one of those amateur sleuths who keep tripping over bodies. He’s a family member but removed enough to be more level-headed about the whole affair. He has neither Lady Wainwright’s deep desire to see her favourite son alive nor the other sons’ worry about having to share their inheritance. That means he has neither reason to believe David nor to disbelieve him.
But the thing about Christopher is, that he is also an extremely annoying narrator. He’s an incredibly patronising 18 at the time of the events in the book but tells the story decades later – as an incredibly condescending old man. Inbetween him recollecting the events he deigns to grace the reader with his opinion on various literary works (like Treasure Island and The Moonstone – both are stupid because they have narrators who would never actually sit down and write down a story), tells us all about the interior decoration in his Thomas Lovell (his bedroom…don’t ask) and generally gives his opinion on everything. And, of course, since he is telling the story as a much older man, he can also give his opinion on his younger self, giving his opinion…
And then there’s the final third of the book: In it, Christopher finds something that suggests a quite definite answer to the question “Is this man really David?” But he doesn’t show it to anybody in the family. He leaves a note saying “I know what’s going on! Now I’m off to Paris” And then he is off to Paris where a string of miraculous coincidences happen and he has a revelation that solves everything while he is drunk on pastis and watching an Ibsen play. It all reads like the author had a maximum page-count and had a hard time resolving the multitude of threads so he just went “Oh who cares? He knows this because…because you are more intelligent when you are drunk! GENIUS! GIVE ME AN AWARD!” That’s a shame because once I had made my peace with Christopher’s annoyingness, I enjoyed the story and all the twists and turns it took. And I think the solution is very clever – but the way we got there isn’t.
ARC provided by NetGalley
The story’s set up is not that unusual for a classic mystery: A man appears on Lady Wainwright’s doorstep, claiming he is her oldest son David who was declared dead in the second World War after his plane was shot down. Lady Wainwright, whose health is fading, needs not much convincing and happily accepts the man as her son. Miles and Stephen – her two other sons – are less certain that the man is really their oldest brother. Not long after he appears, a murder happens.
The only slightly unusual thing about it so far is the narrator: Christopher. He’s a distant relative who was taken in by the Wainwright’s after his parents’ death in a plane crash. So, he’s neither a policeman nor one of those amateur sleuths who keep tripping over bodies. He’s a family member but removed enough to be more level-headed about the whole affair. He has neither Lady Wainwright’s deep desire to see her favourite son alive nor the other sons’ worry about having to share their inheritance. That means he has neither reason to believe David nor to disbelieve him.
But the thing about Christopher is, that he is also an extremely annoying narrator. He’s an incredibly patronising 18 at the time of the events in the book but tells the story decades later – as an incredibly condescending old man. Inbetween him recollecting the events he deigns to grace the reader with his opinion on various literary works (like Treasure Island and The Moonstone – both are stupid because they have narrators who would never actually sit down and write down a story), tells us all about the interior decoration in his Thomas Lovell (his bedroom…don’t ask) and generally gives his opinion on everything. And, of course, since he is telling the story as a much older man, he can also give his opinion on his younger self, giving his opinion…
And then there’s the final third of the book: In it, Christopher finds something that suggests a quite definite answer to the question “Is this man really David?” But he doesn’t show it to anybody in the family. He leaves a note saying “I know what’s going on! Now I’m off to Paris” And then he is off to Paris where a string of miraculous coincidences happen and he has a revelation that solves everything while he is drunk on pastis and watching an Ibsen play. It all reads like the author had a maximum page-count and had a hard time resolving the multitude of threads so he just went “Oh who cares? He knows this because…because you are more intelligent when you are drunk! GENIUS! GIVE ME AN AWARD!” That’s a shame because once I had made my peace with Christopher’s annoyingness, I enjoyed the story and all the twists and turns it took. And I think the solution is very clever – but the way we got there isn’t.
ARC provided by NetGalley
September 8, 2021
When we are introduced to Christopher Barrington and his 'uncle' Miles, there is little to give us a clue about what this story would be, and Julian Symons has truly been clever indeed in his narrator and amateur detective.
Because it is Christopher who is a very pivotal character in this clever, literary mystery. Christopher as we find out arrived at Belting at the age of 12, an orphan related to the matriarch through his mother, who was Lady Wainwright's niece. The matriarch certainly doesn't put out the welcome mat for the child when he arrives at the house, which appears to be a museum in memory of the lady's husband and two oldest and favorite sons, who had disappeared/died during the waning days of World War II.
Christopher is now 18 and has settled into the family situation and even developed a certain fondness for the elderly woman. Indeed, he has been finishing up his studies in preparation for college when he receives a letter from Uncle Miles saying that she is dying.
When he arrives home, there is an additional bombshell — apparently, Lady Wainwright has receive a letter from one of dead sons! Uncles Miles and Stephen (especially Stephen) are sure that the man is an imposter but they handle the situation badly and in the end, 'David' returns home to be welcomed by the matriarch and under suspicion by his brothers. Shortly afterwards, the faithful old retainer is found, by Christopher, shot dead. Immediately, there are allusions to another murder that happened in the community 10 years ago, before the two oldest sons returned to the battlefront.
And while the Wainwright sons squabble, Christopher is one the hunt.
The story's foundations were inspired by an actual case from the 1860s in which a son, believed dead, returns after years away to claim a baronetcy. The Tichborne Claimant prompted several other writers, including Josephine Tey and Mary Stewart.
But I'm not sure that these authors solved their mysteries in quite the same way as Symons, whose combination of a young man on the verge of adulthood and who has only a minimal stake in the claim, is just part of the reading fun. The writing of this mystery is fun, the clues very clever and the characters memorable.
While I found the story to be a little slow at the beginning, I found myself reading late in the night as Christopher was on the hunt. It's entertaining, challenging and in the end, richly satisfying.
Because it is Christopher who is a very pivotal character in this clever, literary mystery. Christopher as we find out arrived at Belting at the age of 12, an orphan related to the matriarch through his mother, who was Lady Wainwright's niece. The matriarch certainly doesn't put out the welcome mat for the child when he arrives at the house, which appears to be a museum in memory of the lady's husband and two oldest and favorite sons, who had disappeared/died during the waning days of World War II.
Christopher is now 18 and has settled into the family situation and even developed a certain fondness for the elderly woman. Indeed, he has been finishing up his studies in preparation for college when he receives a letter from Uncle Miles saying that she is dying.
When he arrives home, there is an additional bombshell — apparently, Lady Wainwright has receive a letter from one of dead sons! Uncles Miles and Stephen (especially Stephen) are sure that the man is an imposter but they handle the situation badly and in the end, 'David' returns home to be welcomed by the matriarch and under suspicion by his brothers. Shortly afterwards, the faithful old retainer is found, by Christopher, shot dead. Immediately, there are allusions to another murder that happened in the community 10 years ago, before the two oldest sons returned to the battlefront.
And while the Wainwright sons squabble, Christopher is one the hunt.
The story's foundations were inspired by an actual case from the 1860s in which a son, believed dead, returns after years away to claim a baronetcy. The Tichborne Claimant prompted several other writers, including Josephine Tey and Mary Stewart.
But I'm not sure that these authors solved their mysteries in quite the same way as Symons, whose combination of a young man on the verge of adulthood and who has only a minimal stake in the claim, is just part of the reading fun. The writing of this mystery is fun, the clues very clever and the characters memorable.
While I found the story to be a little slow at the beginning, I found myself reading late in the night as Christopher was on the hunt. It's entertaining, challenging and in the end, richly satisfying.
December 13, 2018
I am a sucker for these idyllistic covers. When you start the book you also know that you are in a stylised setting. Its almost medieval - the autocratic lady of the manor, no domestics (due to the great War) but ruling all with a fist of iron, two sons dead in the War, two left behind and one distant nephew adopted into the family. A motley collection but you sense a great story round the corner.
All the characters are eccentric, all live far removed from everyday life in England especially our Christopher the speaker in the story as it were. Orphaned at a young age, he was brought to the Belting house then sent to school, then on to university and has "expectations" as like everyone else though definitely not a greedy boy! the two sons specially were in their own ways wanting to get the fortune that waited them on their mother's demise.
When after years the news came through that David the eldest was alive, it threw the cat amongst the pigeons. Stephen particularly felt that it was unjust! and Miles followed blindly. Our narrator was devil's advocate but when David finally appeared he tended to be with the brothers, that David was an imposter. However David answered questions put forward by two people who knew from way back, but the brothers and Christopher were unconvinced.
How Christopher finally unravelled the sad story of the impersonation follows. Christopher broke from the mould, had his adventure and found love as well.
All the characters are eccentric, all live far removed from everyday life in England especially our Christopher the speaker in the story as it were. Orphaned at a young age, he was brought to the Belting house then sent to school, then on to university and has "expectations" as like everyone else though definitely not a greedy boy! the two sons specially were in their own ways wanting to get the fortune that waited them on their mother's demise.
When after years the news came through that David the eldest was alive, it threw the cat amongst the pigeons. Stephen particularly felt that it was unjust! and Miles followed blindly. Our narrator was devil's advocate but when David finally appeared he tended to be with the brothers, that David was an imposter. However David answered questions put forward by two people who knew from way back, but the brothers and Christopher were unconvinced.
How Christopher finally unravelled the sad story of the impersonation follows. Christopher broke from the mould, had his adventure and found love as well.
August 1, 2020
Really enjoyed this book. It doesn’t follow the formula of the usual whodunnit with a number of interweaving storylines - a son or possibly an imposter returning after being presumed dead, a 10 year old unsolved murder, a more recent butler found dead... It works well though, without being confusing, and the threads are pulled together expertly but he author.
The strong first-person narrator really makes it for me, with a warm and likeable character set against the faded, and generally unlikable aristocracy of his adoptive family. The gothic country house gloom is compelling, and a jaunt to Paris lifts the pace.
A great read!
The strong first-person narrator really makes it for me, with a warm and likeable character set against the faded, and generally unlikable aristocracy of his adoptive family. The gothic country house gloom is compelling, and a jaunt to Paris lifts the pace.
A great read!
October 10, 2022
A curious take on the country house murder, where a man appears claiming to be the beloved son and heir thought killed in the war. Or is he?
The narration is a 'first person memoir' style, both the precocious and slightly arrogant 19 year old 'poor relation' doing the key detective work overlaid with his own later, cynical and emotionally reserved observations. The resulting binocular view allows some very effective character work and the evocation of being on the cusp of adulthood in the 1960s is interesting. Yet the tone ends up too bleak and world weary for my taste.
The country house genre ala Agatha Christie or Ngaio Marsh lives in a certain kind of inverted snobbery : we readers who don't own evening dress love the glamour of the old money life, yet delight to find that these rich folks are riddled with grand sins and resentments and clever plots. Symons gives us no glamour and a faded family wasting away amid their own emotional dysfunction and pathetic greed. Writing at a time when those country houses were dying out, he seems to be wishing them good riddance.
The narration is a 'first person memoir' style, both the precocious and slightly arrogant 19 year old 'poor relation' doing the key detective work overlaid with his own later, cynical and emotionally reserved observations. The resulting binocular view allows some very effective character work and the evocation of being on the cusp of adulthood in the 1960s is interesting. Yet the tone ends up too bleak and world weary for my taste.
The country house genre ala Agatha Christie or Ngaio Marsh lives in a certain kind of inverted snobbery : we readers who don't own evening dress love the glamour of the old money life, yet delight to find that these rich folks are riddled with grand sins and resentments and clever plots. Symons gives us no glamour and a faded family wasting away amid their own emotional dysfunction and pathetic greed. Writing at a time when those country houses were dying out, he seems to be wishing them good riddance.
May 11, 2019
3.5 stars. I read the new British Crime Classics version.
November 18, 2018
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for providing an advance reading copy of this book. The views expressed are my own.
This is an enjoyable puzzle mystery story set in the 1950's in England, although its style seems dated to the 1930's. The mystery concerns David Wainwright an aviator who went missing in 1944 on a mission over Germany in WW2. The Wainwright family suffered several deaths in the war: David's father and his brother Hugh. This leaves Lady Wainwright as the matriarch of the family with her two surviving sons, and now in the mid-1950's she is near death with terminal cancer. David, or someone purporting to be him, emerges to claim that he was held in Russian captivity for many years but is now ready to return home to Belting, the family estate. Lady Wainwright accepts that the man is David. However, the two other sons believe he is an imposter. Of course, the sons have their eyes on the old lady's estate and who will inherit the family fortune when she dies. Shortly after the mystery man's arrival a trusted family retainer is murdered with suspicion falling on him on the theory the victim was able to disprove his claim. The story is also complicated by an unsolved murder from the time that David disappeared. He and his brother were home on leave when the body of Hugh's former business partner was found in the river. This case was never solved, although there was suspicion that David was involved.
The story is narrated by Christopher Barrington, a young orphaned cousin of the Wainwright family who was taken in by Lady Wainwright several years before David's re-appearance. In addition to his narration duty, Christopher does some sleuthing and actually solves the puzzle in the end. The police play a small role in the story.
Christopher is an interesting character. When first introduced at the beginning he is an unsophisticated college student, and matures as he investigates the imposter. A trip abroad to Paris opens his eyes to the world outside England, particularly as he encounters the city's bohemian lifestyle.
The conclusion is a satisfying resolution of the puzzle, with an ironic twist affecting Lady Wainwright's heirs. A good read.
This is an enjoyable puzzle mystery story set in the 1950's in England, although its style seems dated to the 1930's. The mystery concerns David Wainwright an aviator who went missing in 1944 on a mission over Germany in WW2. The Wainwright family suffered several deaths in the war: David's father and his brother Hugh. This leaves Lady Wainwright as the matriarch of the family with her two surviving sons, and now in the mid-1950's she is near death with terminal cancer. David, or someone purporting to be him, emerges to claim that he was held in Russian captivity for many years but is now ready to return home to Belting, the family estate. Lady Wainwright accepts that the man is David. However, the two other sons believe he is an imposter. Of course, the sons have their eyes on the old lady's estate and who will inherit the family fortune when she dies. Shortly after the mystery man's arrival a trusted family retainer is murdered with suspicion falling on him on the theory the victim was able to disprove his claim. The story is also complicated by an unsolved murder from the time that David disappeared. He and his brother were home on leave when the body of Hugh's former business partner was found in the river. This case was never solved, although there was suspicion that David was involved.
The story is narrated by Christopher Barrington, a young orphaned cousin of the Wainwright family who was taken in by Lady Wainwright several years before David's re-appearance. In addition to his narration duty, Christopher does some sleuthing and actually solves the puzzle in the end. The police play a small role in the story.
Christopher is an interesting character. When first introduced at the beginning he is an unsophisticated college student, and matures as he investigates the imposter. A trip abroad to Paris opens his eyes to the world outside England, particularly as he encounters the city's bohemian lifestyle.
The conclusion is a satisfying resolution of the puzzle, with an ironic twist affecting Lady Wainwright's heirs. A good read.
December 13, 2018
Christopher Barrington is an orphan. His mother's great-aunt, Lady Wainwright, comes to get him and bring him to her home. She is an elderly widow with 2 sons living with her. Stephen and Miles are her surviving sons. Hugh and David were killed in the war.
Lady Wainwright will raise Christopher as a part of her family. He will become part of life at Belting.
Now, a man identifying himself as David has arrived to return to the family and claim his portion of wealth which will be his inheritance.
This book was written in the 1960's by Julian Symons. Mr Symons is a new to me author. He is witty, very good at word games and writes a decent mystery. His characters are well developed. And he made me laugh out loud more than once.
Christopher is a character who was appealing. But, at times I felt he was rather full of himself and his intellect.
Lady Wainwright is a domineering woman who gives orders and expects them to be obeyed. She does not suffer fools gladly. And she has no patience with anyone who happens to disagree with her over anything.
Uncle Stephen, his wife Clarissa and Uncle Miles live under Lady Wainwright's thumb. It is what she wants and what they accept.
When David returns from the dead, it throws everything out of kilter. The lives of everyone at Belting will change forever.
And when an old family retainer is murdered, events become even more difficult for everyone concerned.
I liked this book very much. It is written in the manner of a long ago period in time. But, the story is well done. And it is a terrific book.
I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.
Lady Wainwright will raise Christopher as a part of her family. He will become part of life at Belting.
Now, a man identifying himself as David has arrived to return to the family and claim his portion of wealth which will be his inheritance.
This book was written in the 1960's by Julian Symons. Mr Symons is a new to me author. He is witty, very good at word games and writes a decent mystery. His characters are well developed. And he made me laugh out loud more than once.
Christopher is a character who was appealing. But, at times I felt he was rather full of himself and his intellect.
Lady Wainwright is a domineering woman who gives orders and expects them to be obeyed. She does not suffer fools gladly. And she has no patience with anyone who happens to disagree with her over anything.
Uncle Stephen, his wife Clarissa and Uncle Miles live under Lady Wainwright's thumb. It is what she wants and what they accept.
When David returns from the dead, it throws everything out of kilter. The lives of everyone at Belting will change forever.
And when an old family retainer is murdered, events become even more difficult for everyone concerned.
I liked this book very much. It is written in the manner of a long ago period in time. But, the story is well done. And it is a terrific book.
I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.
December 23, 2018
Lady Wainwright rules over Belting Manor with an iron hand. Her elder sons Hugh & David have both been killed in the war and she’s left with her two younger sons, who she finds to be perpetually disappointing. Also in the household is her orphaned nephew, who is now 19 and has just returned from college on a break. Lady Wainwright’s health is starting to fail and the brothers are hanging around out of habit and a desire to not be written out of the will. But then a stranger shows up claiming to be David, returned from years in a Russian prison camp. Everybody is skeptical except Lady Wainwright. Hugh sends his nephew to London to find people that knew David and will be able to expose him as an imposter. When the mystery is finally solved you will be surprised.
My work for this book is charming. The story is told by the nephew as narrator and he is delightful. The story is carefully crafted to move at a fully engaging pace with fascinating people and conversations. The number of family secrets seems limitless and there is more than one skeleton hidden in the closets of Belting Manor. I was quite frankly, surprised by how much I enjoyed story. A great example of a British crime story and I highly recommend it.
My work for this book is charming. The story is told by the nephew as narrator and he is delightful. The story is carefully crafted to move at a fully engaging pace with fascinating people and conversations. The number of family secrets seems limitless and there is more than one skeleton hidden in the closets of Belting Manor. I was quite frankly, surprised by how much I enjoyed story. A great example of a British crime story and I highly recommend it.
March 28, 2019
The Belting Inheritance is a classic mystery narrated by Christopher, a relatively young man who was perfectly positioned to solve the case. When he was orphaned, he came to live with the Wainwrights, his aunt and adult cousins, her two surviving sons, the elder presumably died in World War II. His aunt is dying of cancer and he will be a minor legatee so less inclined to see other heirs as a challenge.
Out of the blue, a letter arrives announcing that David Wainwright, a pilot who was shot down, has survived years in prison camps in Germany and Russia and is now coming home. His cousins assume he is a fraud. Christopher is not so sure. When the old retainer who worked for the Wainwrights is murdered, some think the killer must be David. After all, they note, he was suspected of murder ten years earlier. But are they right?
This is news to Christopher and he begins to investigate and meets another person who wants that long ago murder solved. They work together with youthful confidence they can unscramble the mystery.
I read The Belting Inheritance in one sitting. I wavered while reading the first few chapters, unsure whether I would even continue. I am glad I did. It took a bit to Julian Symons’ efforts at writing like a recent college graduate who is as inane as he is clever. There is a familial love of wordplay that interferes with the direct narrative at the beginning, but it evens out fairly quickly. I thought the mystery was completely fair and yet complex enough so that even those of us who think we have it figured out will get a surprise or two.
I received an e-galley of The Belting Inheritance from the publisher through NetGalley.
The Belting Inheritance at Poisoned Pen Press
Julian Symons at Wikipedia
The Colour of Murder by Julian Symons review
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
Out of the blue, a letter arrives announcing that David Wainwright, a pilot who was shot down, has survived years in prison camps in Germany and Russia and is now coming home. His cousins assume he is a fraud. Christopher is not so sure. When the old retainer who worked for the Wainwrights is murdered, some think the killer must be David. After all, they note, he was suspected of murder ten years earlier. But are they right?
This is news to Christopher and he begins to investigate and meets another person who wants that long ago murder solved. They work together with youthful confidence they can unscramble the mystery.
I read The Belting Inheritance in one sitting. I wavered while reading the first few chapters, unsure whether I would even continue. I am glad I did. It took a bit to Julian Symons’ efforts at writing like a recent college graduate who is as inane as he is clever. There is a familial love of wordplay that interferes with the direct narrative at the beginning, but it evens out fairly quickly. I thought the mystery was completely fair and yet complex enough so that even those of us who think we have it figured out will get a surprise or two.
I received an e-galley of The Belting Inheritance from the publisher through NetGalley.
The Belting Inheritance at Poisoned Pen Press
Julian Symons at Wikipedia
The Colour of Murder by Julian Symons review
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
February 13, 2024
Originally published 1964. This is the British Library Crime Classics publication, some of which have been appearing in the library recently. I was aware of this author and assume I must have read some of his books back in the day. In reviewing these older works, I must remember to make allowances for the social mores and language style in place back then. Unless I'm in a bad mood.
Dialogue is definitely more formal, and therefore grates somewhat. The characters are rather two-dimensional. We have Christopher, just out of school and a ward of Lady Wainwright who lives at Belting estate and depends on her largesse. Only by remembering that can we understand why he would involve himself so enthusiastically in investigating the bona fides of the long thought dead son who has returned to throw a spanner in the inheritance works. The living sons hate Chris, but smarm up to him to enlist his aid. When an estate servant is murdered, police are called in, but one can't classify this at all as a police procedural. All the emphasis is on Chris and later his associate, Elaine, a journalist. She's an ugly, fat woman with halitosis. Ha ha, had you there, didn't I?
The two of them even go to Paris in pursuit of the truth, although how Chris manages to afford this is not very clear.
There are plenty of possible suspects, and I wouldn't like the chances of whodunnit lovers to divine the truth. In this kind of story, the reader must always consider issues of ID, shall we just say?
It's not really a long book, but let's say I got a bit sick of it towards the end, and the ending where Chris actually figures out the truth is fairly unbelievable.
In the end, it's also a bit of a disappointment for all the characters, but I say no more.
I'll award a rating of 3.4.
Dialogue is definitely more formal, and therefore grates somewhat. The characters are rather two-dimensional. We have Christopher, just out of school and a ward of Lady Wainwright who lives at Belting estate and depends on her largesse. Only by remembering that can we understand why he would involve himself so enthusiastically in investigating the bona fides of the long thought dead son who has returned to throw a spanner in the inheritance works. The living sons hate Chris, but smarm up to him to enlist his aid. When an estate servant is murdered, police are called in, but one can't classify this at all as a police procedural. All the emphasis is on Chris and later his associate, Elaine, a journalist. She's an ugly, fat woman with halitosis. Ha ha, had you there, didn't I?
The two of them even go to Paris in pursuit of the truth, although how Chris manages to afford this is not very clear.
There are plenty of possible suspects, and I wouldn't like the chances of whodunnit lovers to divine the truth. In this kind of story, the reader must always consider issues of ID, shall we just say?
It's not really a long book, but let's say I got a bit sick of it towards the end, and the ending where Chris actually figures out the truth is fairly unbelievable.
In the end, it's also a bit of a disappointment for all the characters, but I say no more.
I'll award a rating of 3.4.
December 21, 2018
In some ways, this book is a little different to most classic crime stories. There is a murder and a cast of possible suspects. Most of the action takes place in a country house, although there is a brief trip over to France. In addition to this part of the mystery, there is also the question of a missing member of the family returning to the family and the family not being sure if he is really who he says that he is. Of course, these two elements are linked and the answer to both mysteries is solved together.
The story is told from the point of view of a young member of the house, Christopher, who is there staying with his extended family for the holidays. He had lost his parents at the age of twelve and has been cared for by his mother's aunt, who he is now living with since then. I quite liked Christopher as a narrator, he is often very conscious of his role as storyteller, but on the whole, I think that this worked.
The pace of the story is possibly a little slow when compared to modern novels, but I think in this it works. It helps to create a sense of the past and places the novel in the post-war period that it was set. I think it was actually written a decade or so later than this.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read. I had figured out some of the mystery, but there were still a few surprises at the end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The story is told from the point of view of a young member of the house, Christopher, who is there staying with his extended family for the holidays. He had lost his parents at the age of twelve and has been cared for by his mother's aunt, who he is now living with since then. I quite liked Christopher as a narrator, he is often very conscious of his role as storyteller, but on the whole, I think that this worked.
The pace of the story is possibly a little slow when compared to modern novels, but I think in this it works. It helps to create a sense of the past and places the novel in the post-war period that it was set. I think it was actually written a decade or so later than this.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read. I had figured out some of the mystery, but there were still a few surprises at the end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
October 11, 2018
Meh.
This was one of those old mysteries that seemed older than it is. I don't know whether it was the memoir style of the writing, the sort of lurching plot, or what, but I've read books from the '20s and '30s thirties (or older!) that felt fresher than this. Maybe it's that the plot - a supposedly dead heir returns...or does he? - has been done too many times, maybe it's that I found it difficult to care in this particular story whether the heir was genuine or not. Even with the narrator's care for the characters potentially affected, I just didn't like any of them enough to have an investment in whether or not they were being cheated. Nor did have any investment in the heir.
No one really seemed to care about the murder that happened in the novel's present - possibly related to the heir's arrival - nor did adding a previous murder give any tension to the proceedings. And then, when the narrator finally started investigating, he had an encounter that was so implausible that - even though it made sense later - I was thrown further out of the story.
Add in that the clues that solved the mystery were obscure literary references, and it just really didn't hold up well. (There were also some questionable moments when it came to race and class, which again added to the book seeming older, as well as being a bit off-putting.)
This was one of those old mysteries that seemed older than it is. I don't know whether it was the memoir style of the writing, the sort of lurching plot, or what, but I've read books from the '20s and '30s thirties (or older!) that felt fresher than this. Maybe it's that the plot - a supposedly dead heir returns...or does he? - has been done too many times, maybe it's that I found it difficult to care in this particular story whether the heir was genuine or not. Even with the narrator's care for the characters potentially affected, I just didn't like any of them enough to have an investment in whether or not they were being cheated. Nor did have any investment in the heir.
No one really seemed to care about the murder that happened in the novel's present - possibly related to the heir's arrival - nor did adding a previous murder give any tension to the proceedings. And then, when the narrator finally started investigating, he had an encounter that was so implausible that - even though it made sense later - I was thrown further out of the story.
Add in that the clues that solved the mystery were obscure literary references, and it just really didn't hold up well. (There were also some questionable moments when it came to race and class, which again added to the book seeming older, as well as being a bit off-putting.)
December 27, 2018
by Julian Symons is an unusual period mystery.
Narrated by Christopher, who lost his parents and came to live with his mother's aunt in a old manor. Her two sons have lost their live in the war and she has two more who live with her. The story starts with Christopher explaining events that led to his move with his aunt. From his point of view we get to meet the rest of the family. Years later, aunt's health is failing and sons are pretty much hanging around just not to be taken from the will. When a stranger shows up claiming to be one of the lost sons the household is in the upheaval.
Christopher is sent to find some old friends of the son who was presumed dead in order to prove that he is an impostor.
I must admit that the language was somehow stilted and it was difficult to follow the story at times. Overall I liked the plot and the settings. The characters were interesting enough, typical for the roles they played. The story although not a new one was quite interesting to me.
However I thought that the story should have moved at a slightly faster pace. The ending was a surprise.
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Narrated by Christopher, who lost his parents and came to live with his mother's aunt in a old manor. Her two sons have lost their live in the war and she has two more who live with her. The story starts with Christopher explaining events that led to his move with his aunt. From his point of view we get to meet the rest of the family. Years later, aunt's health is failing and sons are pretty much hanging around just not to be taken from the will. When a stranger shows up claiming to be one of the lost sons the household is in the upheaval.
Christopher is sent to find some old friends of the son who was presumed dead in order to prove that he is an impostor.
I must admit that the language was somehow stilted and it was difficult to follow the story at times. Overall I liked the plot and the settings. The characters were interesting enough, typical for the roles they played. The story although not a new one was quite interesting to me.
However I thought that the story should have moved at a slightly faster pace. The ending was a surprise.
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
January 15, 2019
The author won the Edgar Award for best crime novel four years before the Belting Inheritance was published in 1965.
An orphan is brought to stay at Belting at twelve. There is the formidable Lady Wainwright, and her two adult sons, Stephen and Miles along with Stephen’s wife, Clarissa. Lady Wainwright is haunted by the wartime deaths of her two older (and favorite) sons, Hugh and David.
Flash forward six years to the orphan returning home from school before his scholarship in the fall. There is a man claiming to be David returned from a Russian gulag. As Lady Wainwright is contemplates changing her will, both Miles and Stephen try to prove the interloper a fraud to preserve their inheritance.
I enjoyed the many twists and turns of the plot in this slow moving tale. However, there is absolutely no way to guess the denouement because crucial information is kept from the reader until the slam bang ending.
While not for armchair detectives, the Belting Inheritance is a good post-Golden age British mystery. 3 stars.
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
An orphan is brought to stay at Belting at twelve. There is the formidable Lady Wainwright, and her two adult sons, Stephen and Miles along with Stephen’s wife, Clarissa. Lady Wainwright is haunted by the wartime deaths of her two older (and favorite) sons, Hugh and David.
Flash forward six years to the orphan returning home from school before his scholarship in the fall. There is a man claiming to be David returned from a Russian gulag. As Lady Wainwright is contemplates changing her will, both Miles and Stephen try to prove the interloper a fraud to preserve their inheritance.
I enjoyed the many twists and turns of the plot in this slow moving tale. However, there is absolutely no way to guess the denouement because crucial information is kept from the reader until the slam bang ending.
While not for armchair detectives, the Belting Inheritance is a good post-Golden age British mystery. 3 stars.
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 13, 2021
A very odd little book, that I re-read (since I own an ancient paperback copy, I guess I'd read it before) because it was mentioned as having the same premise as Tey's Brat Farrar. In this case, the oldest son, believed to have been killed in WWII, re-appears as his mother is close to death, and she decides to change her will in his favor. The two remaining brothers doubt him, but he passes several tests (appendix scar, details about friends, etc.). Still, our narrator thinks there's more to be discovered. At this point the story goes off the rails. Next thing we know, a family retainer has been killed (very little happens about this, though), we're on a quick trip to Paris, drinking absinthe in a hallucinatory bar, tracking down a magician and puppeteer, and briefly encountering two mysterious men, Ulfheim and Strawman, who may be the key to the mystery. Oh, and there's heroin addiction. And avant-garde theater. And the story is told by the now-adult narrator, thirty years on. And there's a twist. Quite a wild ride.
October 20, 2018
"The Belting Inheritance" is a romantic mystery originally written in 1964. The viewpoint character is a young man who gets stuck in the middle of the debate when a stranger arrives claiming to be a dead son who stands to inherit. The other heirs don't think he's actually their brother and bring others in to confirm that he is a fraud. When someone who could identify him turns up dead, the police get involved.
The main characters asked the stranger questions to determine if he was genuine or a fraud. The main character and his girlfriend end up going to France in pursuit of proof of who he really is and almost by accident uncover what really happened in the past and present. Two couples end up married by the end of the story. There was no sex. There was some bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting crime story, though it's not a typical mystery.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
The main characters asked the stranger questions to determine if he was genuine or a fraud. The main character and his girlfriend end up going to France in pursuit of proof of who he really is and almost by accident uncover what really happened in the past and present. Two couples end up married by the end of the story. There was no sex. There was some bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting crime story, though it's not a typical mystery.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
March 2, 2019
Although this is an older retold story this book is very interesting because the mystery and murder is not solved by the investigating officer. The story is told by an older version of the 18 year old boy who solved the mystery. The boy was a relative of the family involved and therefore had a perspective as both inside and outside the story. As an older man he is penning the story for publication and remembering it as it happened. Just that in itself held your interest because he would speak of how he saw things then and react to that vision as an older version of the storyteller. There were no clues or interviews of suspects which gave the story a different feel. The story moved from detail to detail without loosing its flavor while being neither scary or suspenseful yet holding the reader entranced in the unfolding narrative. I will look for more from this author regardless of the time of publication.
Note: I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Note: I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
April 26, 2025
This 1965 novel reminded me of several different types and genres of novels at once: coming of age as in ‘Great Expectations,’ inheritance novels where a great house and fortune go a-begging, as in du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca,’ imposturage - if there is such a word still - as in Josephine Tey’s brilliant ‘Brat Ferrar,' Frank L Baum’s ‘Oz’ series, World War II espionage and finally, simple, home-grown murder. It takes the skill of a Julian Symons to pull it off, and he does, almost.
The second part of the novel is too absorbed with left bank bohemian artists who talk a lot but add nothing to the characterisation or the plot. A lot depends on your own reading and recognition of literary heroes or writers.
If you enjoy literary crosswords, this one's for you. While this is an excellent example of a mystery novel, it is not representative of Symons, and it would be unfair to judge a clever constructor of puzzles on the basis of this novel alone.
The second part of the novel is too absorbed with left bank bohemian artists who talk a lot but add nothing to the characterisation or the plot. A lot depends on your own reading and recognition of literary heroes or writers.
If you enjoy literary crosswords, this one's for you. While this is an excellent example of a mystery novel, it is not representative of Symons, and it would be unfair to judge a clever constructor of puzzles on the basis of this novel alone.
September 30, 2018
This did not work for me either as a straight novel or one of mystery/detection.
The opening is quite elegiac, almost reminiscent of "Brideshead Revisited", but thereafter deteriorates into a fairly ordinary tale of murder and deception, with upper class and bohemian settings.
There is little detection, official or otherwise, and the hero/narrator stumbles into a solution via a series of coincidences.
I found the tone, at times, irritating, and the pacing, too slow. The literary references, on the understanding of which the solution largely hinges, were relatively obscure and smacked of a rather adolescent one-upmanship on the part of the author.
This is not one of the better choices for re-issue in the BLCC series, but it is by no means the worst. Perhaps best described as a mid-1960's curiosity.
The opening is quite elegiac, almost reminiscent of "Brideshead Revisited", but thereafter deteriorates into a fairly ordinary tale of murder and deception, with upper class and bohemian settings.
There is little detection, official or otherwise, and the hero/narrator stumbles into a solution via a series of coincidences.
I found the tone, at times, irritating, and the pacing, too slow. The literary references, on the understanding of which the solution largely hinges, were relatively obscure and smacked of a rather adolescent one-upmanship on the part of the author.
This is not one of the better choices for re-issue in the BLCC series, but it is by no means the worst. Perhaps best described as a mid-1960's curiosity.
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