The Simpkins Plot

by George A. Birmingham

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252 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1911

About the author

Reverend James Owen Hannay (1865-1950) was born in Belfast and educated at Haileybury and Trinity College, Dublin. He wrote some of his books under the pseudonym George A. Birmingham. His most famous works include: The Spirit and Origin of Christian Monasticism (1903), The Seething Plot (1905), Hyacinth (1906), Benedict Cavanagh (1907), The Northern Iron (1907), The Bad Times (1908), Spanish Gold (1908), The Search Party (1909), Lalage's Lovers (1911), The Major's Niece (1911), The Red Hand of Ulster (1912), The Simpkins Plot (1912), The Adventures of Dr. Whitty (1913), General John Regan (1913), Gossamer (1915), Inisheeny (1920), Send for Dr O'Grady (1923), Found Money (1923), The Great Grandmother (1923), King Tommy (1924), Goodly Pearls (1926), Fidgets (1927), The Hymn Tune Mystery (1930), Wild Justice (1930), and Elizabeth and the Archdeacon (1932).

Reviews

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was goofy as hell. I think I might have enjoyed it though? Either way I wanted to wrap my hands around the main character Meldon's neck and strangle him. The man was criminally stupid and rude beyond reason.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

While cleaning out my parents' basement, we found an old, leatherbound copy of this book, which I've never heard of, by an author equally unknown to me. It belonged to my great-grandmother, who passed it on to my grandfather - in 1916! My grandfather has written his name in it, in big, childlike letters. The book is old and battered and a corner of the first page is missing.

There was no way I was not going to read this!:)

It's a sweet, funny story about mistaken identity. Miss King, a novelist, travels to Ireland for her holidays. A whimsical and talkative but kindly parson, Mr Meldon, thinks she is a murderess whose speciality is husband-killing. The little Irish community is plagued by a man called Simpkins, who is very particular about rules. Mr Meldon now wants to marry Miss King and Mr Simpkins, so she can get rid of him for the sake of the community.

It's a very harmless, funny story, where the reader knows what is really going on which makes the mistakes hilarious. The story has a touch of Oscar Wilde and Jane Austen's Emma to it sometimes, though Emma is better crafted and Wilde would have put in a neat handful of unforgettable one-liners. The novel is out of print at the moment, but according to Amazon it will "soon" be published again. If you find it, do consider it. It's a quick read, but very fun and worth the time.

[Kimberly Bristol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A case of mistaken identity sets off a funny series of events in a small, Irish village in the early 1900s. The writing style reminded me a bit of Oscar Wilde. The quirky cast of characters add to the charm. I had several laugh out loud moments, and highly recommend.