When Anthony Rathe Investigates

by Matthew Booth

This gripping collection of detective stories is an excellent blend of contemporary and traditional crime drama. Each story is tightly plotted, exciting, and each with a satisfying twist at the end. There is a variety to the stories, ranging from dark secrets being exposed to genuinely tragic family secrets coming to light. But the real success of these stories are the two main characters and their relationship. Rathe is a fascinating and original character, a troubled man trying to make sense of his life in the wake of a tragedy which still haunts him. Contrasted with Rathe's private quest for redemption is Inspector Cook, a man with his own troubles, trying to come to terms with the violence he sees in his everyday life in the best way he can. The contrast between the two of them is set off against their mutual desire to find the truth and it forms the basis of an uneasy alliance. It is their uncertain partnership which sets these stories aside. It is not the usual detective duo combination and this amiable hostility between them is a welcome change. Rathe and Cook are wary of each other but what these stories show so well is the slow building of trust and respect between them as they investigate the crimes at the centre of these four excellent stories. A sequel can't come soon enough.

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2018

Reviews

[Steph Warren · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley, with thanks to the author and publishers. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

This book consists of four short stories, featuring the eponymous Anthony Rathe as a guilt-ridden ex-lawyer, attempting to alleviate his personal martyrdom by questing for justice on behalf of the wrongfully accused.

Having given up his legal career due to a personal crisis of faith, Rathe takes an amateur interest in a number of local murder cases and assists the police (or interferes) to ensure that the correct suspect gets the blame.

The story style is that of traditional amateur sleuth narratives: a puzzle is posed, with a reasonable number of hints and clues provided, and the reader and investigator attempt to piece together the pieces before the innocent suffer further.

I particularly enjoyed the puzzle element of these stories as I felt the author ‘played fair’ with the number and presentation of clues, so I managed an even success rate in identifying the killer before the characters did! I also enjoyed the changing and developing relationship between Rathe and his police contact frenemy.

I was much less keen on the framing narrative in which Rathe repeatedly encounters the mother of the man he helped to wrongfully imprison. I felt that the initial conversation was enough to give the reader a sense of the setup for the main character, and that repeatedly returning to the same scene felt unnecessary. I found it hard to empathise with the calm acceptance on the one side, and the (in my mind) excessive sackcloth-and-ashing that Rathe indulges in on the other.

In general these are great short mysteries, perfect for crime readers looking for a light bite. To tempt me into a longer novel featuring the same lead character I would want some reassurance that he is able to ease up on the self-flagellation a little!



For a moment, he was incapable of registering anything other than the sight and smell of blood. But then, as if from some place far away, he heard the whimper of a voice, but oddly childish in its terrified pitch. Healey broke free from his blood-spattered spell and looked at the other man in the church. Not the horrible thing which had once been a man, but the undeniably human form which was standing over the corpse. He was staring at the vicar with the wild eyes of a madman, his face twisted in some emotion which might have been fear, panic, or guilt. Perhaps it was a mixture of them all. His hands were outstretched to Healey and at once the vicar was again conscious of the presence of blood. This time, it was smeared over those outstretched palms, as though begging the holy man to cleanse them. As the stranger took a step towards him, Healey made an instinctive move backwards. The man seemed bewildered by the vicar’s movement, frowning in confusion into the light of the torch’s beam. Then, as though his senses told him what was in the vicar’s mind, the man began to shake his head. A finger snaked out and pointed towards the body beside him.
“I didn’t do this,” he stammered.

– Matthew Booth, When Anthony Rathe Investigates

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was a little different. Set in the present but written in a style that suggests a much earlier time setting. So much so that, for me, I slipped into the past and then was jolted back to the present by some mention of technology. This made for an interesting read!
So, what we have here is four shortish stories all connected by one concept. Anthony Rathe considers himself guilty of the death of a young, troubled man who, upon being found guilty and sentenced, subsequently killed himself in prison. Rathe finds out later that he was actually innocent of the crime he was imprisoned for and so visits his grave often throughout the book and, despite assurance from the boy's mother, still holds himself responsible. To try and gain some redemption, he makes it his mission to solve other injustices. Whether they be current or historical, he teams up with Inspector Cook and together they do their best to prove innocence, or otherwise, of several characters throughout the book.
I am not the biggest fan of short stories but I do like anthologies and even though, with the brevity of the tale being told, there is not much wriggle room for the usual twists and turns you find in longer forms of crime fiction, I found that there was just enough for me to get my teeth into with these. Yes, they were occasionally a little bit obvious at times, but I mostly put that down to my voracious devouring of the genre rather than anything the author did.
Slightly annoying angst aside, I did like Rathe as a character and I thought that his relationship with Cook was well done. They don't really like each other initially but have a mutual respect for one another and it was interesting to see their relationship develop throughout the book.
As with the relationship between the two main characters, I thought that the stores they embroiled themselves in also got better through the book. The final one being my favourite, and also the most shocking; cause and effect anyone!
All in all, a nice anthology containing four interesting stories, played out by some well rounded characters, written in an interesting old-feeling style. Hopefully there will be more to come in the series, I'll definitely be up for that! My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little confused when meeting Rathe, his backstory to start with wasn’t fully explained. I’ve never heard the radio stories but as I settled into these four individual stories, I got the gist of Rathe’s story.

I really liked watching the relationship between Rathe and Cook change from Rathe being an annoyance to Cook to the latter inviting the former to a house party.

The four stories was independent of each other but with an underlying arch to the two men’s friendship and Rathe’s outlook on his guilt. The investigations Rathe gets pulled into are all very different from each other with murder at the centre of each.

Matthew Booth has written four interesting short stories which kept me occupied for a few hours. I didn’t want to put my kindle down mid-investigation and there were no real chapter breaks. I’d definitely read more should they be published.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as an advance digital copy. The description of the book, and the reviews by others tell enough about the book that I don’t feel the need to describe each story. These are short stories. The plot of each was very interesting, and Rathe’s solution to each investigation, while being a little too easily made, still made sense and did not detract from the story. The 2 main characters were developed well for short stories. The Nero Wolfe investigatory novels are my standard for this genre. The book was not at that level but it was close, and certainly a satisfactory read.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four stories concerning ex-barrister Anthony Rathe, trying to appease his guilty conscience, by investigating four cases with the help of Detective Inspector Cooke.
Though well-written I didn't really feel engaged with the characters. I would give three stars to the first three stories and a four star for The Quick and the Dead.
A NetGalley Book

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are interesting short stories, engrossing and entertaining.
I liked the well written main characters, the stories and the background.
The characters are well written and the mystery were gripping.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.