Harriet Farewell

Inspector Finch #20

by Margaret Erskine

"Septimus Finch returns for all his old friends, though he's only presiding in the background of a most intricate interfamilial case seemingly about poor Harriet, out of her head after the loss of a youngster. But she's just one of the three daughters-in-law of a rich man who has taken a third and much hated wife--there will be two more deaths and a missing Frenchman and some missing objets d'art. . . . Not so skittish this time-hard to anticipate, easy to read."

Genres: Mystery, Gothic, British Literature

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Margaret Erskine (1901-1984) was the pseudonym of Margaret Wetherby Williams, who was born in Ontario, Canada and grew up in Devon. Her series character was Inspector Septimus Finch.

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Average mystery, with gothic aspects, from ~1975. A rich man with a scheming third wife, three sons and their wives, a dependent nephew, a rambling estate with decrepit workshops, cottages, a burnt-out lodge... The series character, Inspector Septimus Finch, is called upon to investigate the murder of Consuelo Buckler. The obvious suspect is Harriet, the daughter-in-law who has been out of her mind since the accidental death of her toddler. Harriet roams around at night, shies away from her husband Miles, is much given to sybilline utterances and is in general your average gothic delight. Emma, the 18-year old bride of the third son, becomes somehow involved in the general search for Harriet, who appears and disappears in the most inconvenient ways. Somehow there also appears to be a connection to the disappearance of a Frenchman, who was once seen in the village and then never again. Three deaths later, a convenient falling tree leads to a neat wrap up. It was pretty clear along who the murderer was, so not much tension here.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Septimus Finch is on loan to the Ilverstoke Division. He's not expecting much in his line (homicide); the Superintendent has assured him that "financial chicanery is our usual fare." But he's not there long before the much younger, third wife of Theodore Buckler (the patriarch of the wealthiest family in Ilverstoke) is shot and killed during a Guy Fawkes celebration on the Buckler estate. Consuelo Buckler wasn't much loved by anyone in the family except Theodore. Her stepsons and their wives all despise her and took exception to her sly, interfering ways. Harriet Buckler, especially hated her.

Harriet has just recently been released from an institution after a mental breakdown brought on by her responsibility for her and Miles Buckler's young son. The incident brought on amnesia and she seemed to be fairly calm and reasonably well when released--other than her inability to remember anything of the car accident that resulted in "Bunny's" death. That is until Consuelo started a campaign to make her remember. And when Miles mentions that his revolver is missing just hours before Consuelo is found dead near the lake, Harriet is the obvious suspect. It doesn't help that she has disappeared--as if she's avoiding capture.

But there is more going on in Ilverstoke than just the death of Consuelo. There is a missing French artist and a stolen ivory art piece from the Buckler collection. And not long after Harriet was sent away to the institution, Miles' and her home was burned down. Finch suspects a connection, though it will take some time to work out the pattern. Unfortunately, more deaths will occur before he puts the final piece in the puzzle.

This was the first Erskine mystery I ever came across and was the reason I put her on my To Be Found list. I first read Harriet Farewell in the early 90s--long before blogging was a thing for me. I decided it was time to revisit the story and see how it holds up. The mystery plot itself is pretty solid. Though not a Golden Age book, it does follow GAD standards for clue dropping and puzzle points. It could use a few more credible suspects, though. Erskine tries to spread suspicion among all the Bucklers, but doesn't really accomplish that goal. We've got, at most, three good suspects--with a bit more effort we could have had six (which is the number I think she was shooting for). But it was a good bit of entertainment and made for a fast-paced read. And it was a definite pleasure getting reacquainted with Inspector Finch. ★★★ and 1/2 (rounded up here)

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart thumping suspense.