Mists over Mosley

Mr. Mosley #4

by John Buxton Hilton, John Greenwood (Pseudonym)

When witchcraft and murder surface in the village of Marldale, only the elderly Detective Mosley--much to Superintendent Grimsdale's chagrin--can make headway in the case

Genres: Mystery

186 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1986

About the author

John Buxton Hilton was a British crime writer. After his war service in the army he became an Inspector of schools, before retiring in 1970 to take up full-time writing.

He wrote the Superintendent Simon Kenworthy series and the Inspector Thomas Brunt series, as well as the Inspector Mosley series under the pseudonym John Greenwood. Hilton died in Norwich.

Reviews

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good solid English village mystery, none of your “cozy” stuff here thank you very much. I was surprised after bringing the book home (another used bookstore treasure!) to find that John Greenwood is a nom de plume for John Buxton Hilton, who wrote the much longer series featuring Inspector Kentworthy; I’d read one Kentworthy entry (#1) and found it unsatisfying, so I’m glad I discovered Inspector Jack Mosley and got to know him.
Mosley is a quirky fellow, working cases his own way and often to the consternation of his superiors, but he gets results. Here he takes over (literally!) a case in the village of Upper Marldale with some strange things going on: the convening of a witch’s coven, unexpected crop failures, the apparent hexing of the village cats, and the Town Hall clock re-starting itself after previously not working. The witches take credit for all of it, but the question is, “Why?” Trust Mosley, who knows more about the people and goings-on within the villages in his purlieu, to get to the bottom of all.
I must say that I found much similarity here between Inspector Mosley and Colin Watson’s Inspector Purbright, he of Flaxborough environs. And if Greenwood’s Mosley continues to measure up to Watson’s Purbright, I will have discovered a fine new series to read.

[Edith · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. (Written as John Greenwood). It is difficult to imagine a less likely word with which to associate Det. Inspector Jack Mosley than "confection"; nonetheless a confection is what this novel is. Mr. Mosley is here dealing with a suspected coven of witches, an old lady of uncertain temper, cats who won't be put out, hexed cabbages, and a church tower clock of suspicious habits.

Mosley, a short man of 55 in an old homburg and in an even older and dirtier overcoat, is not standard police issue. He tends to accomplish his goals by means of an extensive social network, and by not unduly disturbing the locals. As usual (this being, I think, the fourth book in Greenwood's Mr. Mosley series, Mr. Mosley's superiors and his sergeant struggle to figure out where Mr. Mosley is and what he is up to. He is usually far ahead of everyone else, and this time he is hot on the scent of corruption.

The characters are amusing, the plot intricate. The game of trying to figure out what Mosley is doing and why is very engaging. The conclusion, however, struck me as a little flat. Still, a very pleasant entertainment, if a bit fluffy.

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those readers who believe that the English write the best mysteries, that the best mysteries set are set in England, that any mystery set in England is better than any mystery not set in England, and that half of England is trying to kill the other half while the other half is just conspiring to kill, then Mists Over Mosley is a thoroughly enjoyable book. For those readers whose tastes trend toward other locales and nationalities, this is still a thoroughly enjoyable book. When the Assistant Chief Constable tasks Chief Detective Inspector Grimsby to look into complaints of witchcraft (the clock has stopped and the roosters ignore their harems) in the village of Upper Mardale, he is quite chagrined, not because of the "case," which he considers a lot of tomfoolery and village gossip, but because it will bring him into contact with Inspector Mosley, who annoys him immensely because he is too laconic, too eccentric, and too well liked by the insular crowd at Upper Mardale, who could not be bothered to give the time of day (even if the village clock were working) to a copper like Grimsby. He tries to keep Mosley out of the loop by assigning him the job of reviewing witness reports in a rather hopeless "masked mugger" case in another village, but that only delays Mosley's entry into the case, as he very quickly has all three muggers arrested (they had only one mask between them, which would have been clear had anyone bothered to note the discrepancies in the witness reports), but Mosley already knows about the so-called witchcraft because he attended one of their public coven meetings...more like a social club with tea, biscuits and spells. When magic turns to murder, however, Grimsby must give way to Mosley, but he's still keeping an eye on the inspector ("No, Mosley, you may not use the pub as an incident room"), just waiting for the man to fall, and fall he must, because even though Mosley is well liked by (nearly) everyone, from villagers to the Chief Constable, he just doesn't go by the book, and Grimsby knows that the secret to solving crimes is to go by the book. Like many English inspectors in the classic mystery form, Mosley seems quite innocuous, very distracted and quite unappreciative of what is obviously important; he always seems to be two paces behind everyone else and looking in the wrong direction, only to be found standing at the finish line (holding handcuffs for the appropriate party) when everyone else stumbles across. This book might appeal to those fans of the murder mysteries set in the deceptively bucolic villages of Midsommer County, or even the Scottish Highlands where Constable Hamish Macbeth keeps the peace.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Death on a Broomstick

The tiny village of Upper Marldale is being overwhelmed by a mischievous coven of witches. Neither believers nor non-believers can explain why the church clock winds itself up without assistance, why a row of winter cabbages is suddenly struck down in the night, nor why not one cat in the village will venture forth after dusk. Marldale is the territory of the deceptively brilliant Inspector Jack Mosley, and his exasperated superiors wish he would get on with solving these nagging little incidents. But nagging soon becomes nightmarish when a sculptor is found hanging from her ceiling beam. A whiff of local corruption tickles Mosley's nose, and he and his sidekick set off into the bracing northern air to seek the reasons and parties behind both the supernatural and the homicidal."
~~back cover

Another brilliant entry in the series. Lots of lovely taciturn, non-cooperative northern characters. A great twisted plot that's wound up tightly in the end. What's not to like?

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody can explain why Upper Marldale's witches are so powerful, but the police are just as glad to have Mosley investigate--at least it keeps him away while a major corruption investigation is going on at home base. But of course Mosley's investigation leads in all directions, especially when the ambitious Sgt. Beamish, sent to keep Mosley under control, starts to fall for one of the witches.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually borrowed this book from the library so it was probably a hardback. As I do not have the details I cannot create another edition.