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Inspector Quantrill #8
Cross My Heart and Hope to Die
When an elderly couple disappears only one week after the husband signed for his pension, Inspector Quantril begins his investigation but finds it hampered by misleading information from well-meaning townfolk.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 27, 1992
About the author
Sheila Radley
24 books3 followersSheila Mary Robinson was born and brought up in rural Northamptonshire, one of the fortunate means-tested generation whose further education was free. She went from her village school via high school to London University, where she read history.
She served for nine years as an education officer in the Women’s Royal Air Force, then worked variously as a teacher, a clerk in a shoe factory, a civil servant and in advertising. In the 1960s she opted out of conventional work and joined her partner in running a Norfolk village store and post office, where she began writing fiction in her spare time. Her first books, written as Hester Rowan, were three romantic novels; she then took to crime, and wrote 10 crime novels as Sheila Radley.
She served for nine years as an education officer in the Women’s Royal Air Force, then worked variously as a teacher, a clerk in a shoe factory, a civil servant and in advertising. In the 1960s she opted out of conventional work and joined her partner in running a Norfolk village store and post office, where she began writing fiction in her spare time. Her first books, written as Hester Rowan, were three romantic novels; she then took to crime, and wrote 10 crime novels as Sheila Radley.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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October 10, 2018"A terrible series of gales drives through the village of Byland near England's eastern coast. Eventually the storms pass, but they leave behind destruction and fear. An old couple Gladys and Zygmunt Crackjaw, have disappeared. Gladys hasn't been seen in the village in a long time, but the elderly Ziggy bicycled into town every week to buy food and pick up their pensions. The sub-postmistress, Janet Thacker, saw him on Thursday, but no one's seen him since. Now the door to the Crackjaw's house is locked, the pension receipt booklets are on the mantle, and there are some gray hairs and a smear of blood near the fireplace, whee one of the old people may have fallen. The Crackjaws are nowhere to be found.
"With no bodies and no clue to where the Crackjaws might be, Detective Chief Inspector Douglas Quantrill and Sergeant Hilary Lloyd face a virtually unsolvable case. Neither the villagers nor the couple's grown children will admit to knowing anything. And nobody seems to care very much. Quantrill and Lloyd will keep probing until they find some answers -- if only Quantrill and Lloyd can tell fact from fiction.
"In this superbly crafted, heartfelt novel, Radley uses a dual narrative technique to transcend the boundaries of the traditional crime novel, producing a story of poignant, universal appeal."
~~front & back flaps
An excellent plot -- a story within a story that still leaves the reader guessing until the last pages. Beautifully crafted and excellently written, as always. It's a shame Ms. Radley wasn't as prolific as Agatha Christie!
"With no bodies and no clue to where the Crackjaws might be, Detective Chief Inspector Douglas Quantrill and Sergeant Hilary Lloyd face a virtually unsolvable case. Neither the villagers nor the couple's grown children will admit to knowing anything. And nobody seems to care very much. Quantrill and Lloyd will keep probing until they find some answers -- if only Quantrill and Lloyd can tell fact from fiction.
"In this superbly crafted, heartfelt novel, Radley uses a dual narrative technique to transcend the boundaries of the traditional crime novel, producing a story of poignant, universal appeal."
~~front & back flaps
An excellent plot -- a story within a story that still leaves the reader guessing until the last pages. Beautifully crafted and excellently written, as always. It's a shame Ms. Radley wasn't as prolific as Agatha Christie!
August 16, 2018
Many readers seem to have disliked this and I can see the reason why. It's because most part of the book is taken up by one of the suspects' 'autobiographical novel'. The story starts with the disappearance of the Crackjaws, an elderly couple living in the Suffolk village of Byland. DCI Quantrill and Sergeant Lloyd's investigation soon zooms in on Janet Thacker, the village's sub-postmistress, who denies any connection with the Crackjaws even though she lived next door to them in the past. And then the story veers off and focuses entirely on Janet's life, from her childhood days, her relationship with her parents, her ambitions and her shames, till her departure to college. It's not really an interesting read so most people who were expecting a straight-up mystery read would have been put off early on. But for me, there was something riveting about Radley's writing, in her descriptions of the simple country life, the family dynamics, and a person's loneliness. I was so caught up with the story that in the end, the initial mystery of the couple's disappearance and the final solution seemed disjointing, as if they were the extra pieces I have no interest in finding out. Still, I find this a very good read, and Sheila Radley had definitely joined the ranks of my favorite mystery authors.
October 4, 2023
I will preface this review with the fact I’ve not read any other novels in the series. Thus, I’ll not be judging the series by this book. Which is not a bad thing.
Cross My Heart and Hope to Die is a curious novel. It is a detective story in some fashions, though only nominally.
A large section of the book is taken up by another story entirely. I will not spoil what it is, but it was a risk taken by the author to do this. Unfortunately, a risk that did not pay off. Just because the idea is different doesn’t mean it is good. While well written, it isn’t all that interesting.
Overall, a noteworthy and unique storytelling experience. By far not a gripping and great book, it does have its own distinctive charm. I would recommend giving it a try only if you are a fan of the series, because as a standalone read it doesn’t hold up.
Cross My Heart and Hope to Die is a curious novel. It is a detective story in some fashions, though only nominally.
A large section of the book is taken up by another story entirely. I will not spoil what it is, but it was a risk taken by the author to do this. Unfortunately, a risk that did not pay off. Just because the idea is different doesn’t mean it is good. While well written, it isn’t all that interesting.
Overall, a noteworthy and unique storytelling experience. By far not a gripping and great book, it does have its own distinctive charm. I would recommend giving it a try only if you are a fan of the series, because as a standalone read it doesn’t hold up.
September 11, 2007
I just read one of her previous books, A Talent for Destruction. I wasn't really crazy about that one, but I love discovering new authors, or new to me, so I read this one too. I should have stopped when I was ahead.
The "plot" involves the disappearance of a reclusive elderly couple following a bad storm. The local police almost immediately suspect the son and a former neighbor. Just when the investigation is getting rolling, a detective steals a script of the neighbors autobiography. (Which would be against any police procedure) The next 150 pages are that book! What's up with that? If you wanted to write that book, write that book. I was expecting a detective story. It was very frustrating and disappointing. I am going to avoid this author in the future.
The "plot" involves the disappearance of a reclusive elderly couple following a bad storm. The local police almost immediately suspect the son and a former neighbor. Just when the investigation is getting rolling, a detective steals a script of the neighbors autobiography. (Which would be against any police procedure) The next 150 pages are that book! What's up with that? If you wanted to write that book, write that book. I was expecting a detective story. It was very frustrating and disappointing. I am going to avoid this author in the future.
June 28, 2013
The book starts off with a fairly decent mystery, two oldsters vanishing without a trace, foul play is suspected. Then the writer fills most of the book with an autobiographical novel (which is by itself not that interesting), finishing up with a few chapters that take up where the story left off. Because the two detectives have no understanding of fiction, the narrative sends them awry; the reader will get the mystery long before the professionals. As far as detective work, we have a sergeant who can't seem to ask the right questions, and a chief inspector whose greatest contribution to the case is nearly killing himself with a chainsaw while cutting a limb from a felled tree. I've read other of Radley's mysteries, and they should not really be judged by this one.
August 6, 2008
Story within a story, this book gave me lots of the English small town life that I so like to read about. I wish that more of the story included the two detectives because I want to get to know them better. Most of the book is about the internal story by "Janet." I am going to try another by her soon.
August 11, 2011
My book list says I've read this...but, seriously, I have absolutely NO recollection of it all. Not even after looking up the description of the thing online in an effort to jog the aging memory. I'm guessing it wasn't that good if I can't remember anything about it.
March 29, 2008
Good read
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews