Review Summaries

• The work suits readers who follow its themes and historical setting closely. It is valued less for dramatic turns than for its careful handling of circumstance and its measured prose.

Reviews

• Classic

  First mystery I have purchased by Robert Bernard and really only bought this one out curiosity aroused by being set in an area close to where I live. The story is told in a classic British style. The narrator is neither a hatrd-boiled p.i. nor a British cop but a retired politician who is writing his political memoirs, the early part of which involves the unsolved murder of a close friend. The perspective and the writing are elegant and murderously clever, If you appreciate good writing, this is a good read.

• An Excellent Mystery

  This is as good of a mystery as I've read. As a distraction from writing his memoirs, Peter Proctor begins an investigation into the decades-old murder of a young friend. The friend is a minor player in the Foreign Office from the 1950s, but his death has a lasting impact on Peter and many others. As he recollects and then investigates, he recalls pivotal moments in British history such as the Suez crisis and the tumultuous years of the Edward Heath government. He meets people with memories of the friend and it leads him to a startling conclusion. In addition, he relays a startling conclusion of his own. To reveal more would be a disservice to other readers. In the fashion of Josephine Tey's "Daughter of Time," this is a work about the discovery of one's past in a broader context. (I was interested to see another reviewer found the similarity with that book, which I also rate as one of my favorites ever). Barnard's book is sure to shock those who encounter it and to stay with one long after the final page.

• A British mystery with considerable homosexual content

  It was a pleasure to read this after reading "Belgravia" and walking around Belgravia Square recently. The book and its protagonists are engaging, the mystery is intriguing, there is some humor. The theme, from the first pages, concerns homosexuality in the 50s and seems accurate enough. This story, although universal, has a British flavor.

• Great. So love this author

  Great. So love this author.

• A Scandal in Belgravia

  Very, very enjoyable. Told calmly and rationally, with none of the hyperbole that would have ruined such a story. It's a real change and a pleasure to read something which is so non-sensational and yet at the same time is about what was, at the time, an incredibly sensational subject. I've just discovered Robert Barnard, and I'm thoroughly enjoying reading my way through his work. Definitely recommended.

Purchase links