A couple of years ago a correspondent suggested that I try some of
Robert Barnard’s mystery novels. I managed to find a couple
at a local used bookstore, and indeed I enjoyed them, but I had little
luck finding any more after that. That changed during my recent trip to
Ann Arbor; at a used bookstore there, I found nine of his paperbacks at
$2.50 each, and I nabbed them.

This is the first of the set, and it’s a treat. It takes place in the
Yorkshire town of Hexton-on-Weir. The ladies of Hexton are set in their
ways, and when it comes to Divine Services their tastes are decidely
low-church. Nothing Romish or papistical for them. But the long-time
Anglican vicar has passed away, and the Bishop’s appointee for the
position is not only high-church (Heavens! He lights candles and wears a
cassock!) but also celibate. This cannot be borne, for the ladies of
Hexton are accustomed to running the town behind the scenes, and an
unmarried vicar simply Will Not Do. How would they control him?

This is the kind of mystery in which the murder comes about halfway
through, thus giving you two mysteries in one–first, who’s going to die,
and second, whodunnit. The details of village politics are delightfully
petty without becoming farcical, and the ending is satisfyingly
unpredictable. All in all, I give it two thumbs up, and I’m looking
forward to the next one.