1991 mystery. Sheila Malory has returned to Oxford to do some research
at the Bodleian. Her godson, working there, found the victim of a
shelf collapse, who turns out to have been a thoroughly bad thing and
probably a blackmailer. But the police were quite happy to say it was
an accident…
The first book in this series felt surprisingly old-fashioned for
something that came in 1989, but this one is much less so: on the one
hand many of the significant events happened in various eras of Back
In the Day, and on the other Sheila's son Michael is coming up to his
final exams, but has time to lend a hand in the investigation where
it's needed. (Those of us who have met Hazel's son Tom Holt will
certainly recognise the model.)
Even once Mrs Malory admits that there may well have been a murder,
clues are sparse; many people had means, motive and opportunity, and
some of the alibis are distinctly flimsy. And whatever dark secret
caused someone to kill Gwen Richmond rather than go on under her thumb
is certainly not the only one that will be exposed.
The murder isn't the only thing that will need to be resolved, for
that matter; Sheila runs into a charismatic tutor whose discussion
group she was brought into by her first love when she was up, and
there's past to be dug up there too. For my taste this strikes the
balance perfectly between bringing in other matters and developing
character while giving the murder mystery primacy.
Even though, without truly damning evidence, the villain is brought to
confess (incorrectly thinking there are no other witnesses), this
feels not like a convenient way to wrap up the book but like something
entirely in keeping for this specific villain: yes, they would like
to hear themselves lay it all out to someone who can do nothing about
it.
For me a distinct step up from the first, and I already quite liked
that one.