Although set in 2000, this novel begins in October 1987, with a man who hates his wife, and a convenient storm.
Graham Forbes has spent many years abroad for his work in the British Council, especially in Indonesia where he met his wife Irene, a Chinese woman with a breathtakingly lovely face. He is the chair of the local village council, which strives to keep Weldisham’s historical buildings intact. He is known for his dinner parties, and for being a suave and sophisticated host. So, no-one would take him for a murderer. But that is just what he became in October 1987.
Thirteen years later, in 2000, Carole Seddon, an avid walker, has decided to spend one February afternoon walking on the outskirts of Weldisham when she is caught in a torrential downpour. Her nearest place of shelter is a dilapidated barn. As she sinks gratefully onto a mass of straw, it suddenly gives way, revealing a set of bones. Carole, shocked and upset, immediately calls the police. And that is when the sins of the past start to catch up with Graham Forbes.
One of the things I most enjoy about Simon Brett’s books is their detailed description of place. I knew West Sussex well as a child, as I often went there to visit my father and stepmother in Chichester. The countryside, with its rolling South Downs, flint cottages, and the occasional castle always struck me as benign. It never occurred to me that there were scary chalk pits, cliffs, and hidden caves that could be used to imprison people. But that is exactly what happens to poor Carole, who has become too inquisitive for her own good.
As ever, in Mr. Brett’s deft hands, loose ends are tied up, people are rescued from peril and everything ends (mostly) happily. If you are looking for a new set of whodunnits, you could do worse that the Fethering Mystery series.
