Publisher's Weekly Review
This stately standalone from Eccles (After Clare) hinges on a long-buried secret from the Second Boer War. In rural 1927 Worcestershire, that conflict is nearly forgotten, although it's recalled in the late Osbert Rees-Talbot's unfinished memoirs. His grown daughter, Margaret, though stricken by the loss of her father, is planning her wedding to the Rev. Symon Scroope, who grew up on the nearby estate of Maxstead Court. The discovery of an unidentified man's body in the snow on Maxstead land results in the brief, unwanted attention of the police. The subsequent death of factory owner Arthur Anton, who was Rees-Talbot's batman during the Boer War, in the nearby village of Folbury brings Det. Insp. Herbert Reardon to town. The thoughtful, scarred Reardon eventually arrives at some answers, but flaccid characters and a slow-moving plot diminish the impact of these revelations. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
Improbably, dead bodies are piling up around the normally tranquil British village of Folbury in 1927. Perhaps Osbert Rees-Talbot's drowning death in his bathtub was accidental. But the corpse left in a shallow grave on the estate of the Scroope family was not, nor was the demise of Cpl. Arthur Aston, who was found dead in his factory. DI Herbert Reardon, a detective with a maverick streak, and his eager young sergeant, Joe Gilmour, pursue the thin leads. When they ascertain that the previously unidentified body is of a South African man, all signs point toward a Boer War connection. Figuring out the specific motive takes longer since most folks are keen on saving face. But sins of the fathers-or, perhaps, the mothers-have a way of catching up with their descendents eventually. VERDICT Veteran author Eccles's (After Clare) latest stand-alone historical may use a familiar theme, but she cleverly intersperses her traditionally structured procedural plot with sharp observations about human behavior. Perfect for the Downton Abbey bunch. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.