The Case of the Missing Bronte
New York: Dell Publishing Co. Inc., 1986. First Dell printing [stated]. Mass market paperback. [4], 182, [6] pages. Cover has some wear and creasing. Signed, with comment, by the author on the title page. Robert Barnard (23 November 1936 – 19 September 2013) was an English crime writer, critic and lecturer. His first crime novel, A Little Local Murder, was published in 1976. The novel was written while he was a lecturer at University of Tromsø in Norway. He went on to write more than 40 other books and numerous short stories. Barnard said that his favorite crime writer was Agatha Christie. In 1980 he published a critique of her work titled A Talent to Deceive: An Appreciation of Agatha Christie. Barnard was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger in 2003 by the Crime Writers Association for a lifetime of achievement. Under the pseudonym Bernard Bastable, Robert Barnard published two standalone novels and two alternate history books starring Wolfgang Mozart as a detective, he having survived to old age. Derived from a Kirkus review: Another fast-moving adventure for aristocratic Supt. Perry Trethowan of the C.I.D.--told in his usual wry, chatty style. The sleuthings begin when Perry and wife Jan meet, in a country pub, retired schoolmistress Edith Wing--who has found the manuscript of what might be an unknown Bronte novel amongst a pile of inherited old papers. Soon, Ms. Wing is attacked (almost killed) in her cottage; and Perry starts tracking down the now-missing manuscript. Among those who've been showing rather too much interest in the manuscript are: English professor Timothy Scott-Windlesham; strange Dr. Tetterfield, head of a research library; Rev. Amos Macklehouse, of the Tabernacle of the Risen Moses; and a menacing pair of Scandinavians. Eventually the chase leads to the Victorian house of spinster-typist Selina Boothroyd. Big money and a VIP surface among the motivations. Light-handed and light-hearted entertainment to be sure, with that fine satiric edge on good display. Condition: Good.
Keywords: Perry Trethowan, Edith Wing, Manuscript, Bronte, Timothy Scott-Windlesham, Tetterfield, Amos Macklehouse, Selina Boothroyd, Theft, Criminal Investigation
ISBN: 0440111080
[Book #75861]
Price: $50.00