Bury Him Kindly
Pat Burden. Doubleday Books, $16.5 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-385-42234-5
When the body of a social worker is found in a woodland grave outside the village of Bletch Heath in Herefordshire, suspicion falls on irascible recluse Alice Meddlar and her strapping son, Robby, a shy ``simon,'' or simpleton. Retired detective chief superintendent Henry Bassett considers other possible villains, including newcomers to Bletch Heath, widowed sisters Olivia Mulholland, a former social worker and beefy ``born bossy boots,'' and Annette Gray, once a children's nanny. It takes placid, observant Bassett several days and a few ``thinking pipes'' to come up with a motive and identify the killer. Perhaps too English and too cozy for American readers, Burden's latest Bassett mystery, after Wreath of Honesty , sacrifices suspense for dense local diction and color. (Apr.)
Details
Reviewed on: 03/02/1992
Genre: Fiction
Hardcover - 270 pages - 978-0-7505-0368-6