"Private Lives
Cozy crime with a sinister twist in wartime England.
While reluctant wartime detective Bob Robbins is enjoying a few days' holiday he becomes involved in a shooting incident on a derelict farm. An elderly farmer lies injured, then disappears. A young man is found dead in the barn. Bob reports the incident to the local police but they are so over-stretched with Home Front duties he finds himself in charge of the case.
In urgent need of assistance, Bob requests the help of the young
police recruit Laurie Oliver. They take rooms at Peony Villas, an
unusual sort of guest house where a troupe of London actors are
in residence, and where Bob soon finds himself involved in yet another
peculiar mystery.
Author Reviews
Detective Sergeant Bob Robbins is hauled back from his leave
to unravel the mysterious disappearance of an injured and cantankerous
old farmer. As the body count mounts, Bob and his loyal constable,
Laurie Oliver, soon realise that there’s more menace lurking beneath
the surface of this peaceful Devon town with its dramatic – but
secretive – inhabitants than flying overhead with the Luftwaffe.
A wonderful cosy mystery with a great cast of memorable characters
and an authentic World War Two setting.
Karen Charlton, author of The Detective Lavender Mysteries.
"One of the joys of being a reviewer for Discovering Diamonds
is the chance to try books that perhaps you might otherwise have
overlooked. Private Lives is a case in point, since it's set in
England during WWII and not my usual reading fare. I am so glad
not to have missed this gem of a book though.
The story opens with
a bang - literally - when semi-retired detective Bob Robbins hears
shots coming from a nearby farm. What follows, as Bob is hauled
off his holidays and seconded to the local police force, is a murder
mystery full of intriguing leads, blind alleys and absolutely stuffed
full of memorable characters.
Despite the seriousness of the main
subject matter - a death and the strange disappearance of a man
whom Bob saw clearly injured who couldn't possibly have walked away
(could he?) - there is so much gentle humour. All of the characters
are seen through Bob's eyes and his perception of each character
is witty. I liked the way Bob thinks and he made me chuckle. His
relationship with his dead wife is brilliantly portrayed. We don't
get to hear much about Joan, but with a delicious economy of words
we find out everything we need to know about their relationship,
especially how it's continued since she passed and the exact moment
she stopped 'talking' to him following an indiscretion with a lady
friend ...
We are also treated to economical description which nevertheless
paints the whole scene: the pub is a 'jumble of pint-wielding elbows'.
There are some wonderful period touches, such as the mention of
a car's wooden steering wheel, the smell of lavender furniture polish,
and some brilliant comedy scenes: Bob's sidekick, young Laurie,
has rather too much of the local cider, which, as one of the other
main characters, Mrs Flowers, says, 'goes straight to your knees.'
Mrs Flowers runs a sort of boarding house whose residents are mainly
members of a travelling troupe of players. At a local village hall
one of the players, an Austrian, accidentally turns tragedy into
farce, his Teutonic accent becoming more and more noticeable as
his distress increases, which is unfortunate in the extreme given
the wartime setting. I found myself giggling out loud. The thespians
include a light-fingered 'tealeaf' who has deliciously skewed morals.
She's happy to pilfer ornaments but draws the line - momentarily
- at reading private correspondence. And it's not just the players
who provide entertainment. The cook makes some rather bizarre sandwiches
...
All of this is delightful, but there is great pathos too. The
title of the book is apt and many family secrets come tumbling out.
Bob is astute in piecing the story together, although he's sometimes
hampered by his attraction to one of the main suspects, but he's
also cautious because he is sensitive to the tragedy behind these
family secrets. The cook may be a macabre and comedic character,
but there's a sad and, as it turns out, inevitable reason for much
of his behaviour.
To say any more would be to spoil the brilliant
plot. As I said, this book would not be my usual reading choice
and I'm so glad I've read it. Ms Harlond also writes books set in
much earlier historical times and, having been introduced to her
elegant, witty and accomplished writing, I'm off to look those up."
Discovering Diamonds Historical Fiction Reviews
The novel has been published by the Author and is available on Amazon.