The Becket Factor [Hardcover]

Michael David Anthony (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1991

A novel blending homicide, politics and espionage in an ecclesiastical setting.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Colonel Richard Harrison, retired from government service, acts as secretary to the Diocesan Dilapidations Board at Canterbury Cathedral and lives on the grounds with his crippled wife. Shortly after the mysterious death of Canon Cratchley, an old cohort asks Harrison to nose around: Cratchley's book-in-progress seems to blacken the character of the favored candidate for the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Crypt renovations, meanwhile, have uncovered a medieval coffin possibly containing the remains of Thomas Becket. Anthony's rather austere style suits the restrained but satisfying plot.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Shades of Blount and Burgess glimmer in--of all places- -Canterbury Cathedral, when ex-Intelligence agent Richard Harrison, now supervisor of the church's infrastructure (Diocesan Dilapidations Officer) is prevailed upon by Brigadier Greville, his one-time boss, to begin a secret investigation within the Cathedral's precincts. A new Archbishop is soon to be chosen; a leading candidate is Bishop Maurice Campion, whose outspoken liberal views are anathema in some powerful quarters. Greville thinks that there may be a sinister connection between Campion and the recent death of Canon Cratchley, and that the journals of the late Bishop Harvey Watson, Campion's close associate, may uncover a treacherous past. Harrison's wheelchair-bound wife Winnie is dismayed at this intrusion into their quiet lives, but Harrison stubbornly follows a confusing trail that lurches through a welter of red herrings, double-crosses and shocking revelations to its bleak conclusion. Echoes of le Carr‚ abound in this elegantly written, densely overplotted first novel--full of the ritual, pomp and underpinnings of the great cathedral. More clarity, simplicity, and economy might make the author's second even better. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 254 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr (April 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312058217
• ISBN-13: 978-0312058210
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,808,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Promise, Delivered to the Wrong Address, August 9, 2008

By 

Mennonite Medievalist (Cleveland, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Becket Factor (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) (Myst Of Canterbury Cathedral) (Paperback)

Despite its implausible and melodramatic plot, its underdeveloping characters, and its odd and premature revelation of the villain, I heartily recommend this ecclesiastical mystery.

To the plot I say, "Really? Would discovering the tomb of Thomas a Becket cause a THEOLOGICAL fuss?" and "Does anyone know of a person in real life motivated quite like our villain?" To the character development, "How can a bad marriage turn to a good one so quickly, without exposited and analysed precipating events?" As for the villain, toward the end of the book I suddenly began to suspect The Villain for no good reason except that the author began unaccountably to describe (him/her) in Villainous Tones. I did not know why the villain would be the villain (and after finishing the book, I am perhaps even less sure), but I knew (her/his) identity, because the author had all but told me.

But this is a book, first and foremost, written in an extremely intelligent style, unobtrusive yet textured and profound. It uses words and sentences quite well. The author also creates interesting characters and interesting situations for those characters to be in. The aforementioned bad marriage, for instance, is brilliantly introduced. That these characterisations fail to evolve satisfactorily over the course of the plot is not a fault of their initial conception, but of the plot itself. I want to read more books involving these people. I like them.

What we have here, I suspect, is a very gifted writer learning how to write a novel. The lightning flashes of Mr. Anthony's promise stay in the sky for a long time, even though they eventually give way to shadow. I am about to read his second mystery, Dark Provenance, with considerable interest and anticipation.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful discovery, March 12, 2008

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Becket Factor (Hardcover)

THE BECKET FACTOR (Ecclesiastical Mystery-Richard Harrison-England-Cold War) - VG
Anthony, Michael David - 1st book
St. Martin's Press, 1991, US Hardcover - ISBN: 0312058217

First Sentence: A boy began singing.

Retired Intelligence officer Richard Harrison is now attached to the Anglican church in Canterbury. A fellow officer from Richard's past asks that he investigate the mysterious death of a Canon of the church and the book he was said to be writing which could defame the top candidate of new Archbishop. In the meantime, an ancient tomb as been discovered which perhaps contains the bones of Thomas Beckett, raising fears of Anglo-Catholics using this as a way to bring the Anglican Church closer to Rome.

This was a very good book. I had a bit of trouble, at first, placing the time period, probably because the whole book is really very English, which is not a criticism but an observation. I liked the character of Richard and how both he, and his relationship with his wife, changed through the story. I found the ecclesiastical information to be fascinating.

It's hard to say much about the story without giving something away. Everything is woven tightly together and playing on everything else. Sadly, the author only completed two other books in this series, plus one standalone, before dying suddenly. However, I enjoyed this enough that I have found, and will read, the remaining two books in the series.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great New Felony and Mayhem Mystery, September 24, 2009

By 

Carol Bell (AL USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Becket Factor (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) (Myst Of Canterbury Cathedral) (Paperback)

I am very pleased to find a new writer of traditional detective fiction in Michael David Anthony. And Canterbury Cathedral is a well-chosen locale (especially for those who like both mysteries and Trollope). I hope that this series, published by Felony and Mayhem, will continue!