The Devil's Game: An Unlikely Mystery (Reverend Tuckworth) [Hardcover]

David Holland (Author)

Book Description

Series: Reverend Tuckworth | Publication Date: November 29, 2005

It is 1834, and the town of Bellminster is thrown into the turmoil of a by-election for Parliament. Reverend Tuckworth tries to stay away from it all, but when a political rally turns deadly, the town turns to Tuckworth in hopes of staunching the blood on the streets. Soon the situation grows more dire when someone in Bellminster sees the chaos as an opportunity for murder. Yet as Tuckworth investigates, what can he accomplish when even his oldest friend questions his motives and wonders which candidate the dean is working for?

 

With a vibrant Victorian setting and fine attention to detail, The Devil's Game sets David Holland among the front ranks of historical mystery writers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Holland's impressive third Victorian novel of crime and corruption (after 2003's The Devil's Acre), the tormented Reverend Tuckworth is still haunted by his mercy killing of his fatally ill wife. When the death of Bellminster's member of Parliament causes a feeding frenzy among the town's powers-that-be and would-be power players, Tuckworth's friend and patron, Lord Granby, further stirs the pot by deciding to stand for election. The resulting turmoil divides the community, and some resort to violence to influence the voters. After an innocent bystander is brutally beaten to death, Tuckworth finds himself unable to resist investigating, despite the local leadership's opposition. Though the choice to reveal the killer's identity early on somewhat undercuts Tuckworth's achievements as a sleuth, Holland does an excellent job at evoking the desperate claustrophobia of the town, which will remind many of the setting of Dickens's Hard Times.
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From Booklist

Holland continues his finely honed Victorian mystery series featuring the introspective Reverend Tuckworth. This time around, politics rears its ugly head in the generally sleepy village, and the respected dean of Bellminster becomes involved in unraveling a partisan conspiracy that results in murder. After Bellminster's MP unexpectedly dies, a number of prosperous and powerful gentlemen vie to fill the parliamentary vacancy. When a series of poorly orchestrated riots and acts of vandalism yield a dead body, Tuckworth steps in to investigate a crime of astonishing savagery. Although the mystery itself isn't much, the author manages to evoke the Victorian temperament and psyche in this intelligent period piece. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (November 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031234077X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312340773
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,897,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars After all, it's only politics., November 30, 2010

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J. Lesley "(Judy)" (Midsouth, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Devil's Game: An Unlikely Mystery (Reverend Tuckworth) (Hardcover)

In 1834 the Tory representative to Parliament from Bellminster dies in the London fire which took down most of Westminster. Once everyone is sure that Simon Curdle did indeed die in the blaze and hasn't simply disappeared for some unknown reason, the prospect of having a by-election faces the party. Bellminster belongs to the Tory side of the ledger and everyone knows that. Lord Granby has the choosing of the next man to stand for election and everyone knows that also. But what will happen when Lord Granby decides to withhold naming the candidate he's backing for a while? What will happen when the Whigs send a representative of their own into Bellminster to pave the way for the unthinkable - a Whig candidate for the seat? It's all just politics. The death of one man is unfortunate, but it is really just politics, but how far will people go behind the scenes to ensure their candidate wins this election?

This is the second "unlikely mystery" featuring Reverend Tuckworth, Dean of Bellminster Cathedral which I have read (The Devil's Acre : An Unlikely Mystery (Reverand Tuckworth, 2)) and it is the third in the series. The writing is extremely well done and the atmosphere of the times is ably portrayed by author David Holland. This is one of those mysteries where you will know who was responsible for the deaths while the major emphasis is placed on the traditions, feelings and political maneuvering which set the stage for the murders. Holland forces the reader to examine their own ideas of what is fair or foul in the games involved in politics. Is it a game? Should it be a game when the consequences have such a total impact on the lives of those not actively involved in "the game"? A very thought provoking book for me even if it wasn't entirely satisfactory from the classic mystery standpoint. I like to have a chance to figure out who the culprit is. In this book, that wasn't the point. Even why the person killed wasn't the point. Perhaps just a touch too much politics and too little mystery for my personal tastes.

5.0 out of 5 stars A very humane protagonist in increasingly troubled times . . ., December 14, 2006

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Devil's Game: An Unlikely Mystery (Reverend Tuckworth) (Hardcover)

This is the third early Victorian mystery featuring the Rev. Tuckworth, dean of Bellminster Cathedral in the English midlands. Only this time it's not so much a whodunit -- we know who the culprit is almost from the beginning -- as an examination of what Tuckworth is going to do about it. The setting is a by-election, caused by the fact that the local Member of Parliament has gone up in flames with Westminster itself. All's fair in politics, especially in those days when the suffrage was extremely limited and the Tories (who largely control Bellminster's establishment) are determined to beat down the reform movement generally, and the Whigs in particular. The latter have sent an agent to town in the dwarfish person of Jo Smalley, a thoroughly amoral provocateur. But there are other elements in contention, including several factions among the Tories, and none of them balk at organizing riots and vandalism to advance themselves. Tuckworth is disgusted with the whole thing and wants no part of anything political, but the death by a savage beating of an innocent bystander draws him in whether he likes it or not. Holland is very good at character development, not only of Tuckworth but of his daughter, the young artist, Rafael, Chief Constable Hopgood, the aging Lord Granby, and Jo Smalley himself. A first-rate series with a very believable take on the place and the times.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific historical mystery, November 30, 2005

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Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Devil's Game: An Unlikely Mystery (Reverend Tuckworth) (Hardcover)

In 1834, Simon Curdle, MP for Bellminster dies in the Westminster Palace fire. No one in Parliament, which has its own problems, takes notice. Simon's constituency reacts by battling to replace him in Parliament because it means great power to run the borough.

The Dean of Bellminster Cathedral Revered Tuckworth observes the power struggle as it begins to take shape. He plans to remain on the sidelines and not get involved as Mayor Winston Padgett, nudged by his ambitious wife and his assistant vs. Lord Granby's clandestinely pushing forward another aide. Also watching from the sidelines with a different agenda is lawyer Wilfred Cade who plans to be the last man standing in Parliament once the two opponents destroy each other with assistance from him. However, staying neutral proves impossible for the Reverend when a deadly riot explodes on Guy Fawkes Day with the powerful wannabes demanding that he as a impartial party investigate.

The latest Devil's historical mystery is a delightful thriller that uses real events to provide the audience with insight into England during a tumultuous period when reform was in the air. The investigation actually takes a back seat to the historical perspective in a small town outside of London as mostly seen through the viewpoint of the Reverend. Fans of the series or those who appreciate a window into the past will enjoy this strong entry though the mystery is not as gripping as the previous tales (see THE DEVIL IN BELLMINSTER and THE DEVIL'S ACRE).

Harriet Klausner