Hollow Crown [Hardcover]

David Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 21, 2002

Having dealt with death in Sweet Poison and The Bones of the Buried, Lord Edward Corinth is invited by his friend Joe Weaver, the press lord and close friend of the British royal family, for the comparatively simpler case of recovering certain letters stolen from the king’s intimate friend Wallis Simpson. There is no mystery about who has taken these letters—it is a woman called Mrs. Raymond Harkness, a former mistress of the king and a close friend of Edward’s. When Edward goes down to Haling, the country house of conservative M.P. Leo Scannon where Mrs. Harkness is also a house guest, he cannot guess that retrieving stolen goods is to be complicated by a murder. Edward’s friend and fellow sleuth, the journalist Verity Browne, returned from the savagery of the Spanish Civil War, welcomes the distraction of helping Edward investigate what suddenly becomes a double murder. Both Edward and Verity are soon involved with political protest and the fight against Fascism—the Cable Street riots and the Jarrow March—and both battle to find the truth behind the hollow crown in what the poet W. H. Auden called “a low, dishonest decade.”

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Roberts (The Bones of the Buried; Sweet Poison) just keeps getting better with each book in this historical series about Lord Edward Corinth, a jaded English aristocrat, and Verity Browne, a journalist with leftist sympathies and a Schaparelli evening gown in her closet. In October 1936, Verity returns from covering the Spanish Civil War. Joe Weaver, the press lord for whom Verity works, asks Lord Edward to convince Molly Harkness, an old friend of Edward's, to give up some highly indiscreet letters written by the King to one Wallis Simpson. Lord Edward talks to Molly, but before he can collect the letters, Molly is found dead and the letters disappear. Lord Edward is sure that Molly was murdered and is determined, with Verity's help, to discover the killer and recover the missing letters. The unforced and growing attraction between Edward and Verity provides romantic interest, while their differing views offer ample opportunity for comment on the political situation in Europe without slowing the plot, which moves effortlessly between country houses, bohemian Chelsea and the working-class East End. The surprise ending will leave readers wondering how they missed the clues. This is first-rate fun, informed by telling period detail and an intelligent portrayal of the political issues behind the Abdication Crisis. It's highly recommended, too, for fans of Love in a Cold Climate and Gosford Park.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

David Roberts worked in publishing for over thirty years, most recently as a director, before devoting his energies to writing full time. He is married and divides his time between London and Wiltshire. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf; 1st Carroll & Graf Ed edition (November 21, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786710527
• ISBN-13: 978-0786710522
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,070,426 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying and very British, March 16, 2003

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Hollow Crown (Hardcover)

In 1936, Hitler is marching the Germans toward war, Franco is beating back the Republicans in Spain, and the English upper class is trying to hold onto a terrible secret--the new King, Edward, has fallen in love with a divorced woman, Wallis Simpson and is talking about marrying her. Lord Edward Corinth is called in to help with a vital task. The King's former mistress has stolen letters the King wrote to Wallis--letters that go beyond matters of the heart to discuss his sympathies toward the Nazi cause. If they fall into the wrong hands, not only the King, but the entire English monarchy may fall.

Edward agrees to help, but before he can persuade his friend to return the letters, she is killed and the letters vanish. Edward is the leadins suspect. Together with his friend, communist and newspaper reporter Verity Browne, Edward tries to get to the bottom of the mystery. But, can he trust even his friend Verity or will she, when she learns the truth, tell the Communist Party the truth about the letters and lead to the very overthrow that Edward has tried to prevent?

Author David Roberts writes convincingly about the fascinating period between the first and second world wars. The depression has radicalized all of Europe and both fascists and communists march and clash in the streets. With its message of power and elitism, fascism is popular with the upper class, even the King. Verity's struggles with her loyalties to country and party ring true. Edward is charmingly elite, yet cannot avoid the attraction toward the energetic Verity.

HOLLOW CROWN combines a critical period of history with convincing and detailed characters and a solid mystery to deliver a satisfying and compelling read.

4.0 out of 5 stars England, 1936, August 23, 2009

By 

Lyn Reese (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hollow Crown (Lord Edward Corinth & Verity Brown Murder Mysteries) (Paperback)

This is the third book in the Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne murder mystery series; all ten are set in England in the 1930s. The narrative is mostly told from Edward's view point, but his fellow sleuth Verity is an intelligent, adventuresome woman whose insights and boldness often solve the case.

Verity is a card-carrying member of the Communist Party who writes for the Daily Worker and the New Gazette, a more middle of the road paper. In Hollow Crown she has just returned from Spain after the fall of Toledo. After having witnessed horrific acts of savagery on both sides, she has begun to question her idealism even while recognizing the threat of Fascism to all of Europe. In London, she reconnects with Lord Edward to help him recover the king's letters to his secret mistress, Mrs. Simpson, which were stolen by one of Edward's friends. She also begins to write a book about what is happening in Spain.

As a female war correspondent, Verity is faced with the jealousy and resentment of her male colleagues. She has freely taken lovers, like other women in the story in spite of societal disapproval of their "loose living." New female freedoms, however, create tensions between the lord, Edward, and the communist, Verity, adding spice to their growing attachment to each other.

This series beautifully documents Britain's social and political unrest as it lurches toward World War II. There is the admiration of some, including the king, of the "new Germany" and Hitler. Some have even joined Sir Oswald Mosley and his band of thugs. Verity represents other views. She is involved in political protest at home, including the Cable Street riots and Jarrow March, protesting the poverty and unemployment of the North. The desolate life of the British colonials in Africa also is described.

5.0 out of 5 stars New Mystery Titans, October 10, 2005

By 

Mystery Maven "Mystery Maven" (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Hollow Crown (Hardcover)

Enjoyed this immensely. The characters are well developed and each book has you waiting for the next installment. The period is detailed and like "Poirot" you feel as if you're there. Well developed plot and for a mystery afficionado, twists that make the ending worth the read.