A MURDER IN MAYFAIR [Paperback]

Robert Barnard (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Unknown (2000)
• ASIN: B0028Q6HKG
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Barnard Turns Out Another Good One, May 10, 2000

By 

John T. Farrell (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Murder in Mayfair: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

Robert Barnard's latest mystery, A Murder in Mayfair, contains a number of devices Barnard has used before. There's an engaging young man embarked on a quest for his parentage, a bit like the earlier Out of the Blackout. Then there's the solving of a 35-year old murder to help clarify current events, much like A Scandal in Belgravia. Finally, there's an unexpected homoerotic twist, like...oh, how many Barnards shall I name? All in all, this was a fast-paced, interesting, and engaging mystery. Not Robert Barnard at his best, but Robert Barnard in good form.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent mystery by prolific UK writer, November 26, 2002

By 

F. J. Harvey "Cricket ,country music and a go... (Birmingham England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Murder in Mayfair (Missing Mysteries) (Paperback)

In its authors native UK this book was published as "Touched by the Dead" ,the title being a quotation from Tennyson,reflecting the writer's main career as a professor of English literature.It is a more evocative title than Murder in Mayfair and illustrates a key theme of the book-the role of the past in shaping the present.
It opens in May 1997 the day after New Labour has been returned to power in the UK following 18 years of Conservative government.The narrator is Colin Pinnock a Labour MP who is designated a junior minister in the Department of Education.He receives a note thrust under the door of his London apartment aking the stark question "Who do you think you are?
It prompts him to undertake a search for his family origins which lead back to a minor sixties political scandal.This is clearly modelled on the real life affair of Lord Lucan who went missing after allegedly killing his wife.
In the book the Lucan figure is Lord Revill who vanished after killing his wife and conducting an affair with his children's nanny.Research uncovers that Pinnock is the illegitimate child of the liasion between Revill and the nanny and there are other ,less welcome suprises lurking round the corner as he delves deeper into the case .These include a stalker,an assailant with a knife and other relatives emerging from the woodwork.
Barnard has tackled political themes before (see Political Suicide)and his view of politicians stops some way short of idolatory.He makes some sharp observations about our political lords and masters and his disillusion with the present adminstration comes through loud and clear
Well and clearly written with compassion and warmth this a good book and merits reading by devotees of the British crime novel

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining crime thriller, May 9, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Murder in Mayfair: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

Colin Pinnock feels he is on his way up the ladder of success when he receives an appointment as junior minister. Everyone congratulates Colin on his new assignment. his euphoria is disturbed by a strange post card that states,"Who Do You Think You Are?" Colin knows the card was sent before news of his appointment, leaving him to interpret the message quite literally that it has to do with his past. A second card follows shortly afterward.

On his first day at the job, his "boss" Margaret Stevens is stunned because Colin looks just like Lord John Revill who vanished in 1962 after allegedly killing his wife. Colin knows he was adopted and begins a search for his roots.

A MURDER IN MAYFAIR is an entertaining thriller that centers on the real identity of the lead protagonist (or for that matter, anyone). The story line is crisp and filled with unexpected surprises that never reveal the climax. The characters are intriguing, especially Colin. The villain is crazy, but does things at the end that seems a bit loose. Still, Robert Barnard shows his talent to hook an audience from the start and keep them interested until the novel is finished.

Harriet Klausner