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McGarr and the Sienese Conspiracy

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When the corpse of a retired British civil servant found on a remote Irish farm turns out to actually have been a retired head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Services, and when a second murder victim turns up on the same remote Irish farm and is also found to have been yet another former head of the same agency, Inspector Peter McGarr has more than a mere coincidence on his hands. He finds himself following a trail of spies and assassins from Britain to Italy in search of the truth.

McGarr believes that Britain's new Amabassador to Italy (the current head of the same Secret Service), and his beautiful Italian wife, may be the next in line for an assasin's bullet.

Originally published in the mid-seventies, this Peter McGarr mystery focuses on risky and lucrative North Sea oil exploration as well as Italy's volatile mix of politics and passion. Set against the backdrop of Siena and its festive Palio (an ancient horse-race run through the streets), McGarr and the Siense Conspiracy is certainly one of the most exotically-located of this very Irish flavored series.

Somewhat dated in that not all of the characters are exactly politically correct in their speech, this is still a very entertaining and somewhat exciting entry in the series. The feel of this novel is more that of a cold war spy thriller than the usual police procedural.

McGarr is in Italy as the books opens, investigating two murders and trying to prevent a third. All of the men have connections to the security services and some drilling ventures off of Scotland in the North Sea. As it turns out Peter McGarr and his wife Noreen have had many previous experiences in Italy and are knowledgeable travelers. The murder that McGarr of Dublin Castle and his opposite number at Scotland Yard seek to prevent is that of the new English ambassador to Italy. The climax of the action occurs at the Contrada in Sienna, a horse race.

The story has a great deal to show of the stuffy security bureaucracy and English and Irish misunderstandings. The atmosphere at an elderly Irish woman's house who provides key information concerning some helicopter over flights is careful, charitable, and very interesting. The late Bartholomew Gill was a master of the mystery genre. His thorough knowledge of Ireland where he was schooled is one of the reasons his works are so delightful. This title is a very good representative of his skill as an author.