The Mistress of Alderley (Barnard, Robert) [Kindle Edition]

Robert Barnard (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Witty and subtle character portrayals, against a substantial background of opera and theater, lift the latest suspense novel from prolific British author Barnard (The Bones in the Attic; Unholy Dying; etc.). Actress Caroline Fawley has seemingly found her final and perfect role: that of mother and mistress. She and her two teenage children, Alex and Stella, are happily ensconced in a splendid house in the village of Alderley, where they are joined weekends by self-made business tycoon Marius Fleetwood. Marius spends the week with his wife, Sheila, who's pregnant by another man. Caroline's oldest child, Olivia, is a rising opera singer about to make a much-anticipated debut in La Forza del Destino in nearby Leeds. Caroline's idyllic, if somewhat unconventional, life is not so much shattered as it is dismantled when Marius disappears on the opera's opening night and the veils of deception that shrouded their lives begin to be stripped away. Having spent much of her life creating illusions on film, Caroline must now come to terms with those created by others. Ingenious twists to a satisfying plot make for fine entertainment. FYI: An eight-time Edgar nominee, Barnard has won the Nero Wolfe, Anthony, Agatha and Macavity awards.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Barnard, a prolific and much-loved British writer of whodunits, will please his fans with another mystery set in Yorkshire featuring his recurrent sleuth, Police Sergeant Charlie Peace. Predictably for Barnard, no bodies appear until a third of the way into the story--which, as usual, gives the author time to develop his characters before sending them down the rocky but entertaining road to murder and mayhem. Caroline Fawley is a retired TV actress now living at Alderley, an elegant mansion in a charming village near Leeds. Caroline is being kept by a business tycoon whose murder brings in Sergeant Peace, and the delicious pacing that Barnard is known for falls into perfect place. Caroline learns awful truths about her lover after his murder, when a note leads her to question his fidelity. Charm and wit, along with the exquisite pacing, complete the Barnard formula for a thoroughly enjoyable read. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 415 KB
• Print Length: 222 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (March 11, 2003)
• Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000FC0RV0
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #283,110 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner from Robert Barnard, April 8, 2003

By 

J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mistress of Alderley: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

As a long-time fan of the mystery novels of Robert Barnard, I can tell you that he has come up with yet another of his intriguing plots, full of twists and turns, feints and misleading hints. The tale centers on ex-actress Caroline Fawley, the mistress of the punning title: she is mistress of the grand house 'Alderley' as well as the mistress of a grocery-chain tycoon who set her up in that house.

One of Barnard's great talents is his eye for detail, and in this case some of the more telling details come from the world of opera, something that Barnard obviously knows and loves. Olivia Fawley, Caroline's eldest daughter, is a budding opera star making her Opera North début as Leonora in Verdi's 'La Forza del Destino.' An important plot point hinges on the timing, on opening night, of Olivia's appearances onstage.

There are vivid descriptions of Leeds, the novel's locale, just as earlier in Barnard's career he infused his novels set in Norway with details of that country's milieu. One comes away with a lively sense of place.

In spite of his being quite a prolific writer, Barnard continues to come up with fresh ideas and produce effective character studies, both reasons I continue reading him.

Recommended.

Scott Morrison

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A quick read, if not a page turner..., August 1, 2003

By 

Debra Hamel (North Haven, CT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mistress of Alderley: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

After two failed marriages Caroline Fawley is at last living an idyllic life. Her married lover has installed her at Alderly, an elegant country home in a small English town, and she has abandoned her acting career to be available to him and to her three children, the younger two of whom are still at home. On the weekends, Marius escapes from his responsibilities as a grocery store tycoon to join Caroline in fornication and mutual admiration of her gardening endeavors. Their relationship, frowned on though it may be by the local rector, is relatively aboveboard, or so Caroline thinks: Marius's wife Sheila, left behind in London, is a co-conspirator in their amicable marital charade and is reportedly busy with her own extramarital liaisons, one of which has left her impregnated.

Add to this stew of copulating characters an unwittingly flatulent baron, a nyphomaniacal opera singer, borderline incestuous interest, and, of course, a murder, and you have a delightful romp of a book. A quick read, if not a page-turner, and one that makes the book-mom look forward to more easy evenings with Robert Barnard, now that we've found each other.

Reviewed by Debra Hamel, author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars entertaining mystery, April 14, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mistress of Alderley: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

Former renowned actress Caroline Fawley enjoys her life as a kept woman living in Marsham Village with two of her three children. Caroline enjoys the weekend visits of her married lover Marius Fleetwood, who pays her bills including residing at the luxurious Alderley Mansion.

Accompanied by Marius, Caroline attends her oldest daughter Olivia's opera performance. Marius sneaks away as he usually does when he comes to an opera, but plans to return just prior to curtain call. Olivia is a success, but Marius fails to return. The next day, the police ask Caroline to look at the murdered corpse of an elegantly dressed man, who she identifies as Marius. As she worries about the future, the truths she believed about her lover begins to prove false, making her wonder about her beloved and why anyone wanted him dead.

Though the story line takes its time to introduce the players, readers will relish the wait for once the plot shifts into gear, it never slows down until the end. The characters are fully developed even those who are off stage like Marius' wife so that the audience has a feel for what motivates the cast though much of what is learned about the victim proves untrue. Robert Barnard provides the audience with an entertaining mystery that emphasizes the main and support cast.

Harriet Klausner