Customer Reviews

The Mistress of Alderley: A Novel of Suspense

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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

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

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

I found reading this novel to be exceptionally enjoyable. The plot is well crafted and the characters are interesting and well delineated. This book combines both a serious study of human nature with a clever wittiness that is a trademark of the author. The mystery itself is adequate, neither overly shocking nor contrived. It is really two novels in one with a spare writing style that I like; it's both a mystery and a social commentary.

For retired actress Caroline Fawley, he was the great love of her life. Admittedly, he was still married, but Caroline knew that she was his true love. Although Marius Fleetwood could only see her on weekends, he acted the part of father to her children, accompanied her to social events, and even included his own children on the trips. Caroline believed that the people in her village were simply old-fashioned when they urged her to seek marriage. For her, being a mistress was the perfect solution.

When Marius is found murdered, Caroline's perfect fantasy comes apart. The English police investigate, tracking down the activities of each of her family members, and the terrible truth begins to emerge. Marius lied to Caroline--and was planning a complete betrayal. The police are almost certain that Caroline was unaware of the betrayal, but someone certainly killed Marius.

Author Robert Barnard paints a very English scene with polite cops who have plenty of time to pursue the most trivial leads. Barnard's writing is highly engaging, drawing the reader into the story. The tone of the story shifts at the murder. Before, it was mostly Caroline's story. After the murder, it becomes that of Detective Sergeant Peace and Mike Oddie.

Barnard's decision to base so much of the book on Caroline and Caroline's point of view weakens the reader's involvement with the characters of the police, consequently detracting from reader interest. Caroline might be a perfectly nice person, but she spends the first half the book in emotional denial and never really develops any strong motivation. As a reader, I want a character who is striving for something (which is normally perfect for a police mystery since the police are struggling to find the killer), but Caroline wasn't really looking for anything.

Barnard's writing is strong enough to sustain reader interest despite his decision to focus on an unmotivated character, however. THE MISTRESS OF ALDERLEY makes for pleasant summer reading.

I started reading mysteries by Robert Barnard over twenty years ago, and for a while he was on the top of my "must read" list. I'd hunt down his new books and devour them with enthusiasm. I suppose the fact that I'm just getting around to reading a book of his which was published five years ago indicates that my ardor has cooled. "The Mistress of Alderley" does nothing to rekindle my enthusiasm, I'm afraid. I won't recount the plot here. You can find that many places. Let me focus on what I like about this book, and what I don't.

Barnard always writes very well, I should say at the outset. He's literate, has a good hand with dialogue and description. In this instance, he brings in interesting material about opera and the theater that is wholly believable. He also possesses a very sharp pen, and several turns of phrase or sarcastic witticisms made me laugh out loud. His regulars, police detectives Charlie Peace and Mike Oddie, are well developed characters, although in this case Barnard does not share their backstory with readers; you have to have read previous volumes to understand some of the references in this one.

Unfortunately, Barnard trots out some characters that are totally one-dimensional (as his favorite author, Agatha Christie, did) and they sometimes seem to be mere caricatures. Therefore, since Peace and Oddie don't appear until page 96, the book started very slowly for me. I also think that Barnard's recurring themes of English racism and class prejudice are a bit tired for this American reader. Peace, as a black man, regularly comes into contact with characters who find a black detective an anomaly, which rarely advances the plot but gives the author a chance to display his social conscience, I suppose. After following the standard leads and progressively eliminating possible subjects, armed with very little evidence, and without cautioning the suspect, the detectives confront the villain and he makes a full and detailed confession. I'm sure that real detectives wish that their life was like that. But the gravest criticism I have of the mystery is that I guessed the villain half way through. To say how I knew would be a complete spoiler, so I'll just say that if you've read enough Barnard, you'll know too.

Perhaps that's what annoyed me most about the book, that this is one of Barnard's "by-the-numbers" volumes. Not bad, but not distinctive either. He can do better.