Customer Reviews

A Murder in Mayfair: A Novel of Suspense

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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.

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

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

I found A MURDER IN MAYFAIR thoroughly compelling and unputdownable. If you like Colin Pinnock (and I did, very much), you will be caught up in his attempts to discover who he is, along with the identity of the person pushing him along in his investiagtions. Although there are many mysteries in this book, it is not a mystery in the traditional sense. It's more like a crime novel or a very British suspense novel.

The writing is top-notch and witty, the "voice" of the book so immediate and likeable that I couldn't stop reading even though I'd intended to just read the first couple sentences.

Luckily, an excerpt is available on Amazon (woo-hoo!). Reading that ought to give you enough of a taste to know if this book is for you. I loved it, and having finished it, miss it and the main character especially.

The award-winning British author focuses his characteristic wit on British politics, the background setting for this story of a man's search for his origins.

Ambitious and dedicated, young Colin Pinnock, member of Parliament, is thrilled to be named a junior minister in his Labor party's new government.

Basking in his new importance Pinnock is brought up short by an anonymous postcard sneering, " 'Who do you think you are?' " Or could the taunt be meant literally? An offhand remark from his failing father reinforces this speculation and prompts him to begin inquiring into the circumstances of his birth.

But it's a top civil servant's brief start of recognition on seeing him that points him toward his aristocratic and possibly murderous antecedents. Pinnock's search enlists the aid of a host of people, among them the girlfriend who left him rather than play a poor second to his job.

As Pinnock ponders such things as the importance of his happy childhood and the place of family in his scheme of things, the anonymous prankster ratchets up the intimidation. Postcards give way to phone calls, humiliating frame-ups and, finally, escalating violence.

A thoughtful test of character rather than a whodunit, "A Murder in Mayfair" offers atmospheric menace, a pointed but still unclear picture of British parliamentary government and an over-the-top conclusion. Fine writing and a well-developed protagonist on a journey of discovery make this a winner from the author of "A Murder In Belgravia" and "The Corpse at the Haworth Tandoori."

The way Robert Barnard crafts the Colin Pinnock character is the key to the book. Barnard must harbor a secret longing to trade his eminently successful career as writer-academic for the world of British politics as he seems so very, very comfortable speaking for Pinnock, the young Labor Party MP. Pinnock is about as likable as a moderately ambitious progressive MP can be made without stretching things beyond credence. Barnard's treatment of an progressive/establishment British politician has the ring of truth at every step. His treatment of the routines of a junior minister in the British system and the way Pinnock consistently trusts and respects his support staff reflect a reverence for the British system that one can only hope is accurate. The way Pinnock the MP goes about doing his job would be be the envy of neophyte American congressman.

Mr. Pinnock was clearly born to the role of Junior Minister but the charm of the book is the way Barnard gives Pinnock the person a chance to rise to the level of Pinnock the politician. Maybe Barnard could have worked a bit more on the plot to add a little suspense here and there but by doing so he might have upset the flow of a lovely little (murder) story. A very enjoyable read from beginning to end. Another vote for Barnard.

Everything Barnard writes under his own name is worth reading, and this one is no exception. His weaker mysteries are better than 99% of the stuff being published. Still, Murder in Mayfair reads like it isn't quite finished. There are long static scenes of dialogue and one unbelievable coincidence (involving the location of two flats) that makes no difference to the plot. The resolution is not a surprise and, worse yet, relies on a deus ex machina. It reads a bit like a draft rather than a finished novel.

Read Barnard's other political mysteries -- Scandal in Belgravia and Political Suicide -- first, and then this one.

Once again we delve into the past with Barnard to examine current happenings. Our hero is caught up in a search for the truth of what happened before his birth. Since he is a sympthetic person with an interesting background in British in politics one is willing to go along for the read even though the goings on are not that puzzling to anyone but him. The occasional humor present in Barnard's earlier books is would have been a real asset here.