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Scandal in Belgravia

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"A Scandal in Belgravia" easily makes my top-twenty-mysteries-of-all-time list -- and is very close to being in the top ten. It's always reminded me of Josephine Tey's "The Daughter of Time" (a top-tenner for sure)in its exploration of a crime committed in the past, in this case the repressive Great Britain of the post- WWII era. And the ending is truly a surprise.

"Belgravia" is far more complex and thought-provoking than the average mystery. I'd go so far as to say that it crosses the line that separates mystery from literary fiction.

A SCANDAL IN BELGRAVIA is a very different sort of book, even for an author of Robert Barnard's excellent capabilities. Written in first person, it is narrated in a most engaging and chatty style by a former politician, Peter Proctor, who is (as are most retired politicians) working on his memoirs. But Peter Proctor was not just any politician, to be sure. He didn't rise very high, although he did achieve the status of senior cabinet minister, as well as being an MP for several terms. What sets him apart, however, is that, when his career began in the Foreign Office, in the early to middle 1950s, England was trying to get itself back on the right foot again, after struggling through the War, only to find itself engaged in the massive blunder that was the Suez crisis. Proctor had already resigned his post in the F.O., but was still shocked and unhappy by the brutal death of his friend, Timothy Wycliffe. The bigger mystery is why this death received so little press coverage. Tim's death also causes a monumental 'writer's block' in the mature Proctor, who decides to investigate the still-unsolved crime for himself. The book takes us back and forth in time, as Proctor exercises his memory as well as himself while digging for the facts.

Of course, it was Suez that occupied so much newspaper space, but still, one would have thought that such a shocking death, and one with such a propensity for scandal and gossip, would have rated more than the occasional one sentence it did achieve. For Tim was very open (for that time) about his homosexuality, and that was obviously the motive behind the murder. At that time, such behavior was very much against the law, and was an imprisonable offence. To be sure, Tim was the grandson of a marquess, but still--

Not at all impressed with himself, Proctor is by turns still naïve (cocooned, he calls it), prescient, dogged, and most of all, a man at ease with himself. A man who, thirty-five years earlier, could have a good friend who was homosexual, while still being very hetero himself.

It would appear that a young man, employed as an electrician by the BBC, Andrew Forbes, was labelled as the murderer, but everyone who will speak to Proctor, discounts that possibility. When Proctor travels to the US to, with any luck, confront Forbes, he finds himself believing the story he is told. Tim was alive, although battered, when Forbes left him.

With the help of his children, his researcher, old friends, and others, Proctor pulls away the layers of concealment to expose the perpetrator of the crime. By the time you've made the journey with Proctor, you'll definitely wish for more politicians in his mold, regardless of whether Whig or Tory, Labor or Conservative, Republican or Democrat. I promise you won't soon forget this book, especially the final few pages. Guaranteed to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck!

Robert P. Barnard has written a slew of books. To me, the only thing any one of them has in common with any other one, other than being a very enjoyable reading experience, is the marvelous writing accompanied by a very shart wit. The wit usually presents itself in different ways, depending on the plot and the characters, of course, but it is still ever-present. Hardly surprising, then, that he's won so many awards. They're all well-deserved.

The other Bernard Best is The False Inspector Dew. It is fabulous.

Occasionally, Robert Bernard writes a book that ambles along, telling a story by a fairly distant narrator who is propelled by curiosity to look into a tangled set of facts. The Scandal in Belgravia is the most successful of Bernard's approach--the sort of book you are sorry to finish--and the narrator is not removed. Belgravia is an area of London where the well to do and -- at one time --the literati, lived. Usual conventional mores war with the individuals who have a different point of view. Our hero has worked for the government his whole life ( a former minister)and is the picture of respectability. He becomes interested in a death, and the tangled set of facts, and as he investigates, he changes. It is too easy to give away the plot and its "Gee, I should have seen it coming" ending. It is hard to ask you to take on faith that this cleverly plotted, carefully unfolded novel is a gift to any reader who enjoys the understated English approach to mystery and human psychology. It helps, but is not required, if you know a bit of the Profumo scandal [government minister found supporting a prostitute] which shattered the public view of the English government as more morally pure than yours and mine. You do have to accept that, once upon a time, a scandal was a bad thing that brought down careers and ruined that most valuable of commodities: respectability. (A point of view that is rapidly becoming archaic.) If you like an English mystery, you will love this one.

As a 30 year old gay man the topic appealed to me. Which is the murder of a gay man in the 1950's. I was not disappointed. This is a well written mystery and the ending is without a doubt one of the best I have read in years. My hat goes off to Mr. Barnard on a superb job. I hope he continues to write mysteries as good as this one.

Peter Proctor, a retired Member of Parliament, is attempting to write his memoirs but he is constantly plagued by what is known to be the "writer's block". Very soon, Peter realises that his block is due to the fact that his mind is constantly distracted by what happened thirty years before when he was active with the Foreign Office. At that time, he used to work together with a young aristocrat called Timothy Wycliffe. Tim lived in an elegantly furnished apartment in Belgravia until he was savagely murdered by a person or persons unknown. Thirty years later, Peter can't accept that Timothy was allegedly beaten to death by one of his boyfriends. And so begins a fast-paced enquiry, as Peter tries to unveil the truth that lies behind this mysterious murder.

Mr Barnard's novel, beside being a witty and extremely well constructed mystery, gives the reader a fascinating view of British society in the 1950s and its changing as well as unchanging moves since.

This is a very worthwhile little mystery read, very much like being in Britain in the company of political and government sorts without any special consideration being given to explain the asides to us silly colonials.

Anglophiles might enjoy this more than general mystery readers, and it helps a lot to be familiar with the history of the 50s and 60s in Britain. Even so, the characters are well-delineated and the situations speak for themselves, so fear not.

Another British mystery with all the best of Robert Barnard. Not as verbose as some of his other works -- a distinct advantage. He seems to understand his character's culture/class all too well but still enjoy them, warts and all. It's witty, well written and fun to read. No real politics nor anything at all heavy. There's also a sting from the scorpion's tale that caught me completely by surprise.

Robert Barnard, the old master of inventive and always fresh British mystery, is at the top of the game in this marvelous book. The smooth and easy shifting from past to present, crisp and to the point dialogue, and above all, the brilliant puzzle resolved in a logical way.

Mr. Barnards's characters are as usual picturesque and real, and his book without any unnecessary padding. It makes an unforgetable read for any fan of good, old-fashioned British mystery.

"A Scandal in Belgravia" is one of Robert Barnard's best detective novels, one that I've read at least five times. Peter Proctor, now retired, is a former British government minister who while writing his memoirs, has writer's block because he keeps remembering a friend, Timothy Wycliffe, from his early twenties when both were low-level workers in the foreign office back in the 1950's. They developed a friendship, and, at first Peter was shocked to learn his friend was a homosexual, dismayed partly because he feared Tim could be a victim of blackmail. Tim was from an upper class family, and his father was a cabinet minister.

Tim lived in a mews house off Belgravia Square, a very upscale posh neighborhood. Tim had a fondness for young men and was quite promiscuous. He was murdered allegedly by one of his young workingclass boyfriends who fled the country. In the book Peter acts as an amateur detective meeting many of Tim's old acquaintances and relatives trying to investigate the circumstances of the homicide that took place years in the past.

The murder happened during the Suez controversy of 1956 when England was in an uproar so the crime went barely noticed.

In this reading what struck me was the detail Barnard went into on British political and governmental matters. I skimmed some of this material because I knew what a great story he had to tell. Readers not familiar with all the British political intrigue may be puzzled by the Byzantine maze. There are several twists at the end that may really jolt readers.

Barnard's great strengths lie in his plotting ability, his excellent skill in delineating characters and make them real, and his knack for getting the atmospherics and the sense of place just right. He's one of the best of the British crime writers.

This is one of Barnard's more serious efforts. It lacks the trenchant satire, the wit and humor (often bawdy) found in some of his other work. In his novels he has eschewed a series detective, and this one is no exception.

I highly recommend this book to all fans of modern mystery fiction. The writing is taut and vibrant, the characters are strong and well-drawn, and the story is complex enough to be interesting yet simple enough to be believable.

This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it.