Customer Reviews

The Secret Life of E. Robert Pendleton

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Secrets, illusions and delusions: this is a novel that touches on each. Robert Pendleton, his hopes for a dazzling literary career are fading fast as is the security of his tenure at Bannockburn College. In his despair, Pendleton attempts suicide but fails when Adi Wiltshire, a student, intervenes. Ms Wiltshire discovers a novel hidden in Pendleton's basement which includes a gruesome child murder with an apparent resemblance to a real unsolved crime.

Did Pendleton commit the real murder? How else could he have some of the details? Uncovering the facts is one aspect of this mystery, but there are other characters with interesting and intersecting pasts as well. Could one of them be the murderer? This novel is rich in detail and allusion. From the portrayal of Pendleton, the sleuthing of Adi Wiltshire and the relationships between Pendleton, Wiltshire and the other key characters this is a story to be immersed in.

Why do people do what they do? Not even the pathetic image of Pendleton's rabbit with its slipper fetish diverted me from that question. I am certain that I will want to reread this book at some stage. In my rush to see how the novel concluded I know I didn't pause long enough to soak up the full impact of Mr Collin's writing. This is a novel that can be read as a good mystery but it also deserves to be read as good literature. I need to read more of Mr Collins's novels.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith