The Sibyl in Her Grave [Paperback]

Sarah Caudwell (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Delacorte (January 1, 2000)
• ASIN: B001AO5GN6
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The last Caudwell gem, August 15, 2000

By 

Lynn Harnett (Marathon, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sibyl in Her Grave (Hardcover)

Although British author Sarah Caudwell wrote only four Hilary Tamar comedy-of-manners mysteries before her death in January, the long wait between each of them only whetted her fan's appetites. Oxford Professor Tamar's gender (as well as height, complexion, build and every other personal detail) remains a mystery in Caudwell's last, "The Sibyl In Her Grave," and the writing is as precise, elegant, urbane, witty and polished as any fan could hope.

Introducing the story, Tamar addresses the issue of personal appearance, admitting that some readers have expressed an interest. "I do not doubt, however, that these enquiries are made purely as a matter of courtesy and to take them au pied de la lettre would be as grave a solecism as to answer a polite 'How do you do, Professor Tamar?' with a full account of the state of my digestion."

Happily the narrator's reticence does not extend to the team of four young London barristers whose personal, romantic and professional doings enliven Caudwell's stories. Julia, tax expert, is concerned for her Aunt Regina who has made a truly remarkable killing in stocks and is now expected to pay tax on money already spent. Meanwhile Selena's client, a retiring merchant banker, has discovered that one of the two men vying to succeed him is guilty of insider trading - but which one?

These two threads neatly tie into the death of a despised neighbor of Regina's, a psychic whose aviary includes a pet vulture and whose household includes a most unattractive and hapless niece. The other two young barristers, Cantrip and Ragwort, supply red herrings and clues as needed and Hilary pursues this trail of coincidence to come up with several elegant solutions, each one engagingly convincing until demolished.

Dryly hilarious, elegantly polished, Caudwell is the Jane Austen of mysteries and though her books are few, each can be read and reread for the sheer delight of the writing and the intricate, comic plots.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Caudwell's Swansong, July 17, 2000

By 

JACK C. BROWN - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sibyl in Her Grave (Hardcover)

When I first stumbled upon Sarah Caudwell's mystery fiction it was as if I were encountering a sly witty persona with whom I wanted to become a good friend. But having devoured her first three novels, the greatest mystery was why this entertaining novelist had not penned more? As a result, it was a mixed blessing to learn Caudwell did indeed pen a fourth and, sadly, final novel, The Sibyl in Her Grave.

The fictional mechanism Caudwell uses to push her narrative forward still relies heavily upon a modified epistolary form. Though the narrative's letters are fascinating reading and are infused with the allure of reading someone else's personal correspondence, the reader must suspend belief as we know modern man would not sit still, even with the facility of word processing software via computer, long enough to write such fulsome, detailed and informative letters to each other about any topic, let alone suspicious deaths.

Nevertheless, The Sibyl continues the trademark wittiness of Caudwell's earlier three novels. Though her fictional landscape is littered with the requisite corpse or two, she manages to keep the reader guessing until the last chapter -- and not merely about whodunit.

What a pity there won't be more fiction from Sarah Caudwell.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Call it the new book or the last book?, August 11, 2000

By 

Jeffrey L. Barbalics "Jeff" (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sibyl in Her Grave (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this erudite book (as I had the other three)to the point that I wound up at an outside cafe balancing a tealight on the book so I could finish reading it after that sun had gone down over a glass of port. It is was mixed feelings that I finished it. I couldn't wait to start this new book, but, with it being Caudwell's last before her death, I was forced to remember that future books were not to come. So what if real solicitors would not be as scatter-brained as Julia and survive or that 20th century people would hardly find the time to write all the letters her characters do, I will miss Hilary. He/she has been a good and entertaining guide to my evenings.