Skeleton in the Grass (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) [Paperback]

Robert Barnard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2007

A small-town vicar's daughter, Sara Causseley could not be more delighted by her new job as governess to the aristocratic Hallam clan. The children are precociously adorable, the gardens at Hallam House are a dream, and the conversation -- at glittering dinners, at boisterous family picnics -- is as stimulating as she could possibly have wished. But ominous political clouds are gathering over Europe, and as England slips inexorably toward World War II, the Hallams' political views make the family increasingly unpopular. No one, though, suspects the extent of the malice that is percolating in the surrounding countryside until a human skeleton -- and then a human corpse -- are found on the Hallam grounds, sending some kind of ugly message. That message and the source of its hate will remain all but incomprehensible to Sara for some time, until war and its violations have left her with a very new view of those sunny picnics on the Hallam lawns.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Remarkably inventive British author Barnard recreates England in the mid-1930s in this spellbinding mystery. Sarah Causeley goes to the tranquil country estate where Dennis and Helen Hallam live with their grown childrenOliver, Will, Elizabethand six-year-old Chloe, whose care Sarah assumes. Very soon, the young governess falls in love with the warm, intellectual, generous family. She admires the parents' idealistic pacifism and support for the League of Nations. Rumors of "The King's Matter" (Mrs. Simpson) and the Nazi threat fail to disturb the atmosphere, but Will's leaving to fight for the Republic in Spain is a blow. And more troubles loom at home. Instigated by a vaunting patriot and secret fascist, Major Coffey, village lads play low tricks on "cowardly" Dennis, which culminate in tragedy: one of the boys, Chris Keene, is found fatally shot outside the Hallams' house. The community believes the family guilty of Chris's murder, and the consequences end an idyll for Sarah. The killer is never caught but is identified, years later, in a haunting episode that only Barnard could provide. Paperback rights to Dell.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The serious tone and down-to-earth characters of Barnard's latest effort signal a departure from his more usual frivolous themes and eccentric performers. Shortly after Sarah Causeley goes to work for the genteel but outspokenly pacifist Hallams as governess, the Spanish Civil War erupts. The war focuses local antipathies, ugly pranks, and murder on the Hallam's Elizabethan home. The obvious villian everyone suspects of murder witnessed but did not commit it; only in the Seventies does Sarah confront the actual murderer. Superior work from a talented writer. REK
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 215 pages
• Publisher: Felony & Mayhem; Reprint edition (September 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933397810
• ISBN-13: 978-1933397818
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #839,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Death at a Pacifist's Country Home, October 17, 2001

By 

K. Koschnitzki (Laramie, WY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Skeleton in the Grass (Mass Market Paperback)

Sarah Causely comes to be a governess at an English Country Home owned by famous pacifists in the late 1930's. First entranced by the family, Sarah gradually comes to see them less romantically as they deal with a series of malicious pranks by the local fascist organization. The pranks culminate in the death of one of the local boys and only the family has a motive for his death. Barnard's characterizations are unusually well done. Sarah matures as England moves towards war, but her disenchantment with the family is not due to her disagreement with their political views, but a growing understanding of the weakness of their characters. The plot is well done and the mystery keeps the reader guessing. The historical context is particularly fun. The pacifists cannot interest the local MP in the civil war in Spain, for example, because he is utterly fixated by the King's romance with That American (Mrs. Simpson.) Good characters, good story, good suspense. The following review describes another of Barnard's books, not Skeleton in the Grass.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Sense of Time and Place, February 2, 2010

By 

John F. Rooney - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Skeleton in the Grass (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) (Paperback)

At times Robert Barnard, England's fine crime fiction writer, sets his novels in pre-World War II Britain where a strong movement of fascist supporters backed pro-Hitler Sir Oswald Mosley. It's 1936 and in a small village Sarah Causeley becomes a governess for Chloe, the young daughter of the local gentry, the Hallam family. The elder Hallams, Dennis and Helen, are pacifists, and are vilified by Major Coffee, a Mosleyite, and his gang of local impressionable young men. They consider Dennis Hallam a coward. A series of despicable pranks ends up with the murder of one of the local young men on the Hallam estate. It's just about the time of the British king's abdication when he gave up the throne to marry a divorced American woman.
Barnard again shows his great skill at wickedly sharp characterization and shrewd plotting, and demonstrates his ability to recreate a wonderful sense of time and place. The games and movies of the era are featured. Will Hallam goes off to fight in the Spanish Civil War while brother Oliver continues his studies at Oxford.
The villagers blame the murder on the Hallams, and Sarah, the book's protagonist, realizes that the elder Hallams, because of their self-absorption, their lack of caring, and intellectual distance, have created a chasm between themselves and the people of the village. Briefly the story goes forward in time so we see the older Sarah's reaction to her time with the Hallams.
The book has that estimable Barnard page-turning pacing, but he also is able to squeeze in some fascinating details. Barnard's books are full of insightful social commentary. The book features the conventional Inspector Minchip who "was never tempted to buckle a swash."

4 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Barnard rattles a few skeletons here!, January 3, 2001

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Skeleton in the Grass (Mass Market Paperback)

"Don't kill her! Don't!" The young Simon wakes up screaming! The gentle couple who have taken Simon in are more than a little confused. In Robert Barnard's "Out of the Blackout," the author sets this finely-tuned and suspenseful novel during the blizt of London during the War. Children have been evacuated to the countryside for their own safety, more often than not to live for the duration of the war with complete strangers. Young Simon Thorn shows up in the village of Yeasdon, along with the other evacuated children. However, his name is on on list, his address doesn't exist, and few clues can be found in the few items he possesses. Many questions abound and Barnard, with his accustomed patience and logical thinking, sets out to solve this mystery. He does so in a touching, poignant manner, and he brings vividly to life all the aspects of these dark and dangerous days of the blitz. Barnard deserves his well-earned reputation. ([e-mail])