Hunt for Sonya Dufrette (Country House Crime 1) [Hardcover]

R T Raichev (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2006 | Series: Country House Crime 1

On the day of the Royal Wedding in July 1981 at a house party by the Thames, a little girl vanishes. Her doll is found floating in the river, but of the child herself there is no sign. Twenty years on and Antonia Darcy, divorcee and assistant librarian at the Military and Naval Club, still puzzles over the disappearance of Sonya Dufrette and the bizarre behaviour of her father, the awful Lawrence Dufrette, his exotic wife, Lena, and the intelligent but austere Lady Mortlock - not to mention the strange absence of the nanny. Ably assisted by her new admirer, Major Payne, Mrs Darcy embarks on a mission to solve the labyrinthine mystery of the long-lost child's disappearance.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This auspicious first in a new mystery series from Raichev, a Bulgarian long resident in London, introduces a sympathetic sleuth, Antonia Darcy, an assistant librarian at London's Military and Naval Club, a divorced grandmother and aspiring writer. Twenty years after the Royal Wedding, Antonia sadly remembers the little girl of the novel's title, who disappeared the same day Charles and Diana were married in July 1981. Along with Sonya's parents, Antonia was on holiday at a country house on the Thames at the time the young girl went missing and was presumed drowned, her body never recovered. When Antonia discovers a detailed account of Sonya's disappearance that she wrote shortly after the tragedy, Antonia has a strong sense that something isn't right with her story and sets out to satisfy her nagging doubts—with the help of her admirer and willing assistant, widower Maj. Hugh Payne. Agatha Christie fans will find much to like in this traditional whodunit. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Antonia Darcy is both a mystery writer and a librarian. Working at London's tony Military and Naval Club offers her the opportunity to meet a widower, Major Payne, who is as sharp as he is attractive. Antonia will need his help as she sets about solving a 25-year-old mystery. It was the day of the royal wedding in 1981 when Antonia attended a house party in the English countryside. An autistic child went missing and was presumed dead when her doll turned up floating in a lake. But as Antonia searches her memory, she begins to put together pieces of a puzzle that don't quite fit. Raichev, Bulgarian by birth, writes the kind of old-school English mysteries that fans of Christie and Sayers love: plenty of Albion ambience, a cast of eccentric characters, and a dogged search for clues. But this will be pleasing to more than traditionalists, because it adds a P. D. Jamesian subtlety to the comfortable Christie formula. Antonia Darcy is a terrific sleuth, and Raichev is a very clever writer, indeed. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Constable (April 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845293347
• ISBN-13: 978-1845293345
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars R. T. Raichev delivers!, January 22, 2007

By 

K. M. "literary devotee" (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Hunt for Sonya Dufrette (Hardcover)

English mysteries abound, so contributing an original, distinctive addition to the genre represents quite a feat. "The Hunt for Sonya Dufrette" meets the challenge thanks to the peppy, agile writing of author Raichev and his creative approach to formulating and solving a perplexing mystery about a young girl with developmental problems who, on the day Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married in 1981, was presumed drowned on a country estate and whose body was never found. Librarian Antonia Darcy -- one of the guests at the estate when the child disappeared all those years ago -- and her gentleman friend, witty Major Payne, investigate a multiplicity of leads to what might have really happened. Their sleuthing puts them in uneasy contact with the odd ducks (some of whom are Russian and Greek rather than English), who were also present on the estate that fateful day. The intricately plotted book peels off many secrets as it stretches for the finish line, culminating in a wily resolution. Raichev not only pays careful attention to constructing his mystery and his character portraits but also injects numerous literary references into the book's quick-witted conversations and sets scenes and ambience with precise word paintings. He handily manages to distinguish his mystery with a unique out-of-the-box presentation style; in other words, he wraps "The Hunt for Sonya Dufrette" in a beautiful bow of irresistibility. Well done.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flashbacks to the Royal Wedding, August 14, 2006

By 

Kevin Killian (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hunt for Sonya Dufrette (Paperback)

Raiko Raichev's novel THE HUNT FOR SONYA DUFRETTE is the sort of book that you don't want to pick up unless you can read through the whole thing, so give yourself a bit of time. I didn't want to put it down and cancelled three other engagements to finish it. Antonia Darcy, formerly Rushton, is a sophisticated divorcee working on the staff of the Military Club in London, with a delightful son David and a cute little granddaughter. Something's missing from her life, however, something beyond her husband who left her a year or so ago for a girl the age of their daughter-in-law. One of the questions the novel asks is, how does one cope with complete and utter social humiliation? It's also about failed dreams, as in flashback Antonia remembers the day during which all around the world, millions watched the wedding of Charles and Diana on TV. Among the house parties was the one she attended at Twiston, during which a little retarded girl, Sonya Dufrette, disappeared.

A girl close in age to Antonia's own son. The grieving parents tear up the scenery, and the mother, a colorful Russian emigre, blames Antonia for the death. Now, twenty years later, and torn up by guilt, Antonia decides to re-read her own account of that trying weekend, and when she sits down with it (at her job, which I thought was a little lackadaisical) she comes up with some internal contradictions which call out for the deconstruction of detection! Luckily she has attracted a new admirer, Major Payne, a successful farmer and Military Club member and the two of them start investigating together.

I always love those books where people investigate crimes from way in the past (the locus classicus for me being FIVE LITTLE PIGS by Agatha Christie). This one did not disappoint, though afterwards I was thinking, the suspects gave it up pretty easily, didn't they? Antonia and Major Payne had no more than to offer to buy a drink for these comparative strangers, and they were blabbing their heads off, confessing their deeepest secrets. Especially Lena! Pity really, because otherwise the book is filled with tremendous twists and turns on a Jeffrey Deaver scale and well worth your time and money.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic with a twist, March 30, 2009

By 

Suzette A. Hill - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hunt for Sonya Dufrette (Paperback)

What a pleasure to immerse oneself in this witty and refreshingly quirky classic crime novel. R. Raichev writes with verve and elegance, deftly leading us from one conundrum to another, creating an aura of intrigue and subtle excitement. The characters are strongly portrayed - ranging from the charming and reasonable to the wild, raddled and outlandish! Slick, stylish and enormous fun, this is a tale for the discerning and self-indulgent.