Customer Reviews

Wycliffe and Death in a Salubrious Place (Wycliffe Series)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Wycliffe series by W. J. Burley is an enjoyable one -- and Death In a Salubrious Place is no exception. I place these books in the middle of the mystery spectrum. They certainly aren't "cozies" but neither are they gritty, dark, macabre, or super action-oriented. Wycliffe is a gentle sort of detective -- there's nothing flashy about him. Neither does he possess serious character flaws or obsessions. He's pretty well-balanced, with a much-valued family life. You can easily imagine him mowing his yard or attending his daughter's recital. He's a decent man. He's an excellent "guv'nor" and vigorously supports his team. Wycliffe is dedicated to doing his job properly. The reader is carried along through the story by Wycliffe's impressions, musings, and conjectures. The narrative is pretty straight-forward in each of the series' novels (no tricky organization or devices). The settings are fascinating locales scattered in the West Country (mostly Cornwall and in this particular novel, in the Scilly Islands). You really can't go wrong with a Wycliffe mystery, but I'm miserly with awarding 5 stars because I save them for "knock-your-socks-off" novels that you can't bear to put down. The Wycliffe series, while certainly pleasing, isn't quite up to that calibre, in my opinion.