THE DETLING SECRET

by Julian Symons ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 15, 1982

Though less ambitious than Symons' previous ventures into late-Victorian crime (The Blackheath Poisonings, a masterpiece; the darkly psychological Sweet Adelaide), this teasing blend of espionage, finance, and old-fashioned murder again features an alluring blend of crisp, wry narration and rich yet economical period-atmosphere. Liberated young aristocrat Dolly Detling marries rising Liberal M.P. Bernard Ross in the 1890s--over her father's objections--but soon Dolly herself is wondering about her husband's behavior. Why is he so inconsistent about the Irish Question? What about his meetings with known Irish-American terrorists? Why is his name found on the body of murdered artist Eustace Settleby (an acquaintance of Dolly's art-student sister), who was a double-agent working for both the government and the Irish rebels? And why does Bernard react so strangely to a visiting American investor--a new business associate of Dolly's brother's rich father-in-law? Well, all these puzzles converge (as do all the characters) at a comically awful country-house Christmas party--with another murder, class-conflicts galore, and some snowstorm melodrama. And though the murder solution is blandly predictable (likewise the secret in Bernard's past), the characterizations are choice; the red herrings are profuse; and the panorama of milieux (from seedy artists to Gladstone's circle) offers enough page-by-page pleasure to make this an engaging, if minor, addition to the distinctive Symons canon.

Pub Date: Jan. 15, 1982

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1982

Categories: FICTION