WYCLIFFE AND THE TANGLED WEB

by W.J. Burley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1988

Another lean yet intricately psychological mystery from veteran Burley: family secrets, rampant greed, and sexual undercurrents in a half-contemporary village on the Cornwall coast. Bright, beautiful Hilda Clemo, 17, disappears from home--shortly after announcing to family and boyfriend Ralph that she's pregnant. So Ralph, who was the last to see Hilda before she vanished, is soon suspect #1. But wise, wry Chief Inspector Wycliffe is curious about the Clemos: surly father James (who runs a tourist trailer-park); older daughter Mice; Alice's provocative husband Bertie; and enigmatic housekeeper Esther, adopted by the family under shadowy circumstances 20 years ago. Even more intriguing are the Rules, poor relations who live nearby: senile great-aunt Agnes, weary cousin Jane, and Jane's half-wit son Clifford. And by the time Hilda's dead body is found, Wycliffe has a half-dozen mini-mysteries to solve--involving bygone rape, stolen art and antiques, tricky will provisions. . .and, above all, the true character of the precocious, restless murder-victim. Crisply paced, richly peopled, and nicely flecked with Cornish atmosphere: one of Burley's best.

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1988

ISBN: 0752844466

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1988

Categories: FICTION