Caroline Miniscule

With its twists, turns, and question mark ending, Caroline Miniscule is a splendid thriller. Mr. Taylor's writing style is reminiscent of the better writers from the Golden Age of whodunits, and the characters and plot are an Alfred Hitchcock lover's dream come true. The story follows William Dougal, a semi-reluctant scholar in an obscure field, who isn't thinking quite straight after finding the murdered body of his tutor. He is immediately commissioned to analyze a fragment of a medieval document by a mysterious man he suspects knows more than he should about the murder, but takes the job for much needed cash. When his employer is murdered, a letter from the man is delivered to William with an invitation to a treasure quest. William and his girlfriend set out on the trail and encounter smiling bad guys, nebbishy good guys, church ladies and vicious dogs along the way. It's a very entertaining romp, and William's angst over some of his less than admirable choices make this much more than a formula chase. I was thrilled to find out that William Dougal appears in more of Mr. Taylor's books and I can't wait to read them. This was the perfect way to spend a winter afternoon!

This was Taylor's 1st mystery novel, and it's quite novel. The 1st part of the book involves the uncovering of a mystery based upon a medieval script called Caroline Minuscule (named for the Carolingians of France). The 2nd part involves a thriller over who will survive the uncovering/unraveling--and keep the loot. There is significant character development in some of the players & some humor too (esp. with one supporting character). The ending is unusual & somewhat surprising, but hinted at. I did figure out one of the main mysteries during the book. Some are, however, just revelations--not susceptible to reader analysis. It's a terrific 1st book, and I believe it won a mystery writers award of some kind. Some of his later books are also set in Rosington, but are not IMHO as good as this one: the Roth Trilogy (The Last Four Things, The Judgment of Strangers, & The Office of the Dead). However, his fantastic An Unpardonable Crime: A Novel is even better IMHO than this one. Note: I read the out-of-print hardback.

Mystery readers tend to confine their interests to one corner of the genre, and in my case, it's English mysteries, particularly golden-age cozies. Alas, there are only so many of them, and this is not one. But never mind. It is a brilliant story. The narrative drive sweeps you along; the characters are believable; one event unfolds into another for a build-up to a deliciously clever ending. It is in the form of a scavenger hunt, informed by a pleasant, witty intelligence. The rest of the books in the series are not as good. I also like Taylor's Lydmouth series; those stories are satisfying, but not the good clean fun that this is.