Political Suicide

This Barnard mystery is so entertainingly wry and such a page-by-page pleasure that the murder and the whodunit are almost incidental to the telling. In this one Barnard skewers the British polictical system top to bottom -- from opportunistic PM to dim-witted voter -- without resorting to forensic clues or Holmesian detection or red herrings. It probably helps to be something of an anglophile and more than a little cynical to get the most of Barnard's insights and deft verbal political cartooning.

Many of Robert Barnard's books are satire. It is such a trick to not go too far when writing satire, and I have yet to observe him putting a foot wrong. This somewhat elderly book is no exception. Somewhat elderly, because it was first published in 1986, a lifetime and a half ago, when it comes to politics, in Britain--or the US! None of the higher-ups are named in this book, so it's a safe read, anyway, except for the damage you may do to yourself by laughing too hard!The Tory MP for East Bootham (a dreary little place that is a casualty of the economic wars and located in far Yorkshire) James Partridge by name, has apparently committed suicide by jumping off a bridge into the Thames. Or did he? Mixing the events taking place behind the scenes leading up to the new by-election for Partridge's replacement with the very subtle investigation of his death by the about-to-be-retired Superintendant Sutcliffe of the London Police, allows the reader to see many sides of what could be a one-dimensional picture. There is also, of course, the ever present media, digging ever deeper into backgrounds and foregrounds. In the end, the Superintendant solves the puzzle, which will leave you chuckling as you finish the tale, even though justice is probably not well-served. But then, this IS about politics. Remember?

Political enthusiasts in particular should enjoy this Robert Barnard mystery, in which a shrewd superintendent inquires into the death of James Partridge, a quiet, well-mannered Tory, who, before his untimely demise, represented East Bootham, Yorkshire, in the House of Commons. Was it murder or suicide? Are Partridge's family and friends grieving, or moving on with their lives with suspicious quickness? Did any of his potential successors -- or their contributors -- benefit disproportionately from Partridge's death? Barnard's book smoothly resolves these questions even as it gives the reader the unique flavor of a parliamentary by-election. Worth reading.