The Skeleton in the Grass

At times Robert Barnard, England's fine crime fiction writer, sets his novels in pre-World War II Britain where a strong movement of fascist supporters backed pro-Hitler Sir Oswald Mosley. It's 1936 and in a small village Sarah Causeley becomes a governess for Chloe, the young daughter of the local gentry, the Hallam family. The elder Hallams, Dennis and Helen, are pacifists, and are vilified by Major Coffee, a Mosleyite, and his gang of local impressionable young men. They consider Dennis Hallam a coward. A series of despicable pranks ends up with the murder of one of the local young men on the Hallam estate. It's just about the time of the British king's abdication when he gave up the throne to marry a divorced American woman. Barnard again shows his great skill at wickedly sharp characterization and shrewd plotting, and demonstrates his ability to recreate a wonderful sense of time and place. The games and movies of the era are featured. Will Hallam goes off to fight in the Spanish Civil War while brother Oliver continues his studies at Oxford. The villagers blame the murder on the Hallams, and Sarah, the book's protagonist, realizes that the elder Hallams, because of their self-absorption, their lack of caring, and intellectual distance, have created a chasm between themselves and the people of the village. Briefly the story goes forward in time so we see the older Sarah's reaction to her time with the Hallams. The book has that estimable Barnard page-turning pacing, but he also is able to squeeze in some fascinating details. Barnard's books are full of insightful social commentary. The book features the conventional Inspector Minchip who "was never tempted to buckle a swash."

Sarah Causely comes to be a governess at an English Country Home owned by famous pacifists in the late 1930's. First entranced by the family, Sarah gradually comes to see them less romantically as they deal with a series of malicious pranks by the local fascist organization. The pranks culminate in the death of one of the local boys and only the family has a motive for his death. Barnard's characterizations are unusually well done. Sarah matures as England moves towards war, but her disenchantment with the family is not due to her disagreement with their political views, but a growing understanding of the weakness of their characters. The plot is well done and the mystery keeps the reader guessing. The historical context is particularly fun. The pacifists cannot interest the local MP in the civil war in Spain, for example, because he is utterly fixated by the King's romance with That American (Mrs. Simpson.) Good characters, good story, good suspense. The following review describes another of Barnard's books, not Skeleton in the Grass.

"Don't kill her! Don't!" The young Simon wakes up screaming! The gentle couple who have taken Simon in are more than a little confused. In Robert Barnard's "Out of the Blackout," the author sets this finely-tuned and suspenseful novel during the blizt of London during the War. Children have been evacuated to the countryside for their own safety, more often than not to live for the duration of the war with complete strangers. Young Simon Thorn shows up in the village of Yeasdon, along with the other evacuated children. However, his name is on on list, his address doesn't exist, and few clues can be found in the few items he possesses. Many questions abound and Barnard, with his accustomed patience and logical thinking, sets out to solve this mystery. He does so in a touching, poignant manner, and he brings vividly to life all the aspects of these dark and dangerous days of the blitz. Barnard deserves his well-earned reputation. ([email protected])