The Judgment of Strangers

This 2nd book in the trilogy was just as riveting as the other 3. I liked the fact that the books went backwards in time. The 1st took place when David Byfield's daughter Rosie was an adult. The other 2 took place when she was a teenager then a child. She was completely evil. All 3 books kept me on the edge of my seat.

Readers of The Four Last Things, the first book in Andrew Taylor's Roth Trilogy, know how Rosemary Byfield turned out, but to know why, it's necessary to delve into the prequel, The Judgement of Strangers. The Reverend David Byfield is a bit player in TFLT, but in Strangers, he takes center stage. Byfield is a priest who's skating on thin ice. He's been celibate for ten years, since his wife died, but by now he's almost desperate for sex. His judgement is badly impaired by his desires, and Rosemary, his teenaged daughter, is badly in need of a level of attention and guidance that her father is not prepared to provide. David has retreated to a country parish after committing an undisclosed trangression while teaching in London. Not all of his current parishioners are, shall we say, in their right minds, and matters slowly but surely spin out of control. Author Taylor is a master at character development, his plots evolving from the strengths and weaknesses of his protagonists. His characters are people we've all met before, incorporating facets of our own personalities, making it easy to empathize with their choices and decisions. Readers who enjoy getting lost simple yet enthralling plots are sure to enjoy this trilogy.

This is a relatively slow-moving "mystery" in which the puzzling murder of a cat comprises the "mystery" for the vast bulk of the book. However, the end of the book is full of mayhem, murder, & mystery--a great surprise to me. Though referred to by the author as the 2nd book in the Roth trilogy, a prequel to the 1st book, it doesn't explain very much IMHO. While there are numerous characters who also appear in the 1st book (e.g. Michael Appleyard), they could have been anyone--there's very little continuity. The main character in book 2, David Byfield, is a minor player in book 1, though some of the events of book 2 no doubt contributed to his personality (or lack thereof) in book 1. However, there ARE some striking similarities between the two books such as the author's treatment of Anglican clerics (not very gently & not very kindly); there is a dearth of spirituality in both books. I suspect that the greater value of these works may lie in the trilogy as a whole vs. the individual books--literary synergy. Still, this one is an easy read (though perhaps a bit depressing) & certainly has a shocking ending. The author also provides some interesting insights into human nature: p. 126: "It is chillingly easy to repeat our mistakes. p. 285: There comes a point when punishing yourself becomes a purely self-indulgent exercise. p. 286: Very good people can be as ruthless as very bad people" & provides references & a parallel with Agatha Christie & her Miss Marple.

In the 1970 London suburb of Roth, David Byfield, a widowed minister with a daughter (Rosemary), has just married Vanessa. The occupants (including his godson) of the Byfield home, which happens to be the village vicarage, struggle to adjust to the idiosyncrasies of one another. However, the townsfolk are frightened over a series of mutilation murders, including the killing of a cat, Lord Peter.The Byfields try to pretend that life goes on in spite of the recent events. David works on an upcoming church event. Vanessa researches the dead poet Father Francis Youlgreave, who once stirred up local society. Rosemary seems attracted to a newcomer. However, another resident Audrey Oliphant begins to investigate who had killed her feline.The second novel in the Roth trilogy is a clever tale that actually is the prequel to events of the first book (see THE FOUR LAST THINGS) as it provides background information to the previous novel. In the hands of a lesser writer, this approach would be a disastrous failure. However, the dexterous Andrew Taylor not only makes it work, he effortlessly provides his readers with loads of suspense and fabulous characters that leave the audience shocked by the sheer brilliance. One does not need to have read the first story to fully gain pleasure from THE JUDGEMENT OF STRANGERS, but this reviewer recommends fans of English cozies to peruse both novels for double the enjoyment.Harriet Klausner