Where Roses Fade

Set in a small British village shortly after the end of World War II (electricity and in door plumbing are optional in a couple of the residences visited during the course of the story) this is an engrossing mystery. The body of a young woman who was probably no better than she should be, is found floating among the willows. At first it is thought to be a rather straight forward drowning. Then the medical examiner points out that her underwear and stockings suggest that either she dressed herself in a hurry in the dark or that someone else dressed her. Suddenly, Mattie Harris' death puts into motion a great many actions by the men of the village, most of whom seem to have something to hide. This may not appeal to fans of traditional detective fiction, but don't let the fact that it is not in the ordinary vein stop you from enjoying a leisurely stroll through a vanished time including a good dash of suspense. Taylor has a great sense of detail and very good descriptive powers. His characters are complex and fallible and almost-- forgive me-- Dickensian in their depiction. His narrative appeals to all of the senses, whether he is describing a plunge off a bridge or a leisurely bath. I listened to the unabridged audio book in this case and cannot praise highly enough the vocal skills of the reader, Sheila Mitchell. At times I almost forgot that it was not a full cast production. The only difficulty I had was with the scene shifts. They were not always plainly marked so they caused a bit of confusion at times. Otherwise I am sorry that it ended and plan to lay hands on the other books in the series whether printed or audio.