The
Salisbury Manuscripts
A
Thomas Ansell Mystery
Philip
Gooden
Soho
Constable (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-512-1 (1569475121)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-512-6 (9781569475126)
Publication Date: July 2008
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): In the fog-shrouded autumn of 1873 a man dies violently
while searching a burial chamber on the outskirts of the city of
Salisbury. At the same time Tom Ansell, a young lawyer, arrives from
London to receive a manuscript from one of the Cathedral Canons. Felix
Slater wants the compromising memoirs of his late father to be locked
away until after his own death.
But Slater’s death comes much sooner than expected, and it is
Tom who discovers the clergyman’s body and comes under
suspicion for his murder. The manuscript has disappeared. To clear
himself, Tom must go in search of the real culprit among the strange
members of Slater’s family and others who dwell in the
shadows of the great cathedral and the ancient earthworks of Salisbury
Plain.
He is helped by his fiancée, Helen Monroe, a young woman who
is proving her independence by writing a "sensation" novel. Before the
search concludes, Tom and Helen’s own lives will nearly end
at the hands of an ingenious and elusive killer.
Review:
Philip Gooden introduces a new character, London attorney Thomas
Ansell, in The
Salisbury Manuscripts, the
first in a series of Victorian mysteries set in British cathedral towns.
Tom Ansell, a fledgling attorney associated with the London law firm of
Scott, Lye and Mackinzie, is summoned to Salisbury by Canon Felix
Slater on a matter of law. A box given to Felix by his older brother,
Percy, who had inherited it as part of their father’s estate,
is in question. This box contained relics, various and sundry papers,
plus a diary written by their father. This diary, in the form of a
series of manuscripts, relates the history and traditions of the Slater
family. It also has some references to some dubious escapades that
Felix now thinks should not be revealed to the public, should the
manuscripts ever be published. Percy is demanding that Felix return the
manuscripts inasmuch as it was his originally. Felix wants to know
where the law stands on this issue. Shortly after Tom talks with Felix,
Felix is murdered in his den with all his papers and correspondence
strewn across his desk and the floor. The box with the manuscripts, not
surprisingly, is gone. Because Tom was alone in the den and the last
person (besides the murderer, of course) to see Felix alive, he becomes
the police’s prime suspect. But Tom believes there should be
other suspects. Where was Felix's wife that evening? Where were the
household servants? Where was Walter, Felix’s nephew, who
lived with him?
Helen Scott, the daughter of one of the law partners and the love of
Tom's life, rushes to Salisbury. A fan of mysteries herself, she knows
that if Tom is to be cleared she, and Tom, must find the murderer and
together they are determined to do so, with, or without, the help of
the police.
It takes an incredibly long time for the plot of The Salisbury Manuscripts
to get going, as it were. Much of the first hundred pages or so seems
to have little to do with the story such that some readers may opt to
put it down before it gets interesting. Once the investigation starts,
however, the pace picks up a bit and the disparate plot threads start
to come together. Still, this mystery may only appeal to those patient
enough to keep turning the pages.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Salisbury Manuscripts and to Soho Press for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read The Salisbury Manuscripts? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
The Salisbury Manuscripts
Soho Constable (Hardcover), July 2008
ISBN-10: 1-56947-512-1 (1569475121)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-512-6 (9781569475126)
The
Durham Disappearance
Soho Constable (Hardcover), July 2009
ISBN-10: 1-56947-583-0 (1569475830)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-583-6 (9781569475836)
Omnimystery
keywords for The Salisbury
Manuscripts
...
Location(s) referenced: Salisbury, England.
