Bones in the Belfry
A
Francis Oughterard Mystery
Suzette A.
Hill
Soho Constable (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-510-5 (1569475105)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-510-2 (9781569475102)
Publication Date: August 2008
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): Francis Oughterard was the contented vicar of Molehill when he accidentally strangled a lady parishioner. A sleazy art dealer gave him an alibi, and Maurice-his victim's cynical cat-and Bouncer-a neighbor's dog-rescued him from police suspicion. Now he is called upon to return the favor by storing stolen paintings in the church belfry. The intrigue mounts as hapless F.O. bumbles through confrontations. Maurice and Bouncer each contribute their version of events.
Review:
Bones in the Belfry
is the second book (episode?) by Suzette A. Hill to feature the
adventures of Francis Oughterard, vicar of St. Botolph's in the small
English town of Molehill, Surrey, his dog Bouncer, and his
ever-so-proper cat Maurice. The British editions of this book are
alternately subtitled An Unfortunate Case of a Lost Masterpiece or The
Case of the Vicar and
the Missing Masterpiece.
The story takes place in 1958 and picks up following the events of the
first book in the series, A
Load of Old Bones. F.O. (as Bouncer and Maurice refer to
him) continues to fear the day he may be exposed for killing his
troublesome parishioner Elizabeth Fotherington in Foxford Wood. An old
school mate, Nicholas Ingaza, had given him an alibi and now he wants a
favor in return: for F.O. to temporarily store a couple of paintings at
the vicarage. It turns out, of course, the paintings had been stolen,
are considered very valuable, and their disappearance are actively
being investigated by the authorities. When a certain mystery writer,
Mrs. Tubbly Pole, turns up in town to write a fictional version of the
unsolved murder in Foxford Wood, F.O. tries to divert her. But she
wants to get a sense of the area, including the belfry where the stolen
paintings are being stored, so F.O. moves the paintings to his sister's
house where she promptly (and inadvertently) gives one away. Mischief
and mayhem ensue as F.O. tries to retrieve the painting, deal with ever
so inquisitive Mrs. Tubbly Pole, and return his life to relative
normalcy.
Bones in the Belfry
is a quirky, engaging, and utterly charming book. It is not necessary
to read the prior book to appreciate how the vicar came to be in his
current situation. The dog and cat (who each have their own points of
view expressed here) fill the reader in on the backstory. But
classifying this story as a mystery is a bit of a stretch. There are
few, if any, of the standard elements that typically characterize a
novel as a mystery.
The narrative is intelligent and witty and every so often bordering on
the absurd but always a delight to read. The three points of view are
clearly complementary with the vicar giving his (often emotional)
version of events and the cat and dog providing their (often more
objective) take. The author wisely doesn't give the animals any more
credit to do more than they can; for example, they cannot read or
manipulate objects in the way humans can. But they are observant and
their perspective on the activities of their master is both
entertaining and insightful.
Hill is clearly planning a multi-part series of books here with the
final sentence of Bones
in the Belfry setting the stage for the next in the
series. Based solely on the sequence of events presented here, it's a book worth
looking forward to.
Special thanks to Soho Press for providing an ARC of Bones in the Belfry for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
A Load of Old Bones
Avalon (Hardcover), June 2007
ISBN-10: 0-7867-1966-4 (0786719664)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-1966-2 (9780786719662)
Bones in the Belfry
Soho Constable (Hardcover), August 2008
ISBN-10: 1-56947-510-5 (1569475105)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-510-2 (9781569475102)
Omnimystery keywords for Bones in the Belfry
...
Location(s) referenced: Surrey, England.
