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It is rural England toward the end of World War II. Lady Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton has graciously consigned part of her extensive lawn to be used as victory gardens by the local villagers. But when one family begins to dig up its newly-assigned allotment, they are horrified to unearth a human body. This is a very slight tale, giving the appearance of having been written in some haste. It is the fourth in a series, as is intrusively apparent from the many references to prior events strewn throughout. It is also clear that more are planned, as any number of loose ends are left dangling at the finish, and much space is devoted to the introduction of a new character who has very little to do with the story at hand. The mystery itself is very thin and is padded out with irrelevancies, most annoyingly Lady Elizabeth's near-constant state of swoon over a married American airman, who is usefully at hand when she gets herself into difficulties. (Is that a cavalry bugle we hear?) A more puzzling mystery is why Lady Elizabeth is hiring a new housemaid when we are repeatedly told she is desperately struggling with enormous debt and has already sold off the family jewellery and horses. All the stock characters are present: the officious but ineffective policeman, the gruff but good-hearted housekeeper, the waspish gossip, the lugubrious butler, the affable retired military man with the regulation "neat white beard and twinkling blue eyes" (but did he have to be Captain Carbunkle?). Some pop in only briefly, apparently to wave at the reader in reminder of previous appearances in the series. We also have a Garden Fete, for which Lady Elizabeth is required to act as judge for the Talent Contest. This was clearly meant to be a humourous interlude, but was so sketchily presented it was all over in a few paragraphs, leaving the reader to wonder why the author bothered at all. In fact, much the same could be said for the entire book. .net
Reviewed by Diana Sandberg, February 2003
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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