A Son of the Rock

Severn House, 2014, 214 p.

The second of Brown’s Langham and Dupré stories this one promises to be a locked room mystery but the locking is cleared up very quickly. Donald Langham’s acquaintance Edward Endicott is the one who has disappeared. His son, Alasdair fears he has been harmed as he had fallen under the influence of a man claiming to be Victorian Satanist Vivian Stafford.

Retracing the possible path along which Endicott’s dog returned, Lanham, Dupré and former Hollywood actress Caroline Dequincy come upon a body. It is not Endicott’s though, but Stafford’s. The web of connections Brown then constructs involves most of the leading characters. I note here the appearance of artist, Haverford Dent, not the first time an artist has appeared in Brown’s fiction. The unwinding of the circumstances leading to Stafford’s murder and to the death of the local village’s vicar, Marcus Denbigh, involves a lot of toing and froing – not to mention sipping of pints. The hesitancies of the relationship between Langham and Dupré do take up quite a bit of the book’s time, though.

Though there are some sharp edges Brown again emulates well the cosiness of the classic detective story. However, a few of his characters seem more free-minded than might perhaps be expected of his 50s setting.

Pedant’s corner:- A “time interval later” count of 33 plus one instance of “a little later.”
“The bells of the neighbouring churchyard peeled” (that should be pealed – which was used for the same bells further into the book,) medieval, “the latter forbore the attention” (“bore the attention” makes more sense,) vol-au-vents (I still think the plural should be vols-aux-vents; I’m obviously in the minority here,) “aware of the sadness in actress’s words” (the actress’s words,) I thought there was a continuity error when Langham says to Maria “On top of the brandy?” – she’d been drinking only tonic water previously, registry office (Register office,) “Her smiled faltered” (smile,) veniality, (this means easily excused or forgiven; pardonable: I think venality, the condition or quality of being venal; openness to bribery or corruption was intended,) curb (kerb.)