A Dangerous Train of Thought

Faith Martin

FOR author and ghost hunter Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift, the invitation to a lavish weekend party at a manor house near the coast in Yorkshire is the chance to do a spot of fishing, indulge in a bit of cricket, and play a few games of billiards.

For his old friend and self-appointed ‘literary assistant,’ Miss Valerie (Val) Coulton-James, it’s a chance to dig out some much-needed material for Arbie’s next ghost-hunting book. What neither of them expected was to be thrust into the middle of yet another murder investigation…

Welcome to the third gripping Golden Age murder mystery from million-copy bestseller Faith Martin (pictured below) in a sparkling cosy crime series based in 1920s Oxfordshire which stars lovable gentleman ghost hunter Arbie and feisty vicar’s daughter Val, and is thrilling an army of devoted fans. For over 30 years, Martin has wowed us with her raft of classy books, writing under four different pen names and publishing over fifty novels. Feted for her smart and sassy DI Hillary Greene police series set in and around Oxford, and again using the dreaming spires of her home town for the brilliant Ryder and Loveday crime series, this seasoned author can’t put a foot wrong when it comes to enthralling and clever whodunits.

It’s spring of 1926 and Sir Bayard Cherville and his much younger wife, Lady Sybil, are hosting a sumptuous weekend party at their home, the imposing Cleeves Lea Manor which lies only six miles from the Yorkshire coast.

Sir Bayard, who likes to keep his beautiful wife under his watchful eye, is feeling rather smug and is particularly relishing the weekend ahead because he has a surprise planned… a surprise which he knows is not going to suit all the invited guests.

Among those attending are Sybil’s best friend from schooldays, Betty Rowe, from Woodstock, near Oxford, accompanied by her daughter Bernie who is longing for a weekend of fun. Widowed many years ago and still mourning the death of her son a year ago, Betty is fully aware that Sybil likes to get her own way.

Also on the guest list is Agnes Warren from Harrogate who is dubbed an ‘old maid’ even though she is only aged forty-seven and who ingratiated herself with Bayard by once bringing along the son of a Duke. Agnes is fully aware that she is socially awkward and nervous in company but on this visit, she is harbouring a delicious secret… a secret ‘beyond her wildest dreams.’

Meanwhile, another guest, Bill Endicott from York, a handsome young chancer who is enjoying the fact that his ‘scapegoat existence’ is currently ‘coming up roses’ knows that sometimes you have to do things which force you to ‘grit your teeth and grin and bear it.’ And then there’s the self-made and very wealthy Roger Potts-Gibbon and his wife Daphne, a gentle, genteel woman who loves her garden, her dogs and her husband (in that order).

Last but not least are Arbie and Val… invited because Lady Sybil is an avid reader of Arbie’s books and is eager to show him off to her distinguished guests. Arbie’s task is to investigate rumours of a local ‘ghost train spitting fire’ for the third instalment of his Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-hunting but when the guests start dying, Arbie instead finds himself embroiled in a murder investigation and a house full of secrets. With time fast running out, will he and Val be able to uncover the truth?

There is so much to love about this dazzling new date with Arbie and Val, Martin’s detective duo extraordinaire, who bring with them murder most foul, a fine line in humour, red herrings galore, ingenious plotting, an exquisitely drawn cast of captivating characters, and – without the help of modern technology – some wonderfully entertaining, good old-fashioned sleuthing.

The tall, Valkyrie-like splendour of beautiful, down-to-earth Val, and the laidback, happy-go-lucky charm of Arbie, are making them the new dream team of cosy crime fiction while delivering the sort of clever, complex detective work made famous by the likes of Agatha Christie and the other big names of the Golden Age.

Add on an alluring hint of some ghostly goings-on, an enchanting North Yorkshire backdrop, Martin’s trademark razor-sharp and intensely humane character portraits, and a mountain of intriguing clues to process, and you have the kind of top-notch country house murder mystery that encourages you to think as well as to enjoy.
(HQ, hardback, £16.99)