Book review: R J Burley -- Wycliffe and the Guild of Nine

[julesjones]

W J Burley -- Wycliffe and the Guild of Nine

4 stars -- Not the best of the series, but still good.

This is the last completed book in the Wycliffe series (Burley had just started a new book when he died in 2002), and revisits the characters from an earlier book. It's set ten years after the events of "The Quiet Virgin", but can be read as a standalone. Detective Chief Inspector Wycliffe is in even more melancholy mood than usual, for he has to face both a new, and _female_, commanding officer, and the murder of a young woman he knows from an old case. For Wycliffe the case brings both guilt at not having kept in touch with Francine, and pleasure at seeing other figures from the past. Some strands of the plot are obvious, but as a second murder and then a third violent death interrupt the police investigation the possiblities multiply.

One of the weaker books in the series, in my view, but still no disappointment. As with the series in general, it's an enjoyable read for those times when you'd like something complex enough to be satisfying but short and simple enough to follow when you're tired or distracted. Note that there are major spoilers for earlier book "A Quiet Virgin".

Wycliffe and the Guild of Nine at amazon.com
Wycliffe and the Guild of Nine at amazon.co.uk
Wycliffe and the Guild of Nine at Barnes&Noble

Comments

[jjsass.livejournal.com]

I have read one of his books (can't recall which one now)
Will have to go back and get some more - I do remember liking it, lol.

[julesjones]

There around twenty of them altogether, and there are still some I haven't read yet. They're variable in quality, but none of the ones I've read have been complete duds, and there are some very good ones. I'd love to see the tv series come out on DVD -- so far it's only been released on VHS.