The fourth (and, sadly, last) of Caudwell's marvelous mysteries featuring a band of young barristers and the mysterious Hilary Tamar, this book (featuring Edward Gorey's lovely/creepy cover-art) opens with a disclaimer from Tamar him-or-herself [which it is never becomes clear], responding to the requests of readers to know more about the good Professor: "Of what interest can it be to the reader of a work of history whether the writer of it is tall or short, thin or fat, of fair or dark complexion? It would seem to me an impertinence on my part to claim the attention of my readers for such trivia." {snerk!}

The plot of this one wanders far and wide, pulling in all the usual characters and a good many of their friends and relations. The central story has to do with Julia's aunt Regina ("Reg"), who's been dabbling in investments with some local friends and now has grave concerns about taxes - but this issue rapidly pales beside the unusual events taking place in the house of Reg's neighbor, events revolving around a mysterious book and its distracted guardian, and, of course, a death or two and the attendant concerns about wills. Oh, and there's the on-again-off-again romance between Reg's friend Maurice and a charming young man named Derek, who may or may not have stolen a valuable icon...

Not that any of the plot elements matter that much; the joy of the books is the language and personalities, the quips between the main characters as they advance the plot via letters, telexes, notes, and even occasionally by getting up and visiting the scene of the crime. Among the bits of byplay that I especially liked, here's Aunt Reg writing to Julia about a neighbor's instant mistrust of a handsome young stranger who wanders into a recent funeral service: "...she said he had an untrustworthy aura. Why she should have thought that I've no idea - perhaps she simply meant he was too good-looking. It's true, of course, as I suppose you know by now, that very good-looking men usually aren't to be trusted, but you must also remember that even quite ugly men often aren't to be trusted either. So in the end you might just as well enjoy yourself and be let down by the good-looking ones." I can live with that!

I can't judge the quality of the central mystery as a mystery - I seldom if ever figure those things out, and even when I do get it right it's usually for the wrong reasons - but I think it's nicely convoluted and only cheats a teensy bit at the end. [And I must add that one of the villains here is a character type that I find the most terrifying of all the types one is likely to meet in real life: a kind of psychic vampire, the type that attaches itself to one person and, under the guise of utter devotion, tries to isolate the victim and make him or her completely dependent. Very, very scary...]

***

The titles are, in order:

Thus Was Adonis Murdered
The Shortest Way to Hades
The Sirens Sang of Murder
The Sibyl in Her Grave


[There's a TV Tropes page on the series, with some interesting tidbits.]

I've had this one on my keeper shelves for a long time now, and think it's ready to go traveling. I plan to leave this book in the LFL inside the mall; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

Released for:

** 2024 Never Judge a Book By Its Cover challenge, for the author's last name initial "C". **