Robert Barnard

It's been fun rediscovering some of the authors whose books have languished on the top shelf of my mystery collection; I've just been too lazy to haul out the step ladder and climb up to get them.  I only have two of Robert Barnard's forty some mysteries, but might hunt up a few more of them if I ever finish this project.  

In A Little Local Murder, a television crew descends upon the small town of Twytching to film a documentary of the town to show its "twin" city, Twytching, Wisconsin, what rural English village life is like.  As the various local characters vie for the privilege of being interviewed for the program, a local resident is murdered and a series of anonymous letters comes to light.  Grade:  B.

The Case of the Missing Bronte involves Scotland Yard Superintendent Perry Trethowan in the hunt for a previously unknown manuscript, possibly written by Emily Bronte.  Trethowan and his wife are shown a fragment of the manuscript by an elderly lady who has inherited it and other materials from a cousin who has family connections with members of the Bronte family.  When the woman is attacked and left comatose two days later, Trethowan realizes that someone else thinks the manuscript is legitimate and is willing to kill for it.  Grade:  B.