The Death of a Deserving Rat

Death in a Scarlet Coat [by] David Dickinson

London; Constable [2011]

978-1-56947-912-4; $25.00

The Master of the Hunt, the Fifteenth Earl of Candlesby, comes to lead his riders once again.  But he is late – they have been waiting in the cold for a long time.  And, when he arrives, wrapped in blankets across his horse, he is dead.  Only a corner of his scarlet coat is visible. Three men see his body.  Then one dies, one vanishes, with his whole family, and only one man is left who knows how he died.

Meanwhile, Lord Francis Powerscourt and his wife have been stranded in Candlesby, due to a car accident.  Lord Francis meets the one man left, Dr. Theodore Miller, fatally-ill, and conscience-stricken, who confesses to the detective that he had signed a death certificate that the Fifteenth Earl died of natural causes, which he did not.  The Earl’s sons pressured him into this, and he is feeling guilty.  The head of the earl has suffered horrific injuries, which  –  when they finally see it, point to foul play. 

There is no shortage of possible suspects.  Powerscourt, with the help of his assistant, uncovers a tangled web of jealousy, revenge, and hatred.  The Fifteenth Earl has left a trail of dueling, theft, murder, and adultery across the county of Lincolnshire.  The sons are just as dangerous and dissolute as their father.  The crumbling estate he left behind is exemplary of the family he founded.

This is a lovely historical whodunit, taking place in 1909.  The author is very good at describing the people, the scenery, food and drink, and other aspects of the period.  He includes historical persons as background characters, adding to the verisimilitude of the story –   there is quite a political background to the story, as well as the personal attributes of the family at its center.  Characterization is very strong, and the reasons for the death of the Earl, as well as the subsequent deaths, are well established within the characters who caused them.  The final deadly chase is quite exciting, proving that historical mysteries do not have to be deadly dull!

I found this mystery, the first I’d read by this author, to be well-plotted and well worth reading.  I look forward to his next one, which has just come out: Death at the Jesus Hospital.  Recommended. ~ lss-r

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This book is mine.