Synopses & Reviews
London, 1920. In the aftermath of the Great War and a devastating family tragedy, Laurence Bartram has turned his back on the world. But with a well-timed letter, an old flame manages to draw him back in. Mary Emmetts brother John—like Laurence, an officer during the war—has apparently killed himself while in the care of a remote veterans hospital, and Mary needs to know why.
Aided by his friend Charles—a dauntless gentleman with detective skills cadged from mystery novels—Laurence begins asking difficult questions. What connects a group of war poets, a bitter feud within Emmetts regiment, and a hidden love affair? Was Emmetts death really a suicide, or the missing piece in a puzzling series of murders? As veterans tied to Emmett continue to turn up dead, and Laurence is forced to face the darkest corners of his own war experiences, his own survival may depend on uncovering the truth.
At once a compelling mystery and an elegant literary debut, The Return of Captain John Emmett blends the psychological depth of Pat Barkers Regeneration trilogy with lively storytelling from the golden age of British crime fiction.
Review
"Laurence Bartram is a young widower grappling not only with the loss of his young wife and infant son but also with a return to normalcy after his service in World War I when he receives a letter from Mary Emmett, the sister of a boyhood friend, asking him to look into her brothers supposed suicide. He is as intrigued by Mary herself as he is by her letter, and his investigations uncover a series of crimes and help Laurence confront his own horrendous memories of the war. An absorbing mystery set in postwar London, Spellers literary debut is brimming with historical details of the period and doesnt shy away from wars atrocities. There are many references to British writers and poets that the average American reader may not be familiar with, and the myriad names of officers and soldiers may be confusing. VERDICT World War I history buffs will enjoy this mystery, as will fans of period pieces set in London. Readers who like Jacqueline Winspears Maisie Dobbs series will enjoy this as well." [Previewed in M.M. Adjarians genre spotlight, "Dispatches from the Edge,"
Synopsis
Damaged but not broken by his service in the Great War, and living a solitary widower's life in a London attic, accidental detective Laurence Bartram looks into the suspicious death of an old friend and discovers much more than he wishes to.
Synopsis
Praise for
The Return of Captain John Emmett “A complex and gripping novel of post World War I England still devastated by violence and loss, Elizabeth Speller’s The Return of Captain John Emmett recreates a bygone era of great innocence and incomprehensible depravity through richly imagined narrative and characters.”—Kathleen Kent, author of The Heretic’s Daughter and The Wolves of Andover
“Haunting and beautifully written. A delicious journey into post-World War I England in all its trauma and angst.”—C. S. Harris, author of the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries
“This fabulously enjoyable novel has absolutely everything . . . Speller’s writing is gorgeous, her research immaculate and very lightly worn. Sheer bliss.”—Times (UK)
“An intelligent thriller . . . An involving and sensitively written examination of guilt and moral culpability: a fine achievement.”—The Independent (UK)
“A remarkable piece of storytelling.”—Financial Times (UK)
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About the Author
ELIZABETH SPELLER studied Classics at Cambridge. She has written for various publications, and has taught at the universities of Cambridge, Birmingham, and Bristol. She divides her life between Gloucestershire and Greece.