A Question of Malice is the third book in the Great Tew series by author, Frederick Petford and concludes the adventures set amongst the residents of the sleepy Oxfordshire village.
This story opens on the remote island of Skye where the local wise woman is dying. She passes her knowledge, power and money to her daughter and granddaughter, but to her grandson she only has an extraordinary message that will not only change his life, but inadvertently the lives of Edward Spense and Innes Knox in the far-off village of Great Tew.
After celebrating the Spense marriage, two couples on the estate look to the talking board as a bit of fun to find out what life will hold for the newlyweds, only to have revealed a terrible threat to their future.
Meanwhile, a locked-room mystery unfolds following the apparent suicide of the new resident of the Dower House and, when it becomes apparent that the suicide is actually a murder, the newly promoted Sergeant Burrows and his new assistant, Constable Dixon must find discover how the murderer left the locked room, and, more importantly, discover who among the residents is the perpetrator.
A Question of Malice is a well-edited, fast-paced supernatural crime thriller set in an ancient landscape where the Great War casts a long shadow, and nothing is quite what it seems. Frederick captures the essence of the people of the area with his well-crafted, engaging dialogue that helps to bring his characters to life and move the story along. His well-rounded and fully developed characters stay ‘in character’ to the end.
This is another example of Frederick’s skill in weaving intricate and involved plots and subplots of murder and intrigue, interlaced with romance and humour where appropriate. I thoroughly enjoyed this third book in the series and award 5 stars.
By Phoebe Wilby
