Reviews for Wycliffe and the Beales

The average rating for Wycliffe and the Beales based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2021-02-18 00:00:00 Paul Baert I've enjoyed the Chief Superintendent Wycliffe mystery series by W.J. Burley. Wycliffe and the Beales is the 11th book in the series. Like the others I've read, this story was an entertaining, satisfying mystery and story. In the small town of Washford, layabout Bunny Newcombe is murdered, shot in the head with a Berretta. Wycliffe, who finds the town in his area of responsibility is bored sitting in the office so he heads off to Washford to help with the investigation. This will become an interesting investigation and case. Who would want to murder Bunny? Everything seems to revolve around the wealthy Beales family, owners of a chain of shops in the area. The Beales all live in Ashill House and they are an interesting group of characters, from elder Simon, the family leader, to Esther and Edward, the younger family members. Bunny's mother, long dead, used to work at Ashill, so there is a connection between the families. Did one of the Beales kill Bunny or someone from the town? I liked how Burley presented the story. There are meandering threads that may or may not be clues. Wycliffe is a taciturn man who organizes and utilizes his investigators effectively and we do get to see everybody involved in the investigation. The story revolves around Wycliffe's activities but it's more than just about him. I enjoyed how Burley painted the story, how the characters interacted, how the mystery progressed. The area is nicely described, the mystery is interesting and the story flows nicely. Excellent story. (4.5 stars)

Review # 2 was written on 2014-07-10 00:00:00 Paul Tulley An odd-jobs man is murdered in a quiet English village, and Inspector Wycliffe, who comes from a small village himself, can't make the pieces come together. Then there's a second death, obviously linked to the first, as both are to the local family of gentry, the Beales. Psychologically oriented police procedural from back before many of our modern forensic discoveries.