Reviews for A Murder in Mayfair

The average rating for A Murder in Mayfair based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-06-06 00:00:00 Rod Gautier Some reviewers have dismissed A Murder in Mayfair as a soft and therefore not so satisfactory offering...not one of Barnard's best. But I would vigourously argue the contrary: that it is a classic example of this author's dependable originality. Volume after volume I keep waiting for the usual plot chestnuts to be trotted out: the broken hero, the prodigal son, the resentful daughter, the betrayed wife, the miscreant husband...but he never lets his characters or his plots fall into the usual swamps of banality. Before you know it, he HAS used those conceits,(and more classic still [spoiler alert] he reaches back into classic stepmother and evil twin archetypes) but in such fresh and unique ways that you hardly notice it and find you have entirely enjoyed the ride. Barnard spins his tale out finely and nicely...one can hardly call it (capital S)"Suspense", that is, in the hideously gory formulae apparently preoccupying the gruesome thriller/horror genre of today. Rather I would suggest that one's interest gets caught up in the classic lit-crit traditions of "tension", a strategy more subtle and a technique in which Barnard is a master. As I revel in my stroll through these titles, it strikes me that perhaps Robert Barnard just had too original a mind to rely on a single detective-led routine. It would have bored him quickly. Beyond his few Charlie White stories...and that character is far too well adjusted to have been accepted by today's audience which seems to prefer all manner of broken personal relationships and professional angst...instead, Robert Barnard obviously enjoyed dreaming up as great a variety of plot combinations as he could and so preferred to pursue that versatile destiny instead. Finally, anyone who appreciates good writing, will view the Barnard Canon as excellent entertainment, simply because it IS such a well crafted collection of original work. Robert must have been an interesting person to live with. We should all be grateful he was so prolific. I know I am.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-09-26 00:00:00 Daniel Amster Robert Barnard seems to be fascinated by the search for identity; in this case, Colin Pinnock is shocked to learn that he was adopted. Even more shocking, his biological father had murdered his wife (not Colin's mother--that was the nanny) and then disappeared. Colin's mother is dead and his father has dementia, so he sets out to learn the truth with the help of several researchers, including his ex-wife. So many twists and turns in this story, a delight to read.