The Curse of the Fleers

 The Curse of the Fleers (1976) by Basil Copper

During the Victorian era Sir John Fleer is being driven to the brink of insanity by the appearance of the Creeping Man--a figure from the Fleers' past who is said to haunt the family as a result of an ancient curse. A feud has existed between the Fleers and their neighbors, the Darnleys ever since a Fleer ancestor known as Redbeard took advantage a Darnley's wife and then tortured Darnley and caused him to die in a fall from the battlements. Before he fell, Darnley cursed Redbeard and all Fleer descendants. It is said that he reappears on the battlements as the Creeping Man each time a Fleer is due to die. And now Sir John has begun seeing a hideous creeping figure leaping among the battlements directly opposite his windows.

Sir John's son Cedric turns to his old friend Guy Hammond. The men were soldiers together at one time and he knows that Hammond has the nerve necessary to take on whoever...or whatever is haunting the estate. Hammond, who is on leave from his regiment and at a bit of a loose end in London, is intrigued by the story of the Fleers' curse and is happy to try and dispel the rumors that Sir John is going mad. But when dead bodies start littering the flagstones and a strange, creeping figure nearly makes another victim of the soldier, he begins to wonder what he's gotten himself into. Each time he tracks down a promising lead, the person he needs to talk to is added to the death toll. If he can't connect the deaths to a human agent, he may be forced to find a supernatural answer after all. 

A set of missing papers from the early days of the Fleers--including an ancient poem describing the catacombs beneath Fleer Manor--become essential to the hunt. But extra copies keep disappearing--will they be able to reach the last set before villain strikes again? If it is a human hand behind all the destruction, then it is someone close enough to the Fleers to know exactly what the next move will be. Is it one of the remaining servants? Or perhaps it is the friendly Antseys--Clive and Claire, one of whom always seems to be where Hammond goes. Or maybe it's the Sir Jeffrey Darnley...the current representative of the antagonistic neighbors. A man who has kept the feud alive and who is often to be seen on the hills near the Fleer estate. 

There is a great deal of gothic atmosphere in The Curse of the Fleers. Fog seems to roll in on cue and the eerie nights make a perfect backdrop against which the Creeping Man can make his appearances. It's no wonder that Sir John feels like he's losing his grip on reality. The manor house has all sorts of hidden and spooky places--from the catacombs with hidden chambers to the tower where the dovecote is kept to the weird animal menagerie and the haunting cries and growls of orangutans and tigers. And the ancient curse gives a nod to The Hound of the Baskervilles while creating a version of its own

However, as creepy and atmospheric as the book may be, there is a solid mystery here with clues to be had for the sharp-eyed and quick-witted reader. I found my way to the why of the matter, but lost sight of the who. A very good historical mystery. ★★★★

First line: Hammond studied the letter for the third time.

Last lines: The train started up. Presently it was just a faint plume of smoke on the far horizon.

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Deaths = 8 (one accident; one suicide; one apoplexy; two fell from height; one strangled; two hit on head)