Uncoffin'd Clay

 Uncoffin'd Clay (1980) by Gladys Mitchell

Michael Locherbie is off to the countryside for a nice, quiet visit with his brother Innes and sister-in-law Mary. Innes and his wife are recently retired and recent denizens of Strode Hillary, but they have begun to fit in and get the lay of the land. Their neighbors certainly like them a lot better than the wealthy Middle Eastern sheikh who has bought the local manor house. Especially since he dismissed all the local servants (putting them out of jobs) and brought in his own. It also doesn't help that he also wants to buy up other land to use as grazing for his fancy horses.

It looks like someone is acting on their ill feelings when one of the sheikh's sons is caught in a mantrap set on the manor's grounds and winds up with a badly damaged leg and head injuries. Then the man's land agent is killed as well. Is it a vendetta against the outsiders? When it's discovered that the land agent was implicated in a spate of robberies that have plagued the area, Superintendent Hallicks begins to doubt the motives behind the attack and murder. So, he asks Mary's godmother Dame Beatrice Lestrange Bradley to come in as a consulting psychiatrist to interview the ruffians suspected of both setting the trap and the robberies. Her interviews lead her to suspect that the motives run even deeper than a vendetta against foreigners or robberies gone wrong. And it isn't long before she has the chance to test her theory.

Michael serves as our narrator in this particular Dame Bradley outing. And, really, I could have done without him. I get why Mitchell used him--his connection with Innes and Mary and their insider view of the village is useful. But Michael is annoying. One thing that irritated me about him was the running commentary that indicates that he secretly (or perhaps not-so-secretly) lusts for his brother's wife. All these little throw-away comments and moments when he kisses her soundly--right in front of Innes--and he's surprised that his brother doesn't seem to bat an eyelash. Maybe Innes is that confident about his marriage. Maybe he trusts Mary implicitly. But, honestly, he ought to pop Mike a good one when Mary's not around. 

The mystery itself is fairly solid. Though I must say, I did spot the culprit straight up. Not because of any brilliant spotting of clues (unless unconsciously), but because of my take on the character when they first showed up and then in subsequent appearances. And once I thought about who, the motive followed. Not a bad for a late entry in a very long writing career, but I do prefer her earlier mysteries and those that feature her secretary Laura. ★★★

First line: It all began last Spring while I was staying with my brother Innes and his wife at the house they had bought in a little town called Strode Hillary.

Last line: As I drove along the lanes, I saw honeysuckle and wild clematis in the hedgerows, yellow iris on the riverbanks, and when I got to the house all the roses were out in Mary's garden.

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Deaths = 3 (one auto accident; one stabbed; one hit on head)