I read a lot of crime fiction and my friends sometimes ask me if they are all the same. I reply that within the broad genre of ‘crime’ there are many different nuances. Which crime book you want to read is probably based on if you prefer: “The killer stalked his prey whilst they were unaware. With a flash of steel a crimson arc flew from the victim, their life essence abandoned in a violent second.” Or “Gertrude McTwist wondered whether the Eccles Cake she was partaking of was perhaps the same recipe that had lead to the death of Colonel Smithe.” Violent crime fiction is perhaps the popular style of the day, but the likes of Agatha Christie proved that you could also produce a compelling murder mystery without resorting to the grisly stuff. Simon Brett is an exponent of the gentler style of novel, but with a slight edge. Could he get the balance right in ‘Death on the Downs’.
Recently divorced and retired, Carole expected a quieter life in the village of Fethering. She meets her new neighbour Jude they get along well, although they are very different, and she thinks life could just be right. After her dog hurts his paw Carole decides to go for a walk alone on the Downs, were the dog usually plays up. Unfortunately, her hike is cut short when the skies open and she is forced into the cover of an abandoned building. Here she stumbles across a pile of old bones that will pique her investigative interest, but also send the local village into rumour mill overload. Can Carole and Jude investigate the skeleton without annoying the locals or the police?
I have no problem with the gentler spectrum of crime writing and on occasion it is nice to read something that tackles dark issues with a deft touch. In Carole and Jude, Simon Brett has created a pair of characters that feel like a pair of old slippers, although this is the first in the series that I have read. Most of the book follows Carole and although she is the more stuck up of the pair I actually found her more interesting. You get the impression that she is an intelligent woman who has spent too many years in the shadow of her husband. Her investigations allow her to test herself and get to know people. Jude is more free spirited, but in turn secretive, for this reason I didn’t feel like I got to know her well at all.
The book itself does not attempt to be anything other than a good mystery murder set in Little Britain. Like with so many books that have amateurs as their protagonist, many elements just don’t work. Carole and Jude have basically the weapons of tea and gossip to aid their investigations. In real life they wouldn’t be privy to any information, but in ‘Downs’ Brett is forced to have people confess things to them on a regular basis. At times this feels natural as a suspect unknowingly lets something slip. At other times it’s a little clunky e.g. I cannot imagine a police officer ever being so candid as seen in this book.
Despite being a light hearted book, it does take a dark twist towards the end that is perhaps a little out of character. This tonal shift means that the book may frighten off fans of ‘Agatha Raisin’, but it was never dark enough for fans of the more hard boiled crime fiction. Brett is trying to create a series that sits in between the two camps and never manages to pull it off in this particular title. The characters, setting and murder mystery itself all seem trapped in a world of niceties, only to plunge into darkness on occasion. I never got the sense that any one in the book really knew one another and this is certainly the case with the main characters of Carole and Jude. They are an odd couple, but at times I felt they were almost incompatible. I imagine that future books in the series will flesh out their relationship and this should give the entire series a better balance.
‘Death in the Downs’ is a decent read that should entertain the more traditional crime fiction lovers out there. I praise Brett for trying to bring a little shade into the sunny world of small village Britain, but it doesn’t quite work. The mystery itself is a good one, but the way in which it gets solved all seemed a little far fetched to me. Cake is nice, but offering it to countless people is not likely to uncover a homicidal maniac.
Author: Simon Brett
Year: 2001
Price: amazon uk – £4.49
play.com – £5.49
