When unpopular spinster Angela Pewsey is killed by a blow to the head — “the first time in many years that someone had done something in her vicinity about which she was not thoroughly informed” — following a spate of poison pen letters, it is met with quite spectacular disinterest by the other denizens of the small village of Inching Round. And, indeed, the attitude which solicitor Firth Prentice must confront when brought down from London to investigate (quite against his will) by the comely Celia Sim is that, frankly, most people would rather shake the murderer’s hand than see anyone hang for such a public-spirited act.
It’s difficult to sum up my feelings about this book. I think I fell in love with it on the seventh page, following the description of how one gets the train from London to Inching Round, but at the same time I acknowledge that — gigantic on character, very short on plot, virtually absent of detection — it really is not my kind of thing at all. But, oh, that character, extending beyond the nine or so people you spend any meaningful time with to include a picture of the quiddities of the village as a whole:
It would be unfair to say of Inching Round that its residents enjoyed the aftermath of Angela Mason Pewsey. On the other hand, there was a background of excitement to the whole business that made quite a nice change. The tradesmen’s carts took twice the time in making their rounds. People in quite different social strata stopped and spoke to each other just like they do in wartime. Several little boys had fights. No one else would go as far as Ted Mattock and say the village was well rid of the old bitch, because Ted Mattock was an outspoken man whose views always did take him too far. But without a doubt there was a trace of buoyancy in the air.
Oh, yes, this is very much your typical Village Murder, but it’s a most atypical Village Murder Novel — with a victim who is universally despised and an amateur sleuth who does not want to investigate. It is glorious whimsy masquerading as Golden Age detection, but there seems no need to hold this against such a fabulously enjoyable experience. Sure-footed, keenly-observed, hilariously funny at times, enriched with uncommon brutal touches — see the village doctor bitterly resenting being pulled into the inquest on the body because of the number of cases he is forced to neglect elsewhere — and full of a yearning and love of the follies of the human condition that caught me quite off-guard at times.
It’s true that even at the 80% mark you’ve really just watched a group of people reflect on the murder of what one character calls “easily the most hateful woman I’ve ever known” while Scotland Yard detective ‘Long Tom’ Fowler grows increasingly irate at the lack of help he is given by the populace, but it’s a joyous watch and so perfectly written and phrased that I actually found myself reluctant to finish it. I mean, c’mon — it’s full of exchanges like the following between Firth and one of two young boys who peep in and out of the narrative:
“Are you going to find out the murderer?”
“I am not. Sergeant Porter is going to find the murderer.”
“No, he ain’t.”
“Who says so?”
“My dad.”
“And what does your dad know about it?”
Jackie laughed. “He knows Sergeant Porter.”
“I see, so your dad has been mixed up with the police, has he?”
“No, but he should have been if it hadn’t been for Sergeant Porter. He locked up a gypsy instead of my dad.”
And Murray’s talent for heartbreak is deployed beautifully in the refreshingly unmawkish love story between two of the suspects, as well as Long Tom’s interview with the faded war hero and self-pitying alcoholic Bill Everard:
Nobody was to blame for the condition that Everard had got himself into but Everard himself… If things had been different and Everard had died in the war, he would be remembered now as a hero and dashing young sportsman. But he was destined to outlive his welcome. The odds were that it would take him years to kill himself.
The Invisible Event 
This sounds wonderful. The exchange about whether the Policeman would catch the criminal certainly made me chuckle! One to add to my list of books I want to find copies of. Cheers JJ!
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Whenever I come across a gem like this I feel a little bad about writing a rave review and taking the element of surprise away from others. However, I hope I’m clear-yet-vague enough in my praise that some element of the characters or plots or twists or whatever happens can be retained.
The other options would be to stop blogging or to just slam everything, and I don’t think I’m ready for either of those just yet 🙂
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I for one am always glad of the suggestions and the good news is that by the time it hits the top of my TBR pile I likely won’t recall much about it so it’s practically like I am discovering it for myself… 😉
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Thanks for this. I don’t mind a lighter plot one bit as long as the writing is good enough. Strong character work alongside the (rare) ability to draw you into a setting and, even more crucially, enjoy the time spent there requires real talent. I’ve been curious about htis writer for a while now so I’ll look out for him, and this book in particular.
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It’s a testament to just how much I enjoyed the writing that, even as the plot had clearly not advanced for about 30 pages, I was still desperate for the book not to end. I think the last time I was this in love with a setting was possibly Grass by Sheri S. Tepper — though, of course, that’s a book I expect few if any of my usual readers will have encoutnered.
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I’m a big fan of Grass, too, and of Tepper’s work in general (although she did have her ups and downs, especially later on).
As I started reading your account of of The Voice of the Corpse I was thinking that here was a vintage Green Penguin I’d not read, but after a couple of paras I realized that, yes, I had. Like yourself, I found it great fun. Many thanks for the reminder!
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Well, at least you didn’t start reading the book itself before realising you’d read it before — I did that with one author, assuming everything seemed so familiar because it was a sequel I didn’t realise they’d written…only to find the copy I’d previously read on my chelves when I went to see exactly how much overlap there was.
Always lovely to find another Grass fan; I read The Gate to Women’s Country and didn’t get on with it nearly half as well. I should check out some of Tepper’s other stuff, but you now how it is: time, TBR, terrible!
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I’ve got a Murray novel on my shelf – maybe I’ll look at one of those for my Countdown to 1000 Reviews (although I’ve got too many to choose from now…)
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“Welcome, one and all, to my countdown to one thousand…and…eight reviews!”
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Working on “Countdown to 1000” – ten authors who I haven’t read before but possibly should have. Also, just acquired a nice DJ first edition of the Sunshine Corpse for a pittance…
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I read this one a few years ago and, from what I remember, agree with what you had to say about it here. An unusual, but splendidly done, village mystery. The Neat Little Corpse is another one by Murray I really liked, but that one is more of a crime than a detective story.
Anyway, I hope you like Murder on Safari. You’ll certainly have to appreciate the clue-finder at the end of the book.
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I’ll tuck Murray away in the corners of my mind for a rainy day some years hence, as I don’t think I could do too much of this in a year, love it on this occasion though I did. I saw you had a review of one of his on your site, and it’s good to know he scores elsewhere, too. Little more disappointing than a great first novel followed up by a career of dreck…
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Was it date that led me to find this over the weekend just after you had announced that you were reviewing Murray? (I couldn’t remember your title.) Anyway, the back cover blurb was too good to pass up, and I will look forward to it even more now!
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I have a blog, now Brad has a blog.
I read Paul Halter, now Brad reads Paul Halter.
I buy this book, now Brad buys this book.
I’m a drama teacher in America, now Brad’s a drama teacher in America.
I know a blogger called Brad, now Brad knows a blogger called Brad.
I’ve read this comment, now Brad’s read this comment.
These coincidence are getting a little tooooo coincidental, don’t we think? I know Brad certainly thinks that.
Draw your own concluisions…
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I think any drama class you taught JJ would certainly be memorable!
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Oh, any lesson I teach lways has an element of Dramamabout it, Kate 😂
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I should get round to reading The Right Honourable Corpse, which is set in my hometown!
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Apparently I read The King and the Corpse years ago. I seem to have liked the writing and characterization, but thought the plot very light. A French souffle!
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Sounde like Murray found his niche and sat in it, then…!
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Certainly a surprising review – 5 stars despite lack of plot and detection! Not tried this author but will certainly keep an eye out for him.
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I’m as surprised and delighted as the rest of you — were this exact review written by someone else, I’d probably still pass the book over because it’s so completely not my kind of thing. Goes to show the benefits of stepping out of one’s comfort zone every once in a while!
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Thanks for the shoutout, and yes I really enjoyed this one, but couldn’t tell you anything much about the plot or culprit. I have now read three of his books, one of which will be coming up on the blog soon. Great characters and very funny, so not too worried about the lack of great detection…
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I just finished this and initially was attracted to it because the victim was such a wicked and repugnant one reminding me of Octavia Osborne in James Ronald’s Murder in the Family, Mrs Boynton in Christie’s Appointment with Death or Miss Tither in Bellair’s Death of a Busybody. Is there something justifiable when the person murdered was morally bankrupt?
Like you and others in the comments, I enjoyed this completely even though there was neither much detection nor was it fair play. I loved the village setting and the vivid characters particularly Mrs Sim who was wooly one moment and delightfully omniscient the next. She easily stole every scene in which she appeared in the story. That said, I guessed the culprit easily based on the black-hearted victim.
Highly recommended, quick, enjoyable read.
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I’m delighted you enjoyed this so much; I had no idea what I was getting when I started it, and it was a complete delight from beginning to end.
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