Harry Riley’s Book Review’s  

‘The Unexpected Death of Father Wilfred’

 By Julius Falconer

Published in UK by Pneuma Springs

Scenic Worcestershire seems to have more than its fair share of evildoers and wicked murderers. In this gripping and baffling case for Police Inspector Stan Wickfield, the author pits him against a highly cunning adversary. It concerns the death of a Roman Catholic Priest, just as the church itself is undergoing a disquieting period of change. A lot of preconceived religious dogma is being challenged by a wave of new thinking and the detective uncovers several suspects in his quest for the truth of this sudden death: was it murder or suicide? With Sergeant Spooner assisting him, Wickfield methodically works his way through the lives and possible motives of the suspects, giving the reader a glimpse of the unglamorous daily routine of C.I.D. work. The team do their level best to break the case, yet always come up against seemingly solid and impenetrable alibis. As Wickfield states in conversation with his sergeant: So many imponderables, so many suspects-or none at all! What are we to make of it?

It is only as he sets himself a time-limit to succeed or resign his post in abject failure that he stumbles on the truth, inadvertently guided, as always by conversation with his wife Beth.

Consistently entertaining, Julius Falconer gives us yet another fascinating read. Wonderful value!