Thursday, September 24, 2009
A family get together in rural Ramelton, County Donegal. The Sweeney family members accompanied by their spouses and girlfriends are there for the occasion. All apparently is joyous and airy. A pleasant few days is anticipated. The impending celebrations are disrupted however when the family are told that the one member, Joe , who remained on the family farm, is found dead.The news is broken to the family by mild mannered local detective Inspector Starrett. Starrett is an unusual fictional detective. He is single, well liked in his community, has no enemies, has no secrets and is in no way angst ridden. As well as being a sharp dresser, Inspector Starrett is known to partake of a pint of Guinness. In short he is a popular local policeman going about his business in rural Ireland.
As the investigation unfolds we are introduced to the family members, their rivalries, bitter disputes, the grudges they've born down the years against each other. We learn that the majority of the family want to sell the farm to developers. However the siblings are far from singing in one voice in regards to this. The head of the family Liam Sweeney was set to hand the farm over to his son Joe. The dispute over the future of the family farm and the enmity which ensues will appeal to the Irish psyche. Readers will recall The Bull McCabe of The Field.
Like any good crime novel as the crime is under investigation we are brought on a journey thought the investigator's life. We learn that Starrett once upon a time harboured ambitions to be a priest. In pursuit of this he ended a relationship with the women he loved. The woman now widowed had recently re-entered Starrett's life. The woman in question is less than enthusiastic; she has three children and memories of their relationship. Starrett himself is pursued by the local amorous hospital pathologist.
Initially Paul Charles goes into great detail describing family members, their appearances, shoes, shirts etc and some readers may find this off-putting. However they should plough through this early section of the book before the Inspector Starrett investigation goes into full swing.
Family Life by Paul Charles is the second in the Inspector Starrett detective series.
Labels: Family Lifeby Paul Charles a review
Comments:
Post a Comment
