What do you think?
Rate this book
Wycliffe #13
Wycliffe and the Quiet Virgin
Wycliffe investigates the disappearance of a young girl - and becomes involved in a major criminal investigation . . .
Chief Superintendent Wycliffe doubted whether he would enjoy his Christmas. With his wife away, he rashly accepted an invitation to stay with a Penzance lawyer and his family, but when he arrives the weather is awful, the house miles from anywhere, and the family less than welcoming.
Then a young girl goes missing. Wycliffe had seen her playing the part of the Virgin in the local nativity play, but when he asks around he discovers the girl was difficult and unpopular in the neighbourhood. Even her parents seem indifferent to their daughter's disappearance. So Wycliffe instigates a search - and soon finds himself caught up in a major criminal investigation . . .
Chief Superintendent Wycliffe doubted whether he would enjoy his Christmas. With his wife away, he rashly accepted an invitation to stay with a Penzance lawyer and his family, but when he arrives the weather is awful, the house miles from anywhere, and the family less than welcoming.
Then a young girl goes missing. Wycliffe had seen her playing the part of the Virgin in the local nativity play, but when he asks around he discovers the girl was difficult and unpopular in the neighbourhood. Even her parents seem indifferent to their daughter's disappearance. So Wycliffe instigates a search - and soon finds himself caught up in a major criminal investigation . . .
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 10, 1986
15 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
W.J. Burley
44 books25 followersBurley was born in Falmouth, Cornwall. Before he began writing, he was employed in senior management with various gas companies, before giving it up after the Second World War when he obtained a scholarship to study zoology at Balliol College, Oxford. After obtaining an honours degree he became a teacher. Appointed head of biology, first at Richmond & East Sheen County Grammar School in 1953, then at Newquay Grammar School in 1955, he was well established as a writer by the time he retired at the age of 60 in 1974. He died at his home in Holywell, Cornwall, on 15 August 2002.
John Burley had his first novel published when he was in his early fifties. His second published novel, two years later, saw the appearance of Superintendent Charles Wycliffe.
Over the next 25 years Burley produced another seventeen Wycliffe books and five other books.
Then, late in 1993, one of Burley's Wycliffe stories appeared on television in a pilot starring Jack Shepherd.
The pilot was followed by 37 episodes broadcast over a five year period.
By 1995 the author was, for the first time in his life, financially comfortable. He was over eighty.
But the success of the television series meant that John Burley found himself overshadowed by his creations. To the public, the name Wycliffe brought to mind the unsmiling face of Jack Shepherd, the actor. Even in the bookshops it was Shepherd's face that dominated the covers of Burley's paperbacks.
John Burley, however, continued to write and produced a further four Wycliffe titles. He was working on his 23rd Wycliffe novel, Wycliffe's Last Lap, when he died in 2002.
Recently a wish to restore the balance has emerged from amongst his readers. There is a feeling that we are neglecting a writer of quality, one who deserves to stand beside Simenon, the creator of Inspector Maigret.
Reading through John Burley's books in publication sequence, one notices how the author's voice gets stronger and his views more certain. And how his writing skills grow until, in the later books, a few words are all that it takes to pin down an image. These are the signs of a writer confident in his craft.
John Burley had his first novel published when he was in his early fifties. His second published novel, two years later, saw the appearance of Superintendent Charles Wycliffe.
Over the next 25 years Burley produced another seventeen Wycliffe books and five other books.
Then, late in 1993, one of Burley's Wycliffe stories appeared on television in a pilot starring Jack Shepherd.
The pilot was followed by 37 episodes broadcast over a five year period.
By 1995 the author was, for the first time in his life, financially comfortable. He was over eighty.
But the success of the television series meant that John Burley found himself overshadowed by his creations. To the public, the name Wycliffe brought to mind the unsmiling face of Jack Shepherd, the actor. Even in the bookshops it was Shepherd's face that dominated the covers of Burley's paperbacks.
John Burley, however, continued to write and produced a further four Wycliffe titles. He was working on his 23rd Wycliffe novel, Wycliffe's Last Lap, when he died in 2002.
Recently a wish to restore the balance has emerged from amongst his readers. There is a feeling that we are neglecting a writer of quality, one who deserves to stand beside Simenon, the creator of Inspector Maigret.
Reading through John Burley's books in publication sequence, one notices how the author's voice gets stronger and his views more certain. And how his writing skills grow until, in the later books, a few words are all that it takes to pin down an image. These are the signs of a writer confident in his craft.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 19, 2016
Superintendent Charles Wycliffe is spending Christmas with the family of a lawyer friend when one of the local teenage girls goes missing. As a favour, Wycliffe begins to look into the matter, but within days the teenager’s mother is found shot to death, and that is only the beginning of the mysteries piling up…. "Wycliffe and the Quiet Virgin," by W. J. Burley, is the 13th novel in this long-running series, published in 1986. As ever, the Cornish setting plays a central role, in this case particularly the dramatic and changeable weather, and Wycliffe continues to be a thoughtful and interesting character. But I found some of the attitudes toward female characters to be quite odd in terms of the fact that the novel is set in the mid-1980s; for example, in the mid-1950s it might be reasonable for people to assume that an unmarried 35-year-old woman would probably be a virgin, but that certainly would not be the reasonable assumption to make in the 1980s! There’s a bit of that sort of cognitive dissonance going on throughout this novel; nevertheless, the story and style of writing are still enough for me to make a mild recommendation.
February 10, 2023
Unlucky for some, the 13th Wycliffe novel and, to my mind, the weakest. Of 1986 vintage, Burley had been publishing his detective novels for 18 years, so he was far from being a novice.
It was a difficult book to get into - I found the first couple of chapters tedious. Wycliffe goes to spend Christmas with a rather privileged family, not actually landed gentry, but landowners, with a history of mixing with both the Bloomsbury set and Lady Astor's Cliveden crew. They currently boast a rising-star MP in their number ... and he's clearly not a socialist: I point this out because Burley had represented Wycliffe in earlier books as a Fabian socialist, but he's beginning to betray rather conservative sympathies now, is becoming decidely middle class. Hardly a necessary change in Wycliffe's characterisation - radicalising the character might have offered more mileage. No, I think this is the author's politics and perception of status changing.
At his best in the earlier novels Burley echoed Simenon - there's compassion for those caught up in crime, even the violent criminal, but Burley is now tending to moralise, to distance himself, getting quite self-righteous in places. Some ... several of the characters in this tale are quite bland, stereotypical. The plot gets a bit contrived and convenient. And the ending? Well, you can see it coming ... like the approach of a helicopter.
It was a difficult book to get into - I found the first couple of chapters tedious. Wycliffe goes to spend Christmas with a rather privileged family, not actually landed gentry, but landowners, with a history of mixing with both the Bloomsbury set and Lady Astor's Cliveden crew. They currently boast a rising-star MP in their number ... and he's clearly not a socialist: I point this out because Burley had represented Wycliffe in earlier books as a Fabian socialist, but he's beginning to betray rather conservative sympathies now, is becoming decidely middle class. Hardly a necessary change in Wycliffe's characterisation - radicalising the character might have offered more mileage. No, I think this is the author's politics and perception of status changing.
At his best in the earlier novels Burley echoed Simenon - there's compassion for those caught up in crime, even the violent criminal, but Burley is now tending to moralise, to distance himself, getting quite self-righteous in places. Some ... several of the characters in this tale are quite bland, stereotypical. The plot gets a bit contrived and convenient. And the ending? Well, you can see it coming ... like the approach of a helicopter.
August 13, 2023
Superb
There is nothing to dislike about this great read. It runs along at a great pace, the story is easy to follow and the ending...well, I didn't see it coming! Beautiful characters, especially the Quiet Virgin herself. Recommend reading at Christmas to get into the spirit of the thing.
There is nothing to dislike about this great read. It runs along at a great pace, the story is easy to follow and the ending...well, I didn't see it coming! Beautiful characters, especially the Quiet Virgin herself. Recommend reading at Christmas to get into the spirit of the thing.
December 10, 2023
Sedate, quiet, tranquil British murder mystery - no crazed, maniacal killer; no harrowing suspenseful climax; no intriguing puzzling plot twists; and Wycliffe is no Sherlock Holmes, he seems like a regular cop doing his job with lots of help from his assistants. Takes place during Christmas with minimal atmosphere and flavor of the holiday season.
July 28, 2023
Good old style mystery, but neither too gripping nor suspenseful. What was hard to believe is that a small set of characters in the same neighbourhood are connected in more than one ways. Also a God fearing woman like Jane Lemarque having flings is totally out of character.
March 31, 2018
Delightful writing that is a pleasure as I read along. The plot twists were original and surprising till the end.
May 4, 2018
As always an oldie but a goodie.
September 18, 2020
The first one \i've read of this series and I found it a real page turner
June 10, 2021
a fairly enjoyable read i did predict who the killer was
July 7, 2022
the first of this series I read and it appears to be a standalone. I think it rates a 3.5
March 23, 2023
Mystery set in Cornwall during Christmas. Wycliffe is visiting a lawyer who collects flies when a teenage girl goes missing and her parents are killed.
December 12, 2014
I have never had the (mis)fortune of reading a case history typed by a police typist or a court typist to be stored in the cold room purely for the purpose of record keeping. But reading the novel Wycliffe and the Quiet Virgin, I had the distinct feeling as to how I might feel while reading such a report. Just like an official report which would definitely be boring filled with mundane language and scenes not painted to create thrill or excitement in the reader, this instalment of Wycliffe mysteries written by W.J. Burley is just the same. This is a book which fails to create any kind of excitement or sense of thrill in the reader. What it definitely creates, are situations where the reader feels almost compelled to set aside the book and mark it as ���unfinished���.
But what stopped me from putting down the book was the fact; despite its flaws of being slow with mundane dialogues and very ordinary characters is the plot. The plot, just like some real life crime, is a wonderful whodunit. Wycliffe while vacationing with a lawyer friend of his watches a local play where a young girl playing the lead catches his eye. The girl, Francine, having the local reputation of being a difficult child disappears the next day as her mother is found murdered with her father missing. Wycliffe being the senior police in the locality takes up the case only to find that the current crime is related to something that happened five years back.
Yes, the culprit, the victim, the side characters including Wycliffe all come out as un-exotic characters who fails to incite any kind of love, sympathy or hatred towards them. Yet when put in the plot they fit in their roles perfectly, just like a real life criminal and a victim would fit. We would ohh and aah on them while reading them as news in the newspaper, but would forget them, their crimes and everything related to them the moment a new crime comes along. Just as I would definitely forget Wycliffe, the crime, the criminal as soon as I pick up the next book.
I always stress that the plot is more important than characters. But, if it happens that the dialogues, the scenes, the characters; other than the plot every other aspect for a crime novel turns out to be taken out of a police report then that book becomes something that I would definitely not recommend to any reader. If you are a dedicated crime reader then go for it, or else there are better works of crime fiction lying around.
But what stopped me from putting down the book was the fact; despite its flaws of being slow with mundane dialogues and very ordinary characters is the plot. The plot, just like some real life crime, is a wonderful whodunit. Wycliffe while vacationing with a lawyer friend of his watches a local play where a young girl playing the lead catches his eye. The girl, Francine, having the local reputation of being a difficult child disappears the next day as her mother is found murdered with her father missing. Wycliffe being the senior police in the locality takes up the case only to find that the current crime is related to something that happened five years back.
Yes, the culprit, the victim, the side characters including Wycliffe all come out as un-exotic characters who fails to incite any kind of love, sympathy or hatred towards them. Yet when put in the plot they fit in their roles perfectly, just like a real life criminal and a victim would fit. We would ohh and aah on them while reading them as news in the newspaper, but would forget them, their crimes and everything related to them the moment a new crime comes along. Just as I would definitely forget Wycliffe, the crime, the criminal as soon as I pick up the next book.
I always stress that the plot is more important than characters. But, if it happens that the dialogues, the scenes, the characters; other than the plot every other aspect for a crime novel turns out to be taken out of a police report then that book becomes something that I would definitely not recommend to any reader. If you are a dedicated crime reader then go for it, or else there are better works of crime fiction lying around.
August 18, 2011
A Wycliffe book is very much in the spirit of Agatha Christie, just slightly down the social scale. Where Christie sets her murders in the country house mansions of the upper classes, Wycliffe deals with the well-to-do upper middles. Still a biggish house, a servant or two and afternoon tea, but everyone has a (respectable) job. So when one of the characters in this book is just released from 3 years in jail, it's not GBH or a bank robbery, but the very middle-class crime of business fraud.
This is one of the better Wycliffes, still formulaic, but nicely done. The author has a way of sketching in the salient features of a character in just a few words, in an economical but very effective way. This makes the inevitable large cast quite easy to get to grips with, and the story easy to follow.
I have to say that the twists and the big reveal of the murderer weren't particularly astonishing. Nevertheless, the ride was enjoyable. This is a good 3 stars.
This is one of the better Wycliffes, still formulaic, but nicely done. The author has a way of sketching in the salient features of a character in just a few words, in an economical but very effective way. This makes the inevitable large cast quite easy to get to grips with, and the story easy to follow.
I have to say that the twists and the big reveal of the murderer weren't particularly astonishing. Nevertheless, the ride was enjoyable. This is a good 3 stars.
March 5, 2011
Wycliffe stays with friends for Christmas as his wife isaway visiting family in Kenya. Then a young girl who played the part of the virgin in the local nativity play goes missing. What was a simple missing persons case turns into a major criminal investigation with many twists and turns before the truth comes out.
October 12, 2016
Despite their manifest short-comings as works of literature and culture, Wycliffe novels are darned good page turners. He can plot a story and I like a well-plotted detective story. I also like old Wycliffe; faults and all. (Can't help thinking that many of the faults can be blamed on his 'Watson'.)
July 7, 2011
three and a half stars, actually
April 25, 2012
transferring reading records from spreadsheet
May 7, 2016
I enjoyed this mystery mainly for its setting. We stayed at nearby Gunnards Head last summer and visited Cysauster Ancient Village.
August 14, 2016
3.5 stars
Read
March 7, 2016Reg Hill is always a good read
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews