I am indebted to The Times for recently choosing to review Every Trick in the Book, the most recent book by Bernard O’Keeffe. I hadn’t been aware of him until then, but their enticing review encouraged me to try him out, leading me to read his first novel, which introduces Detective Inspector Garibaldi, who lives and works in Barnes, situated in west London on the south bank of the Thames. This novel is Inspector Garibaldi’s second outing, and easily lived up to the promise of the first.
It opens with the discovery of the body of Giles Gallen, a young local man who had been working as a private tutor for several wealthy households in the area. We soon learn that in affluent Barnes, the use of a private tutor to enhances children’s learning is commonplace – indeed, almost de rigeur in some of the more exalted circles. Giles had been highly rated for his skills as a tutor, and his services were hired out by Forum, an ambitious local agency.
One of Giles’s clients is a wealthy Italian family who are currently residing in an opulent Barnes mansion. During the summer they had returned home for several weeks, taking Giles with them for a long and luxurious break. Everyone is astounded when Giles is killed. The mystery deepens when one of his friends, who had also worked for Forum, is attacked in the street, and urged to keep their mouth shut, although they are not told what should be kept secret.
I found Inspector Garibaldi an empathetic character. He is an avid reader and an auto-didact, and has developed a tendency towards pedantry which is often manifested by an urge, which he battles against, to correct his colleagues’ grammar or errant literary allusions. I have worked with several people like that, and found him highly plausible. He also works well with Gardner, his Detective Sergeant, who is less well informed on cultural issues, and who consequently has some comic misunderstandings of Garibaldi’s comments.
Garibaldi has a fair amount of baggage arising from domestic woes, and worries that his son is being unduly influenced by his ex-wife’s wealthy new partner. There have also been references throughout this book and its predecessor to an apparent breakdown a few years ago, although no further information has been forthcoming to date.
The plot is well-constructed, and I particularly enjoyed reading about the setting. I have been to Barnes a few times, and always enjoyed my time there, and am looking forwards to exploring it further, and checking out some of the landmarks mentioned in the books.