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Wycliffe #7
Wycliffe and the Schoolgirls
1st edition Corgi 1987 paperback, vg In stock shipped from our UK warehouse
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
About the author
W.J. Burley
45 books24 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.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 16, 2024
The Wycliffe mystery series is one of my favorites, well, there are so many, actually. But it's a good 'un. It's one of those examples of the great British police procedurals, like Frost or Morse or Gideon, that are easy and satisfying to read. Wycliffe and the Schoolgirls by W.J. Burley is the 7th in the series of this Cornish police inspector.
It starts in the past, back maybe ten years when a group of school girls from various local schools join up for a three week trip to the countryside. They will be staying with one teacher, Miss Russell and living in an old mansion. We are introduced to four of the girls, Elaine, Jane, Sheila and Rosaline. The three other girls take it upon themselves to bully poor Jane who is a sheltered girl, away from her protective parents for probably the first time. An unfortunate incident leads to Jane being sent home ignominiously early from the trip.
The story moves to the present where a young woman, Debbie Joyce, a cabaret singer, is strangled in her apartment. This brings Chief Superintendent and his team are brought into the case. And this begins a fascinating case, with a mix of intuitive leaps and good old plodding police work, that all leads to a satisfying conclusion.
The fact that right from the beginning you know vaguely why the killings might be taking place, doesn't really matter. It's the How and Why. It's the putting the pieces together, how Wycliffe and his team gathers their clues and information. It's the interactions with the killer, the other potential suspects. It all makes for a fascinating read. Wycliffe is an excellent character, how as he gets deeper into his case his interactions with family and his team changes slightly. It's just a good, solid story, easy to read and one that draws you in completely. (4.0 stars)
It starts in the past, back maybe ten years when a group of school girls from various local schools join up for a three week trip to the countryside. They will be staying with one teacher, Miss Russell and living in an old mansion. We are introduced to four of the girls, Elaine, Jane, Sheila and Rosaline. The three other girls take it upon themselves to bully poor Jane who is a sheltered girl, away from her protective parents for probably the first time. An unfortunate incident leads to Jane being sent home ignominiously early from the trip.
The story moves to the present where a young woman, Debbie Joyce, a cabaret singer, is strangled in her apartment. This brings Chief Superintendent and his team are brought into the case. And this begins a fascinating case, with a mix of intuitive leaps and good old plodding police work, that all leads to a satisfying conclusion.
The fact that right from the beginning you know vaguely why the killings might be taking place, doesn't really matter. It's the How and Why. It's the putting the pieces together, how Wycliffe and his team gathers their clues and information. It's the interactions with the killer, the other potential suspects. It all makes for a fascinating read. Wycliffe is an excellent character, how as he gets deeper into his case his interactions with family and his team changes slightly. It's just a good, solid story, easy to read and one that draws you in completely. (4.0 stars)
October 19, 2008
Continuing the mysteries of W. J. Burley...this one is quite a bit different since we know pretty early who the killer is and we are meant to. We can guess the motive, but the details are still fuzzy. We have to follow Wycliffe as he sorts out the problems and slowly comes round to the solution. One of the better ones so far.
May 29, 2016
Slow, predictable easy on the brain. Interedting to reflect on the adage old sins cast long shadows. Wycliffe is altogether a more straightforward character than his more tortured brethern Serralier, Resnick, Linley et al and the tale is somewhat lessened by that
April 13, 2009
Not one of Burley's best. No mystery, really. This one was pure police procedural.
March 19, 2012
This was a bit dated & bit obvious ..... but perfectly good read.
August 5, 2017
Enjoyable crime drama, but no great brain power required to work out what is going on. Good reading for commuting or holidays
March 1, 2024
Quite basic but still enjoyable. I loved the TV series, so it was good to check on how Wycliffe’s character was written.
February 25, 2022
Giallo diverso dai soliti di Burley. Già dall’inizio si capisce quale sarà il movente e a metà libro è svelato anche anche il nome dell’assassino e…ammetto che funziona! La lettura è intrigante e l’approfondimento psicologico è veramente notevole anche se forse un po’ ingenuo. Wycliffe è un tantino reazionario in pensieri e metodologie ma siamo negli anni 70, il progresso è invadente!!
August 31, 2019
Loved the book. Gentle read, complex characters and a good plot.
July 22, 2021
a good read
January 10, 2026
Plot was predictable but it was a passtime.
January 12, 2026
Just Awesome.
May 3, 2026
Entertaining little book, but of its time.
April 14, 2016
In "Wycliffe and the School Bullies," by W.J. Burley, we meet Jane, a young girl who participates in a summer camp for girls from various schools in her area. There, her sheltered life and keenness to do the “right” thing cause her to be the target of bullies, who themselves are protected by the female teacher in charge of the summer camp. Fast forward nine years, and an unknown stalker is strangling young women in the area, killing two and leaving another injured and apparently left alive because the murderer had chosen the “wrong” victim. Can Detective Superintendent Wycliffe find a link between the women to help explain how they came to be so targeted, and will be he able to do so before the next victim is found?.... In this novel the reader knows who the killer is from very early on, but it takes time to figure out the person’s motivation and methods. This was written in the mid-1970s, and contains a certain amount of inherent sexism in the depiction of women always as “girls,” etc., but it’s actually quite a bit less sexist than some of the earlier novels in the series. As always, I enjoy Wycliffe’s thinking process and deliberative nature, although there was a bit less of the flavour of Cornwall in this particular outing; nevertheless, recommended!
December 17, 2014
This is a really nice book in the Wycliffe series – one of the best that I’ve read so far. Even though the killer is known early on, the reader actually sympathises with him and feels that the killings are justified. I was actually disappointed that he couldn’t finish off the last one.
Wonder if the book would have been more interesting if Burley had disclosed the background incident towards the end, rather than beginning with it.
Wonder if the book would have been more interesting if Burley had disclosed the background incident towards the end, rather than beginning with it.
November 3, 2014
Enjoyable but fairly light mystery thriller. A teenage girl school trip turns into a bullying incident with repercussions years later. Simple for mr wycliffe to solve and no real tension in the tale but good none the less.
August 10, 2013
An almost perfect holiday read. So much development of character and storytelling since the previous ones I read. Seems to me that Colin Dexter and Susan Hill (to name two) have quite a debt to pay. Things they did later - and got credit for - are worked in beautifully here.
July 7, 2011
Not one of my favorite Wycliffe novels (and I'm usually a fan). Nasty little story. I feel for the murderer...but a sordid business all the way round.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews