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Patrick Grant #5
Cast for Death
Sam Irwin, actor, is found dead in the River Thames. It appears to be suicide. But why should he have taken his own life shortly before opening in a new play at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon? Dr. Patrick Grant, a friend of Irwin, manages to link the seemingly unconnected occurrences of the death of a dog, a further suicide, and a series of art robberies in coming to an conclusion. That, however, is not what is seems, being only the prelude to a massive deception. Grant himself is threatened, and unless he can escape unscathed from a concert at the Festival Hall, the secret of Irwin's death will die with him.
- GenresMystery
184 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
About the author
Margaret Yorke
87 books55 followersMargaret Yorke was an English crime fiction writer, real name Margaret Beda Nicholson (née Larminie).
Margaret Yorke was awarded the 1999 CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger.
Born in Surrey, England, to John and Alison Larminie in 1924, Margaret Yorke (Margaret Beda Nicholson) grew up in Dublin before moving back to England in 1937, where the family settled in Hampshire, although she later lived in a small village in Buckinghamshire.
During World War II she saw service in the Women’s Royal Naval Service as a driver. In 1945, she married, but it was only to last some ten years, although there were two children; a son and daughter. Her childhood interest in literature was re-enforced by five years living close to Stratford-upon-Avon and she also worked variously as a bookseller and as a librarian in two Oxford Colleges, being the first woman ever to work in that of Christ Church.
She was widely travelled and has a particular interest in both Greece and Russia.
Her first novel was published in 1957, but it was not until 1970 that she turned her hand to crime writing. There followed a series of five novels featuring Dr. Patrick Grant, an Oxford Don and amateur sleuth, who shares her own love of Shakespeare. More crime and mystery was to follow, and she wrote some forty three books in all, but the Grant novels were limited to five as, in her own words, ‘authors using a series detective are trapped by their series. It stops some of them from expanding as writers’.
She was proud of the fact that many of her novels were essentially about ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary situations which may threatening, or simply horrific. It is this facet of her writing that ensures a loyal following amongst readers, who inevitably identify with some of the characters and recognise conflicts that may occur in everyday life. Indeed, Yorke stated that characters were far more important to her than intricate plots and that when writing ‘I don’t manipulate the characters, they manipulate me’.
Critics have noted that she has a ‘marvellous use of language’ and she has frequently been cited as an equal to P.D. James and Ruth Rendell. She was a past chairman of the Crime Writers' Association and in 1999 was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger, having already been honoured with the Martin Beck Award from the Swedish Academy of Detection.
Margaret Yorke died in 2012.
Margaret Yorke was awarded the 1999 CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger.
Born in Surrey, England, to John and Alison Larminie in 1924, Margaret Yorke (Margaret Beda Nicholson) grew up in Dublin before moving back to England in 1937, where the family settled in Hampshire, although she later lived in a small village in Buckinghamshire.
During World War II she saw service in the Women’s Royal Naval Service as a driver. In 1945, she married, but it was only to last some ten years, although there were two children; a son and daughter. Her childhood interest in literature was re-enforced by five years living close to Stratford-upon-Avon and she also worked variously as a bookseller and as a librarian in two Oxford Colleges, being the first woman ever to work in that of Christ Church.
She was widely travelled and has a particular interest in both Greece and Russia.
Her first novel was published in 1957, but it was not until 1970 that she turned her hand to crime writing. There followed a series of five novels featuring Dr. Patrick Grant, an Oxford Don and amateur sleuth, who shares her own love of Shakespeare. More crime and mystery was to follow, and she wrote some forty three books in all, but the Grant novels were limited to five as, in her own words, ‘authors using a series detective are trapped by their series. It stops some of them from expanding as writers’.
She was proud of the fact that many of her novels were essentially about ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary situations which may threatening, or simply horrific. It is this facet of her writing that ensures a loyal following amongst readers, who inevitably identify with some of the characters and recognise conflicts that may occur in everyday life. Indeed, Yorke stated that characters were far more important to her than intricate plots and that when writing ‘I don’t manipulate the characters, they manipulate me’.
Critics have noted that she has a ‘marvellous use of language’ and she has frequently been cited as an equal to P.D. James and Ruth Rendell. She was a past chairman of the Crime Writers' Association and in 1999 was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger, having already been honoured with the Martin Beck Award from the Swedish Academy of Detection.
Margaret Yorke died in 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 20, 2020
This is the first book by Margaret Yorke that I have read that I have not enjoyed. The ending of the story did not really make sense to me. really disappointing.
September 29, 2020
A Shakespearean spy thriller?
I think this is the weakest of Yorke's five books featuring Oxford professor and amateur detective Dr. Patrick Grant. It's got some very good parts, but I got lost a couple of times. Maybe it's just me.
It's the last in the series and I'm tempted to wonder if the author realized that she was running out of good material, but I don't think so. When Margaret Yorke died, many of her friends wrote eloquently about her intelligence, charm, and wit. She was the quintessential English gentlewomen - reserved and refined, but warm-hearted and loving to her friends and family. However, she was a strong-minded woman and spoke scathingly of writers who crank out series books, with each one weaker than the last. Yorke believed in expanding herself as a writer, so she was willing to accept the disappointment of her fans when she discontinued this short series.
I think she intended for this to be the last in the series because she pulls together a lot of people who've been important in Patrick Grant's life. It's as if she's summing things up and giving us a chance to say good-bye. Of course, Grant visits his sister Jane - happily married with a small son and daughter. She's fond of her brother, but not very impressed with his hobby of detecting. She thinks he'd be better off spending his time working on his own rather sterile personal life. She's probably right, but then there'd be no detective novels.
Actor Sam Irwin met Grant when they were both snow-bound at a ski resort and (of course) involved in a murder. Irwin is a likable man in an off-beat way. He's a talented actor who specializes in Shakespearean roles and is much admired by his peers, but his career has never been very successful. Odd, since England is proud of The Bard and his plays are put on regularly, both for natives and tourists. Grant's become fond of him, but when their paths cross in this book, it's in a sad, shocking way.
Liz Morris is a girlfriend from Grant's college days and they've kept in touch without rekindling their romance. But now the bachelor professor seems to be reassessing his life and wondering if he's missing out. When it looks like he might lose Liz to another man, he begins to understand what Othello was in such a lather about. Jealousy isn't fun.
Inspector Manolakis from Crete has worked with Grant on several murder cases. Now he's in London and eager for his friend to show him the sights. Shakespeare's plays are hard to follow for a man whose English isn't perfect, but he understands the emotions. He's seen them all.
There's a suspicious death, of course. The police are willing to call it an accident, but Dr. Grant isn't satisfied. He keeps nosing around and discovers that a friend of the first victim is dead, also. That one is supposedly a suicide, but it doesn't pass the smell test for Grant. He follows the trail to a niece of the second victim and is happy to make the acquaintance of a pretty, charming young woman who's inherited Pear Tree Cottage in Stratford-on-Avon. There's another mystery there. How could a woman with such superb taste in architecture collect such terrible paintings? And why are they so HEAVY?
As he always does, Grant keeps following the dead bodies and they really pile up in this book. Most suspiciously, his friend Detective Inspector Colin Smithers of Scotland Yard can't help him. He's been warned by a government agency that out-ranks the London Metropolitan Police. Spies at play; hands off!
I'm not really a Shakespeare fan and I turn a cold shoulder to Cold War spy thrillers. I don't find the explanation terribly believable, but what do I know? There are some good parts and we're left wondering pleasantly what direction Our Hero's life will take from here. If you're really curious, read the last story in Yorke's short story collection "Pieces of Justice." It will bring you up to date.
The books in this series are good reading, even this one, but I think Yorke was wise to go back to her darker psychological thrillers. That genre gave this shrewd, experienced woman greater scope to develop her ideas about human nature and its many strange quirks. She was a talented writer and she had something to say. NOT a common combination, which is why I'm enjoying rereading her books in Kindle editions.
I think this is the weakest of Yorke's five books featuring Oxford professor and amateur detective Dr. Patrick Grant. It's got some very good parts, but I got lost a couple of times. Maybe it's just me.
It's the last in the series and I'm tempted to wonder if the author realized that she was running out of good material, but I don't think so. When Margaret Yorke died, many of her friends wrote eloquently about her intelligence, charm, and wit. She was the quintessential English gentlewomen - reserved and refined, but warm-hearted and loving to her friends and family. However, she was a strong-minded woman and spoke scathingly of writers who crank out series books, with each one weaker than the last. Yorke believed in expanding herself as a writer, so she was willing to accept the disappointment of her fans when she discontinued this short series.
I think she intended for this to be the last in the series because she pulls together a lot of people who've been important in Patrick Grant's life. It's as if she's summing things up and giving us a chance to say good-bye. Of course, Grant visits his sister Jane - happily married with a small son and daughter. She's fond of her brother, but not very impressed with his hobby of detecting. She thinks he'd be better off spending his time working on his own rather sterile personal life. She's probably right, but then there'd be no detective novels.
Actor Sam Irwin met Grant when they were both snow-bound at a ski resort and (of course) involved in a murder. Irwin is a likable man in an off-beat way. He's a talented actor who specializes in Shakespearean roles and is much admired by his peers, but his career has never been very successful. Odd, since England is proud of The Bard and his plays are put on regularly, both for natives and tourists. Grant's become fond of him, but when their paths cross in this book, it's in a sad, shocking way.
Liz Morris is a girlfriend from Grant's college days and they've kept in touch without rekindling their romance. But now the bachelor professor seems to be reassessing his life and wondering if he's missing out. When it looks like he might lose Liz to another man, he begins to understand what Othello was in such a lather about. Jealousy isn't fun.
Inspector Manolakis from Crete has worked with Grant on several murder cases. Now he's in London and eager for his friend to show him the sights. Shakespeare's plays are hard to follow for a man whose English isn't perfect, but he understands the emotions. He's seen them all.
There's a suspicious death, of course. The police are willing to call it an accident, but Dr. Grant isn't satisfied. He keeps nosing around and discovers that a friend of the first victim is dead, also. That one is supposedly a suicide, but it doesn't pass the smell test for Grant. He follows the trail to a niece of the second victim and is happy to make the acquaintance of a pretty, charming young woman who's inherited Pear Tree Cottage in Stratford-on-Avon. There's another mystery there. How could a woman with such superb taste in architecture collect such terrible paintings? And why are they so HEAVY?
As he always does, Grant keeps following the dead bodies and they really pile up in this book. Most suspiciously, his friend Detective Inspector Colin Smithers of Scotland Yard can't help him. He's been warned by a government agency that out-ranks the London Metropolitan Police. Spies at play; hands off!
I'm not really a Shakespeare fan and I turn a cold shoulder to Cold War spy thrillers. I don't find the explanation terribly believable, but what do I know? There are some good parts and we're left wondering pleasantly what direction Our Hero's life will take from here. If you're really curious, read the last story in Yorke's short story collection "Pieces of Justice." It will bring you up to date.
The books in this series are good reading, even this one, but I think Yorke was wise to go back to her darker psychological thrillers. That genre gave this shrewd, experienced woman greater scope to develop her ideas about human nature and its many strange quirks. She was a talented writer and she had something to say. NOT a common combination, which is why I'm enjoying rereading her books in Kindle editions.
February 11, 2026
This was quite slow for the first half, and was also a bit hard to follow, being very convoluted. I didn't enjoy it as much as others by this author.
January 21, 2026
This is the last of the five books by Margaret Yorke featuring Prof Patrick Grant as the amateur sleuth. I read Mrs Yorks as a teenager in the 80s and it was wonderful to return to some of her books.
The series is enjoyable if you like books that evoke times gone by because even though I think they were written in the 70s they feel very much from the golden age of crime writing. There’s mention of a computer in one book and that really jarred as I’d forgotten we weren’t in the 30s or 40s.
So would I recommend the books? Yes. They won’t set your reading life alight but if you want some gentle books to sit reading by the fire on a rainy day, they’re perfect. Thats exactly what I did myself and it was wonderful.
The series is enjoyable if you like books that evoke times gone by because even though I think they were written in the 70s they feel very much from the golden age of crime writing. There’s mention of a computer in one book and that really jarred as I’d forgotten we weren’t in the 30s or 40s.
So would I recommend the books? Yes. They won’t set your reading life alight but if you want some gentle books to sit reading by the fire on a rainy day, they’re perfect. Thats exactly what I did myself and it was wonderful.
January 6, 2013
Although most of British author Margaret Yorke's novels were standalone works of suspense, in 1970 she created her one serial protagonist, Oxford English literature don and amateur sleuth Dr. Patrick Grant, who appeared in five total novels including "Silent Witness" (1972), "Grave Matters" (1973), "Mortal Remains" (1974) and "Cast for Death" (1975). Yorke chose the fictional St. Mark's College as Grant's employer and often called on her own job as a college librarian for setting and character details.
Yorke's novel "Cast for Death" is the final installment featuring the handsome, absent-minded professor Grant, who has a habit of quoting Shakespeare. In fact, Yorke herself once admitted she was "nutty about Shakespeare and mad about "Macbeth." The plot centers on the death of actor Sam Irwin, whose body is discovered in the River Thames, an apparent suicide. Grant, who is a friend of Irwin, doesn't buy the suicide angle. After all, why would Irwin have taken his own life shortly before opening in a new play at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford?
In pursuing the truth, Grant links seemingly unconnected events including the death of a dog, a second suicide and a series of art robberies. Ultimately, Grant's very life is threatened in a denouement concert at the Festival Hall after he uncovers a deception of theatrical proportions. But Grant's personal philosophy drives him in his quest, mirroring a quote from Edmund Burke used toward the end of the novel, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Yorke's novel "Cast for Death" is the final installment featuring the handsome, absent-minded professor Grant, who has a habit of quoting Shakespeare. In fact, Yorke herself once admitted she was "nutty about Shakespeare and mad about "Macbeth." The plot centers on the death of actor Sam Irwin, whose body is discovered in the River Thames, an apparent suicide. Grant, who is a friend of Irwin, doesn't buy the suicide angle. After all, why would Irwin have taken his own life shortly before opening in a new play at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford?
In pursuing the truth, Grant links seemingly unconnected events including the death of a dog, a second suicide and a series of art robberies. Ultimately, Grant's very life is threatened in a denouement concert at the Festival Hall after he uncovers a deception of theatrical proportions. But Grant's personal philosophy drives him in his quest, mirroring a quote from Edmund Burke used toward the end of the novel, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
January 31, 2010
I always enjoy mysteries with a Shakespearian twist. This one had a cover with "Macbeth" written on a paper. Macbeth is my favorite Shakespeare play, so I was really excited to find this one at the library.
Unfortunately, there's only a very slim link to the Scottish play. An Oxford don named Patrick Grant is looking forward to seeing a friend play Macduff, but instead an understudy takes the role and his friend is a no show. Then he learns that the friend is dead by suicide. Grant, who has investigated crimes before, looks into the death. He can't accept it as suicide. As he follows the leads, he discovers art fraud and espionage.
The ending was a little hard to follow and not very convincing. I don't know if I've read any in this series before, but her book "No Medals for the Major" is excellent. Read that instead, but if you do, don't read the preface to this book first, because it gives the ending away.
Unfortunately, there's only a very slim link to the Scottish play. An Oxford don named Patrick Grant is looking forward to seeing a friend play Macduff, but instead an understudy takes the role and his friend is a no show. Then he learns that the friend is dead by suicide. Grant, who has investigated crimes before, looks into the death. He can't accept it as suicide. As he follows the leads, he discovers art fraud and espionage.
The ending was a little hard to follow and not very convincing. I don't know if I've read any in this series before, but her book "No Medals for the Major" is excellent. Read that instead, but if you do, don't read the preface to this book first, because it gives the ending away.
January 15, 2026
enjoy this series a lot
I would have said five stars but I was confused by the plot. I still don’t understand it. As much as I like Patrick and his adventures I am disappointed
I would have said five stars but I was confused by the plot. I still don’t understand it. As much as I like Patrick and his adventures I am disappointed
February 26, 2026
Ins and outs and rounds about!
This is a unusual series of Who Done It's, to say the least. Each one has twists and turns and little nuggets dropped here and there. We really don't know to much about Dr. Grant personally. Almost an enigma at times. To tell the truth, I'm not even sure if I like the series. This last one here was almost to hard to follow. Well, I'll give it one more try in the nest book. If things aren't explained better of the main character, I think I'll move on to something else to read. Its rather hard to rut for someone you hardly know.
This is a unusual series of Who Done It's, to say the least. Each one has twists and turns and little nuggets dropped here and there. We really don't know to much about Dr. Grant personally. Almost an enigma at times. To tell the truth, I'm not even sure if I like the series. This last one here was almost to hard to follow. Well, I'll give it one more try in the nest book. If things aren't explained better of the main character, I think I'll move on to something else to read. Its rather hard to rut for someone you hardly know.
January 31, 2026
Such an absurd plot and ridiculously convoluted. Good characters but otherwise a disappointment.
February 3, 2026
A well crafted but sad tale.
February 22, 2026
Really enjoyed the 1st of this series, but to me, they've gone downhill after that.
February 7, 2026
While in London Grant notices a body in the River Thames. That of actor Sam Irwin, who he met on holiday In Austria. An apparent suicide. Then after a car accident where he killed a dog, he discovers the owner having committed suicide just as she was going to move. Is there a connection between the suicides.
An enjoyable mystery
Originally published in 1976
An enjoyable mystery
Originally published in 1976
November 11, 2019
Patrick Grant is an Oxford don whose specialty is Shakespeare. H also has an uncanny knack for solving murders.
He witnesses the body of a drowned man being fished out of the Thames, later finding out it is identified as an actor friend who should have been on stage. The police say suicide, but Grant thinks otherwise — the hair colour was wrong.
Are the deaths of a poodle and a middle-aged lady somehow related to the Thames body? If so, how and why?
Grant is low-keyed, which seems to get him some good results in the information department. Driven by his endless curiosity and the back-up of his instincts of human nature, Grant pieces the puzzle together and finds the big picture is larger than he thought.
I haven't read this author before or heard of the character. I will add her name to my TBR authors list. Her style is along the lines of Christie and Sayers, but without manor houses and the like. There is a nice, even pace to the story as it unfolds, but it isn't boggy. A good book to curl up with.
He witnesses the body of a drowned man being fished out of the Thames, later finding out it is identified as an actor friend who should have been on stage. The police say suicide, but Grant thinks otherwise — the hair colour was wrong.
Are the deaths of a poodle and a middle-aged lady somehow related to the Thames body? If so, how and why?
Grant is low-keyed, which seems to get him some good results in the information department. Driven by his endless curiosity and the back-up of his instincts of human nature, Grant pieces the puzzle together and finds the big picture is larger than he thought.
I haven't read this author before or heard of the character. I will add her name to my TBR authors list. Her style is along the lines of Christie and Sayers, but without manor houses and the like. There is a nice, even pace to the story as it unfolds, but it isn't boggy. A good book to curl up with.
August 24, 2015
Well that was a waste of time.
Set in an England/London fashioned from comfortable stereotypes and cliches to the extent that there is a near cozy feel to the book. The writing never rises above the pedestrian, the plotting is based on coincidences and gravity defying leaps of intuition on the part of the protagonist. The characters vary not by whether they are constructed largely of cardboard rather whether the reader can catch a glimpse of any believable human being underneath.
I could not have cared less what happened to any of the cast of characters and by last few pages had the distinct feeling that author had cared little more than had I.
Set in an England/London fashioned from comfortable stereotypes and cliches to the extent that there is a near cozy feel to the book. The writing never rises above the pedestrian, the plotting is based on coincidences and gravity defying leaps of intuition on the part of the protagonist. The characters vary not by whether they are constructed largely of cardboard rather whether the reader can catch a glimpse of any believable human being underneath.
I could not have cared less what happened to any of the cast of characters and by last few pages had the distinct feeling that author had cared little more than had I.
February 24, 2023
Readable, but hardly brilliant.
The plot seems largely comprised of a plethora of coincidences - so much so that my belief failed to be suspended beyond the first 30 pages. The addition of a supporting character, Manolakis, who seemed to add as little more than a combined McGuffin and distraction, didn't improve matters much. To cap things off was an ending which was so downbeat as to leave me wondering why I bothered.
The plot seems largely comprised of a plethora of coincidences - so much so that my belief failed to be suspended beyond the first 30 pages. The addition of a supporting character, Manolakis, who seemed to add as little more than a combined McGuffin and distraction, didn't improve matters much. To cap things off was an ending which was so downbeat as to leave me wondering why I bothered.
October 26, 2021
Having read so many murder mystery recently, where author is more interested in building atmosphere and losing me as the reader bored stiff (I'm talking Michael Innes). Margaret Yorke is a terrific storyteller who weaves he character Dr Patrick Grant into a mystery and make it believable. This book is a total joy and does what it says on the tin - make the reader glad they read the book.
September 14, 2023
Cast for Death
As always a great story, although a bit confusing at times.
Great characters and a twist at the end you will never expect !!
Margaret Yorke as usual at her best !
As always a great story, although a bit confusing at times.
Great characters and a twist at the end you will never expect !!
Margaret Yorke as usual at her best !
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews