The Dancing Man

by P.M. Hubbard

Mark Hawkins is an engineer and a loner, who has always resented his adventurer-archaeologist brother, Dick. But when Dick vanishes, allegedly dead in a climbing accident, Mark starts investigating the site his brother was excavating, a Cistercian monastery, and meets three strange souls who were the last to see his brother alive.Among them is Dr Merrion, a specialist in medieval archaeology. As Mark pokes around the woods surrounding Merrion's home, he begins to feel that sinister forces are at play in Dick's death.'Beautifully put together with an atmosphere that literally chills you' San Francisco Chronicle

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Horror, Crime

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Philip Maitland Hubbard was an English writer. He was known principally for his crime and suspense stories although he wrote in other forms and genres as well, for example contributing short stories and poetry to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and articles, verse and parliamentary reports for Punch.

Hubbard was born in Reading in Berkshire, but was brought up in Guernsey in the Channel Islands. He was educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey and at Jesus College, Oxford, where in 1933 he won the Newdigate Prize for poetry with "Ovid among the Goths". He served with the Indian Civil Service from 1934 until its disbandment in 1947 upon Indian independence, after which he worked for the British Council and as Deputy Director of the National Union of Manufacturers. From 1960 until shortly before his death he worked as a freelance writer. He lived in Dorset and in Scotland, and was married with three children, although separated at his death.

P. M. Hubbard's main output was sixteen full-length novels for adults. These are typically suspense stories which have their settings in the countryside or coastline of England or Scotland (although one, The Custom of the Country, is set mainly in Pakistan). Most of the novels feature a male protagonist (although in some, such as Flush as May and The Quiet River, the protagonist is a woman) and characters who in general are middle-class, articulate and strong-willed. Most of the novels draw extensively on one or more of the author's interests and preoccupations including country pursuits, small-boat sailing, folk religion and the works of William Shakespeare.

Hubbard's novel High Tide was adapted for television and broadcast in 1980 as part of the UK ITV network's Armchair Thriller series.

He was described in his obituary in The Times as a "most imaginative and distinguished practitioner", writing with an "assurance and individuality of style and tone." He died on 17 March 1980.

Reviews

[Bamcquern · Rating 4 out of 5]

These PM Hubbard books have good dreadful pastoral atmosphere. They remind me a little of the best of Shirley Jackson. They're in that class of books that you hope no one else finds out about because you don't want anyone disrupting the market for them.

[Neer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another book destroyed because of high expectations. There was virtually no mystery and the characters didn't engage my sympathy. Even the pre-historic glimpse of England's past left me unmoved. And how can you call another man a playboy when you yourself are making out with your host's wife and sister?

*
First Line: Dick disappeared sometime in May, but I did not hear about it until several months later.

[Bill]

Looking for a book that involves a very predictable mystery, 13+ pages of an engineer describing how to move a large stone, and unremarkable characters? If for some reason the combination of those things sound interesting to you then go ahead and read this book.
*There is a stick figure with a large penis though, I'll give the book credit for that unexpected twist

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The usual P.M. Hubbard formula, man arrives at isolated house where odd people live, but it works.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Hawkins' brother Dick, an archaeogist with a specialty in neolithic/prehistoric sites, had set out for a climbing vacation in Wales and never returned. After some time, Mark goes to the home in which Dick was staying to retrieve his belongings. It turns out to be the home of another archaeologist, Dr. Merrion, who is a specialist in medieval archaeology, and who has been working on the site of an old, nearby Cistercian abbey. As Mark pokes around the woods surrounding Merrion's home, he begins to feel that something sinister has happened to his brother here, and is determined to get to the truth.

The sense of foreboding, the sense of place and the creepy atmosphere that the author manages to convey here are important to the central story. You won't find a lot of dialogue here, nor a huge cast of characters. It is a good read, and it is worth the amount of time you'll put into it. It's just very slow at times, and not very exciting, so you have to stay with it.

I'd recommend this to people who are interested in earlier writers of British suspense, to people who are interested in archaeological mysteries, and to those who like the old country house in the deep woods type settings in their mysteries.

[N N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although highly esteemed by some, not a top-notch Hubbard. This is probably the closest he gets to Household. It's a fine book on its own, but there is less intensity and much less suspense than you expect from Hubbard. The protagonist/narrator is not as ambiguous as usual, and I did not for a moment believe in his chemistry with his dream woman. Perhaps this was intentional. Can one really be passionate about a woman called Cynthia? Now that I come to think of it, there is something almost masochistic in his submission to her moods. She is definitely the least sympathetic and least involving of all major Hubbard heroines so far, but maybe there's more to the relationship than meets the eye. Then, unusually, I was ahead of the protagonist in figuring out the next steps all the way. The climax was exciting enough, but - this is a bit of a spoiler, with this author, - it's followed by a happy ending. Doesn't this tell us Hubbard's heart was not really in it?

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

British mystery.

[John Mccullough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book combines modern mystery with ancient mystery, delving back into England's prehistoric past, including the stone circles.

[Dorothy]

Nice suspenseful story line. I found the last few chapters a little boring but overall book was enjoyable.