The Spider's Banquet

by Julius Falconer

A young woman goes to an isolated Warwickshire monastery to visit her brother, who is a monk there. Her sister drops her off at the door. The girl meets her brother in the parlour; they say goodbye and part; and she is never seen again. A search of the buildings and grounds finally reveals her body buried in a shallow grave in the monastery cemetery. The monks, however, have a cast-iron alibi: they were all in chapel at the time of her death. Then the abbot receives a mysterious telephone-call. A man’s voice threatens to hand evidence of the murder to the police – and so incriminate one of the monks - unless the monastery puts up for public auction its most treasured possession, a unique mediaeval manuscript, and donates the proceeds to charity. Is this blackmail or a hoax? As the events unfold, the inspector and his sergeant become less and less sure of what is fact and what is fiction, and the inspector begins to fear for his newly-won promotion. The case takes him to a castle in Italy, a town-house in southern France, a laboratory in Cambridge and the home of a professor of music outside Lincoln; but the solution arrives unexpectedly in his own sitting-room.

In this stylish story written in the classic tradition of British detective fiction, the author intrigues, informs and entertains in equal measure.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 28, 2009

Reviews

[Regina Roach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quintessential British murder mystery

A fun mystery in a style I'd call "Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen:" murder, but no gore; polite interviews and lots of deductive reasoning unsullied by forensic procedures. It seems very old-fashioned and sweet. I especially love it that the narrator addresses comments to the "Dear Reader."

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely worth sticky with. This was another book that I had trouble getting into — the style is very different to what I am used to. However, perseverance brought rewards. The crime held so many possibilities, plus the mix of history and the (near)present made for interesting reading.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure what it is, but this book is missing something.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Mystery That Needs Solving

Well in the reading of this book you will become involved in a mystery that involves murder, theft, and death.

[Marisa]

Amazon - 30/03/2017

[Claudia]

Good solid English murder mystery. Takes place partly in a monastery, which is interesting. The main question is who stole the illuminated manuscript and why did they kill for it, and is it really genuine anyway?