A Hovering of Vultures

Charlie Peace #3

by Robert Barnard

Susannah Sneddon had never received a great deal of fame or fortune from her novel-writing in the twenties and thirties. In the remote Yorkshire village of Micklewike, where she had lived on a run-down farm, she was now chiefly remembered for the violence of her demise – battered to death, apparently by her jealous brother, who then shot himself. That was back in 1932, and now there was a renewed surge of interest in the Sneddons, led by the shady publisher and entrepreneur Gerald Suzman. He had bought up the farm and formed the Sneddon Fellowship, with the declared aim of making the Sneddons’ reputation as a kind of twentieth-century Brontë family.

A motley collection of enthusiasts gathered in Micklewike for the inaugural meeting of the Sneddon Fellowship, including Charlie Peace, a young black detective constable sent to keep an eye on things. There was a suspicion that Suzman’s motives were not quite as purely literary as they seemed. And when Suzman was found lying dead with his head bashed in, a surprising number of possible reasons for his death emerged amongst the group of Sneddon followers.

Charlie and Superintendent Mike Oddie had to examine evidence both old and new as the strange case of the Sneddon literary heritage was gradually unravelled.

‘One of the deftest stylists in the field’ New York Times Book Review

‘This story is a beauty . . . enlivened by Barnard’s wit and his knowledge of the seedier side of literary affairs’ Birmingham Post

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, British Literature, Crime, Procedural

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Aka Bernard Bastable.

Robert Barnard (born 23 November 1936) was an English crime writer, critic and lecturer.

Born in Essex, Barnard was educated at the Royal Grammar School in Colchester and at Balliol College in Oxford. His first crime novel, A Little Local Murder, was published in 1976. The novel was written while he was a lecturer at University of Tromsø in Norway. He has gone on to write more than 40 other books and numerous short stories.

Barnard has said that his favourite crime writer is Agatha Christie. In 1980 he published a critique of her work titled A Talent to Deceive: An Appreciation of Agatha Christie.

Barnard was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger in 2003 by the Crime Writers Association for a lifetime of achievement.

Under the pseudonym Bernard Bastable, Robert Barnard has published one standalone novel and three alternate history books starring Wolfgang Mozart as a detective, he having survived to old age.

Barnard lived with his wife Louise in Yorkshire.

Series:
* Perry Trethowan
* Charlie Peace

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the character of Charlie Peace and enjoyed this next installment in the series, as he is sent by Scotland Yard to a literary conference where some dodgy scams might be in the works. An intrigue involving manuscripts of the late author Susannah Sneddon's novels ensues, as well as a murder. There's a lot of humor, particularly from Lettie Farraday, a seventy-ish widow returning to her native English village from her home in the U.S. who develops a maternal fondness for Charlie, which he reciprocates. Their friendship is charming and adds considerably to the story; she's almost a sidekick for him. Lots of skillfully dropped clues, but I didn't guess the murderer. I find Barnard's books slightly too cozy for my taste, but I keep reading them, so there's that! He does a great job of plotting and developing the atmosphere of the rural village as well as the characters therein.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed books to read myself to sleep, nothing too challenging or compelling or thrilling, which sounds a bit harsh now I say it, but a peaceful murder mystery with a decently sketched detective in 90s Northern England was just the ticket. Not earth shattering but enjoyable enough.

[Swapna · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s always a treat to read a Robert Barnard book. Barnard has combined a literary mystery along with a murder (past & present) and made this book quite interesting. However, at the end I felt that the Sneddon murder-suicide case should have been reopened and investigated again. A delightful book by all standards!

[Sandra Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another series that is cozy and clean, with admirable protagonists and clear villains. The "vultures" in this case are the rabid fans and those who want to profit from a long dead authoress and the mystery surrounding her death.

[Marina Sinelnikova · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a lot of fun, even though it often felt like a social comedy in mystery's clothing.

[Jeff]

Agatha Christie type

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was Mark Twain who said "Write what you know." Robert Barnard who is a wonderful as well as prolific author may well have taken that advice because many of his books are about writers of various kinds. Indeed he wrote about 'The Death of a Mystery Writer",'The Case of the Missing Brontë', as well as about a historical writer in 'A fatal Attachment'.

In this mystery, AHOV the mystery surrounds a long dead brother and sister who wrote dreary literary works that are coming into fashion again. There has been a push to organize the fans as well as set up a museum. Detective Constable Charlie Peace is attending a conference at the new museum because the organizer Gerald Suzman is known to the police as a con man and so far his motives for resuscitating the interest in the dead siblings is not obvious.

Before things get very far murder enters the mix and Charlie has his job to do. Barnard's characters are so well drawn that the reader is engrossed in the story and and even gets to believe that the dead Sneddon siblings are real. I can recommend this book.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Peace is an appealing character, and although I haven't read the first two in this series, I did meet him in Bodies, where he assisted Perry Trethowan in his murder investigation. By now Charlie seems to be a seasoned detective, although it isn't immediately apparent why he would have been sent to Yorkshire for the inaugural gathering of the Sneddon Society, another literary society that Robert Barnard has cleverly invented. This one gathers at the home of novelist Susannah Sneddon, where she and her brother, Joshua, had lived until he killed her with an axe and then shot himself. This happened so long ago that there are few people who ever saw the Sneddons, so much of the lore is being invented; and the murder, when it happens, is not surprising. Charlie's investigation leads to the killer, of course, and it also leads to an interesting relationship with Felicity, a student in Leeds.
2/21/25: enjoyed re-reading this after reading the first two Charlie Peace books.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently learned of Robert Barnard's death, and decided to re-read some of his books as a way of remembering him. To my surprise, the library had one that I hadn't read before--an early adventure of black policeman Dexter "Charlie" Peace. Originally a Londoner, Charlie now works in Yorkshire, where, decades before, the unsuccessful writer Jonah Sneddon killed his more successful sister Susannah and then himself. Now Gerard Suzman has started a Sneddon has started a literary society in their--mostly Susannah's--honor. Charlie goes along because the police don't trust Suzman, who's often been on the fringes of literary forgery and other shady endeavors. It won't hurt to keep an eye on the Sneddon weekend, and try to figure out what Suzman is up to now.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great fun because Barnard is such a good writer, but what makes this such a good read is the vultures around a possible best-selling author siblings making it a book bordering on comic noir ... so much ring of truth in how profiteers flock to possible author gold troves. As a book manager, I sighed over an author bemoaning poor sales, blaming "his agent, his editor, the distribution side at his publishers, and above all the publicity people. ..." The rural intrigue, the sad story of a desperately shy and introverted woman writer and, well, the hovering of vultures --to re-read!

[Mysteryfan · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the earliest Charley Peace books. He's one of my favorite recurring characters and some of the others are introduced here. A great plot and a slightly fannish one, involving literary fraud and an author's fans.

[Partridge Public]

Barnard, Robert

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clever little mystery. quick read.

[Tom]

Charlie Peace #3

[Emily Kestrel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad if you like mysteries. Barnard presents a wacky, but believable, cast of suspects, and I didn't guess the ending.

[Hennypenny]

Scribd

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Good characters, a complicated yet reasonable enough plot, no gore or danger to have you feeling anxious throughout it. I'd read another by this author.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie is increasingly charming. Smart, well written, good story.