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William Dougal #3
Our Fathers' Lies
Our Fathers' William Dougal Crime Series Book 3 Taylor, Andrew
- GenresMystery
288 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1985
12 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Taylor
61 books725 followersAndrew Taylor (b. 1951) is a British author of mysteries. Born in East Anglia, he attended university at Cambridge before getting an MA in library sciences from University College London. His first novel, Caroline Miniscule (1982), a modern-day treasure hunt starring history student William Dougal, began an eight-book series and won Taylor wide critical acclaim. He has written several other thriller series, most notably the eight Lydmouthbooks, which begin with An Air That Kills (1994).
His other novels include The Office of the Dead (2000) and The American Boy (2003), both of which won the Crime Writers’ Association of Britain’s Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award, making Taylor the only author to receive the prize twice. His Roth trilogy, which has been published in omnibus form as Requiem for an Angel (2002), was adapted by the UK’s ITV for its television show Fallen Angel. Taylor’s most recent novel is the historical thriller The Scent of Death (2013).
His other novels include The Office of the Dead (2000) and The American Boy (2003), both of which won the Crime Writers’ Association of Britain’s Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award, making Taylor the only author to receive the prize twice. His Roth trilogy, which has been published in omnibus form as Requiem for an Angel (2002), was adapted by the UK’s ITV for its television show Fallen Angel. Taylor’s most recent novel is the historical thriller The Scent of Death (2013).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 7, 2010
Fun with William Dougal is doubled as his father gets involved in events in this book. An excellent series that I'm enjoying a lot.
December 16, 2020
Meh, vaguely entertaining murder solving story...
November 13, 2016
Run of the mill, formulaic mystery/suspense novel.
Celia Prentisse is not convinced that her historian father drowned himself. She asks her neighbor, Major Dougal, for help. The Major's wayward son, William, appears suddenly and gets involved despite the unfinished business between him and Celia. Together they find a link with a murder by arsenic of the 1930s, which itself seems to be connected to the death of Alfred Corner during WWI. Was he a hero or a traitor? Did he die in action or was he executed after a court-martial? Major Dougal activates his old connections in the murky world of the British Intelligence services, and William uses some of his own business associates. Pretty soon more people are killed, and they come to the conclusion that someone in the highest echelons of the government is involved.
I feel that the book failed because there were too many easy solutions and too many cliches. Major Dougal seems inspired by George Smiley (but with a happy marriage and a son). William Dougal is your typical dark horse, the typical mysterious stranger with unexpected talents and convenient connections. The motive for all the murders is just not believable. And the mechanics of it all, which come down to a highly-placed government official being able to dial up a skilled assassin and give him orders to kill someone, no questions asked, are wholly unconvincing and come across as a lazy solution for the author.
Celia Prentisse is not convinced that her historian father drowned himself. She asks her neighbor, Major Dougal, for help. The Major's wayward son, William, appears suddenly and gets involved despite the unfinished business between him and Celia. Together they find a link with a murder by arsenic of the 1930s, which itself seems to be connected to the death of Alfred Corner during WWI. Was he a hero or a traitor? Did he die in action or was he executed after a court-martial? Major Dougal activates his old connections in the murky world of the British Intelligence services, and William uses some of his own business associates. Pretty soon more people are killed, and they come to the conclusion that someone in the highest echelons of the government is involved.
I feel that the book failed because there were too many easy solutions and too many cliches. Major Dougal seems inspired by George Smiley (but with a happy marriage and a son). William Dougal is your typical dark horse, the typical mysterious stranger with unexpected talents and convenient connections. The motive for all the murders is just not believable. And the mechanics of it all, which come down to a highly-placed government official being able to dial up a skilled assassin and give him orders to kill someone, no questions asked, are wholly unconvincing and come across as a lazy solution for the author.
September 24, 2009
A great who-done-it!
September 21, 2016
a real page turner; suspenseful with an unexpected ending
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews