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Wycliffe #16
Wycliffe and the Cycle of Death
A respectable bookseller is found bludgeoned and strangled and it's up to Chief Superintendent Wycliffe to find out why . . .
When Matthew Glynn is murdered, Wycliffe is mystified. Why would anyone want to kill him? But a look at Glynn's background reveals tension within the family. Alfred Glynn, an eccentric recluse, has born a grudge against his brother for years. The other brother, Maurice, argued bitterly with Matthew over the sale of family land. His sister Sara is caught out in several crucial lies to the police. Add to this a discontented son, the discovery of valuable documents in the bookseller's safe, and the mysterious, still unexplained disappearance of Matthew's wife years earlier, and Wycliffe faces one of his most impenetrable cases yet.
And then another Glynn dies . . .
When Matthew Glynn is murdered, Wycliffe is mystified. Why would anyone want to kill him? But a look at Glynn's background reveals tension within the family. Alfred Glynn, an eccentric recluse, has born a grudge against his brother for years. The other brother, Maurice, argued bitterly with Matthew over the sale of family land. His sister Sara is caught out in several crucial lies to the police. Add to this a discontented son, the discovery of valuable documents in the bookseller's safe, and the mysterious, still unexplained disappearance of Matthew's wife years earlier, and Wycliffe faces one of his most impenetrable cases yet.
And then another Glynn dies . . .
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
17 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
W.J. Burley
44 books25 followersBurley was born in Falmouth, Cornwall. Before he began writing, he was employed in senior management with various gas companies, before giving it up after the Second World War when he obtained a scholarship to study zoology at Balliol College, Oxford. After obtaining an honours degree he became a teacher. Appointed head of biology, first at Richmond & East Sheen County Grammar School in 1953, then at Newquay Grammar School in 1955, he was well established as a writer by the time he retired at the age of 60 in 1974. He died at his home in Holywell, Cornwall, on 15 August 2002.
John Burley had his first novel published when he was in his early fifties. His second published novel, two years later, saw the appearance of Superintendent Charles Wycliffe.
Over the next 25 years Burley produced another seventeen Wycliffe books and five other books.
Then, late in 1993, one of Burley's Wycliffe stories appeared on television in a pilot starring Jack Shepherd.
The pilot was followed by 37 episodes broadcast over a five year period.
By 1995 the author was, for the first time in his life, financially comfortable. He was over eighty.
But the success of the television series meant that John Burley found himself overshadowed by his creations. To the public, the name Wycliffe brought to mind the unsmiling face of Jack Shepherd, the actor. Even in the bookshops it was Shepherd's face that dominated the covers of Burley's paperbacks.
John Burley, however, continued to write and produced a further four Wycliffe titles. He was working on his 23rd Wycliffe novel, Wycliffe's Last Lap, when he died in 2002.
Recently a wish to restore the balance has emerged from amongst his readers. There is a feeling that we are neglecting a writer of quality, one who deserves to stand beside Simenon, the creator of Inspector Maigret.
Reading through John Burley's books in publication sequence, one notices how the author's voice gets stronger and his views more certain. And how his writing skills grow until, in the later books, a few words are all that it takes to pin down an image. These are the signs of a writer confident in his craft.
John Burley had his first novel published when he was in his early fifties. His second published novel, two years later, saw the appearance of Superintendent Charles Wycliffe.
Over the next 25 years Burley produced another seventeen Wycliffe books and five other books.
Then, late in 1993, one of Burley's Wycliffe stories appeared on television in a pilot starring Jack Shepherd.
The pilot was followed by 37 episodes broadcast over a five year period.
By 1995 the author was, for the first time in his life, financially comfortable. He was over eighty.
But the success of the television series meant that John Burley found himself overshadowed by his creations. To the public, the name Wycliffe brought to mind the unsmiling face of Jack Shepherd, the actor. Even in the bookshops it was Shepherd's face that dominated the covers of Burley's paperbacks.
John Burley, however, continued to write and produced a further four Wycliffe titles. He was working on his 23rd Wycliffe novel, Wycliffe's Last Lap, when he died in 2002.
Recently a wish to restore the balance has emerged from amongst his readers. There is a feeling that we are neglecting a writer of quality, one who deserves to stand beside Simenon, the creator of Inspector Maigret.
Reading through John Burley's books in publication sequence, one notices how the author's voice gets stronger and his views more certain. And how his writing skills grow until, in the later books, a few words are all that it takes to pin down an image. These are the signs of a writer confident in his craft.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 15, 2022
Wycliffe and The Cycle of Death is the 16th book in the Inspector Wycliffe mystery series by British author W.J. Burley and the 11th book I've read in this entertaining series.
Superintendent Charles Wycliffe is enjoying a weekend at home with his wife when he gets a call about a murder in Penzance; book store owner Mathew Glynn has been found murdered in his office. This sends Wycliffe and his CID team to the coastal town to begin his investigation. Like all of the other Wycliffe stories, I found it entertaining, a page turner and an interesting mystery. One murder begets another death as Wycliffe wanders about Penzance, looking at present friends and family members and also delves into the past history of the Glynn family, especially the 17 year old disappearance of Matthew's wife, Inez.
It turns out that Inez was originally betrothed to Matthew's brother Alfred and may at one time even had a bit of a thing with Matthew's other brother Maurice. Quite an interesting family, eh? And what about sister Sara, who moved in with Matthew to help care for his children and household when Inez disappeared? There was ill feeling between all of the brothers; Matthew and Alfred because of Matthew's stealing away of Inez and Matthew and Maurice because Matthew wanted to build houses on the old family property where Maurice still lived and worked a commercial property.
Burley is is normal irascible self and his competent team, especially Crime Scene investigator Fox and his two DI's, Kersey and Lane, play minor but important roles in the ongoing investigation. I do like that it is a team effort even if Wycliffe plays the major role. The setting is lovely and the mystery is complex enough to satisfy you and it's peopled with interesting, three-dimensional characters. Even the ending is satisfying, and somewhat surprising. Always one of my favorite mystery series. (4 stars)
Superintendent Charles Wycliffe is enjoying a weekend at home with his wife when he gets a call about a murder in Penzance; book store owner Mathew Glynn has been found murdered in his office. This sends Wycliffe and his CID team to the coastal town to begin his investigation. Like all of the other Wycliffe stories, I found it entertaining, a page turner and an interesting mystery. One murder begets another death as Wycliffe wanders about Penzance, looking at present friends and family members and also delves into the past history of the Glynn family, especially the 17 year old disappearance of Matthew's wife, Inez.
It turns out that Inez was originally betrothed to Matthew's brother Alfred and may at one time even had a bit of a thing with Matthew's other brother Maurice. Quite an interesting family, eh? And what about sister Sara, who moved in with Matthew to help care for his children and household when Inez disappeared? There was ill feeling between all of the brothers; Matthew and Alfred because of Matthew's stealing away of Inez and Matthew and Maurice because Matthew wanted to build houses on the old family property where Maurice still lived and worked a commercial property.
Burley is is normal irascible self and his competent team, especially Crime Scene investigator Fox and his two DI's, Kersey and Lane, play minor but important roles in the ongoing investigation. I do like that it is a team effort even if Wycliffe plays the major role. The setting is lovely and the mystery is complex enough to satisfy you and it's peopled with interesting, three-dimensional characters. Even the ending is satisfying, and somewhat surprising. Always one of my favorite mystery series. (4 stars)
December 20, 2021
Name: Wycliffe and The Cycle of Death
Standalone
Age: 13+
Synopsis: No synopsis. Final. There is just a murder and then another murder in the same family and some detective goes investigating it.
I would give the age as One million and above if I could. This is book deserves to be in the trash and not even be recycled. No offense to the author, I'm pretty sure he wrote good books but this wasn't one of them. Let me tell you my problems with this book:
1. It is super boring, obviously
2. There isn't expression or feelings in me when I read it.
3. Everything is described super plainly
4. The investigator doesn't go do "stuff". He just talks to people and figures out the killer.
5. THERE ARE NO FREAKING FIGHT SCENES!!! Whyyyyy??!
Yepp...that's it I hates this book and that's the end. Please don't read it. PLEASE.
Standalone
Age: 13+
Synopsis: No synopsis. Final. There is just a murder and then another murder in the same family and some detective goes investigating it.
I would give the age as One million and above if I could. This is book deserves to be in the trash and not even be recycled. No offense to the author, I'm pretty sure he wrote good books but this wasn't one of them. Let me tell you my problems with this book:
1. It is super boring, obviously
2. There isn't expression or feelings in me when I read it.
3. Everything is described super plainly
4. The investigator doesn't go do "stuff". He just talks to people and figures out the killer.
5. THERE ARE NO FREAKING FIGHT SCENES!!! Whyyyyy??!
Yepp...that's it I hates this book and that's the end. Please don't read it. PLEASE.
February 19, 2023
Disappointing - it would be wrong to describe this title as being formulaic, but you can see the way the skeleton of plot is fleshed out in typical manner. That's the curse of fiction writing, or certainly crime fiction writing - invent a character, the publishers want that character marketed and sold, it's not a case of writing a story, it's a process of packaging a product, a sequence of stories
In some of the early Wycliffes there was a hint Burley might become a Cornish Simenon - he's clearly influenced by the Belgian writer - but he seems to have been seduced into the writing of loosely disguised police procedurals (he's obviously talked to a lot of police officers, he's keen to achieve verisimilitude, to make the police work seem real ... and I can't help feeling this creates a claustrophobia which tends to strangle plot and characterisation).
So we get Wycliffe investigating a family intent on self-destruction, and it gets a bit cluttered. I struggled to remember who some of the characters were. We don't so much get insights into the character and psychology of Wycliffe and his team ... it's more like we get labels attached, little asides explaining why Wycliffe did this or that. And the plot gets bogged down - is it a psychological thriller, a police procedural, a whodunnit, or twenty characters in search of an ending. Disappointing.
In some of the early Wycliffes there was a hint Burley might become a Cornish Simenon - he's clearly influenced by the Belgian writer - but he seems to have been seduced into the writing of loosely disguised police procedurals (he's obviously talked to a lot of police officers, he's keen to achieve verisimilitude, to make the police work seem real ... and I can't help feeling this creates a claustrophobia which tends to strangle plot and characterisation).
So we get Wycliffe investigating a family intent on self-destruction, and it gets a bit cluttered. I struggled to remember who some of the characters were. We don't so much get insights into the character and psychology of Wycliffe and his team ... it's more like we get labels attached, little asides explaining why Wycliffe did this or that. And the plot gets bogged down - is it a psychological thriller, a police procedural, a whodunnit, or twenty characters in search of an ending. Disappointing.
July 17, 2017
Even though I regularly watched the Jack Shepherd outing as Wycliffe back in the day (and still to be found on ITV3 these days) this is the first of the actual novels I have read. Another charity pick up and an enjoyable sunny Sunday afternoon read (the tennis was a let down, the sun was out, sitting in the garden it simply had to be). This time Wycliffe is called to Penzance to investigate the murder of bookseller Matthew Glynn whose extended family still live with him. Familial relationships dominate this: a domineering maternal figure, warring siblings and an apparently promiscuous woman whose disappearance some seventeen years previously holds the key to the mystery.
Engaging overall although the ending is possibly one of the least satisfying I think I have ever read. To be fair, Burley doesn't fall into the traditional trap of tying up all lose ends but what he does give us leaves an air of confusion rather than acceptance.
Engaging overall although the ending is possibly one of the least satisfying I think I have ever read. To be fair, Burley doesn't fall into the traditional trap of tying up all lose ends but what he does give us leaves an air of confusion rather than acceptance.
December 9, 2016
When a bookseller in Penzance is found murdered, Chief Superintendent Wycliffe summons his team to look into the man’s background, family and business in an attempt to find the culprit. But the man’s relationships with family and others are very complex, and it might take another death before Wycliffe can begin to see the light…. I’ve been enjoying the Wycliffe books, of which this is the 16th volume, but although I liked the setting (having lived near Penzance as a child), this one left me flat. I had the feeling that Burley just sort of ran out of steam toward the end, such that the solution to the mystery was, well, quite dull. A pity.
November 22, 2021
Somewhat dated by now. I read this book in snippets over the course of several months. Making it seem more disjointed than it probably is. Two mysteries that must surely be connected, starting with the murder of a local councillor who owns a bookshop. As Wycliffe and his team descend on small town Cornwall, their investigation throws up more secrets within the family of the murdered man. Some of the evidence is puzzling. Many of the characters have motives and opportunity. In the end, Wycliffe is sure that both mysteries have been solved. Whether justice has been served is an entirely different matter.
Readers who like their mysteries tied up neatly may find this one frustrating.
Readers who like their mysteries tied up neatly may find this one frustrating.
April 1, 2019
A friend passed on a second hand copy from a free book exchange. Intriguingly, there was a label insert informing it was a free gift from Laura Brett 'bestselling author of The Mystery of an Old Murder' and requesting the reader buy her book so she can continue offering free books to continue reading. I could not find out if this is an ongoing project though.
The Wycliffe was an easy read if a tad formulaic. Would read another book in this series if given to me but probably would not buy unless there was another attractive deal!
The Wycliffe was an easy read if a tad formulaic. Would read another book in this series if given to me but probably would not buy unless there was another attractive deal!
February 6, 2022
Di tutti i romanzi letti di Burley certamente questo per me è il più “Simenoniano”!
Se mettiamo Parigi invece della Cornovaglia, il vinello aspro bevuto al bancone invece dei pub, allora Wycliffe prende la fisionomia di Maigret, i modi pacati e a volte stizziti di Maigret, il modo di indagare, di interrogare e di pazientare di Maigret. E questo è un gran bel complimento.
Se mettiamo Parigi invece della Cornovaglia, il vinello aspro bevuto al bancone invece dei pub, allora Wycliffe prende la fisionomia di Maigret, i modi pacati e a volte stizziti di Maigret, il modo di indagare, di interrogare e di pazientare di Maigret. E questo è un gran bel complimento.
April 13, 2019
Burley is consistently very good and inconsistently excellent--this is one of the excellent ones, in terms of richness of character and the emotional resonance. The women in particular are beautifully conveyed. As a detective plot, it's fairly workaday but Burley gives it remarkable distinction.
July 21, 2024
This is not one of Wycliffe's best stories. I was disappointed in the ending. Matthew - a bookseller - is found murdered in his office. Sara is his sister. Wycliffe accepts Sara's version of events too easily. It's not the worst Wycliffe book I've read. The ending was disappointing.
August 8, 2018
I was really amazed at the finish of this book. Wycliffe is an old crime series and great for a quick read
September 23, 2022
I like Wycliffe. I couldn't binge read them, but I like the character and the way he works. This is another case and moves inexorably to the conclusion.
February 25, 2017
The ending seemed a bit odd. Just sort of ended and I didn't feel I'd really got my head around what was supposed to have happened.
July 29, 2016
"Secrets and lies! It's all secrets and lies!"
This is one of the best of the Wycliffe novels. All of the elements which W.J. Burley excels at are present: a family living on top of each other in a big house, evocations of the Cornish landscape and Wycliffe's cerebrational walks (Burley uses that word a lot in this book: either he had a thesaurus to hand or I missed it in previous volumes - it's a good word though!).
In part then, the book owes its success to the author's conservatism: by the time he wrote this he'd been a published author for more than twenty years and in this work he sticks to his strengths without any kind of experimentation. There's even the odd in-joke: comparing 'today's policing' (published in 1990, so we're talking c.1988-89) to the situation twenty years ago the reader is acutely aware Wycliffe was working that way himself a few volumes prior (I've written about the anachronism of Wycliffe's age in other reviews). It's also effective because the plot holds together a little better than some of the other mysteries. Here, the reader is allowed to infer a good deal, but an unexplained mystery remains at the end and, without firm evidence, Wycliffe is forced to compromise.
This is one of the best of the Wycliffe novels. All of the elements which W.J. Burley excels at are present: a family living on top of each other in a big house, evocations of the Cornish landscape and Wycliffe's cerebrational walks (Burley uses that word a lot in this book: either he had a thesaurus to hand or I missed it in previous volumes - it's a good word though!).
In part then, the book owes its success to the author's conservatism: by the time he wrote this he'd been a published author for more than twenty years and in this work he sticks to his strengths without any kind of experimentation. There's even the odd in-joke: comparing 'today's policing' (published in 1990, so we're talking c.1988-89) to the situation twenty years ago the reader is acutely aware Wycliffe was working that way himself a few volumes prior (I've written about the anachronism of Wycliffe's age in other reviews). It's also effective because the plot holds together a little better than some of the other mysteries. Here, the reader is allowed to infer a good deal, but an unexplained mystery remains at the end and, without firm evidence, Wycliffe is forced to compromise.
July 20, 2009
One of the better Wycliffes.
September 14, 2009
Not a bad read
June 7, 2013
I enjoy the Wycliffe books,simpley because,they are not as straight forward as you think they are. This one has more twists,than s helter skelter.
March 16, 2016
What a crappy ending - completely ruined what was otherwise a pretty good read!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews