Diana's Altar

Joe Sandilands #13

by Barbara Cleverly

Cambridge, 1933. On All Hallows’ Eve, in a candlelit pew in ancient All Hallows Church, Doctor Adelaide Hartest witnesses a stranger’s dying moments. Adelaide is just in time to hear his final that he has plunged the dagger into his own chest, and that his death will be a suicide, despite its suspicious appearance.

But his confession isn’t enough to halt an investigation. The victim, it is revealed, is known to Scotland Yard, and his death is a matter of national concern. Assistant Commissioner Joe Sandilands is sent up from London to discover the truth. Thrown into a deadly ring of cloak-and-dagger intrigue and high-society hedonism, Sandilands chases a phantom killer through Cambridge’s aristocracy, intelligentsia, cutting-edge researchers, and a clandestine ring of female spies. What secret was the dead man hiding, and what is at stake?

Genres: Mystery, Historical Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Mystery Thriller, 20th Century

400 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2016

About the author

Barbara Cleverly was born in the north of England and is a graduate of Durham University. A former teacher, she has spent her working life in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk; she now lives in Cambridge. She has one son and five step-children.

Her Joe Sandilands series of books set against the background of the British Raj was inspired by the contents of a battered old tin trunk that she found in her attic. Out of it spilled two centuries of memories of a family – especially a great uncle who spent a lot of time in India – whose exploits and achievements marched in time with the flowering of the British Empire.

Reviews

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the first part of this book very hard to follow, but I'm not sure if it was something about the book (the plot was based around an international spying incident) or just that I was distracted. I'm also disappointed that the recent books have been as much about Sandiland's love life as they have been about the mysteries themselves. I don't mind series that focus on the private lives of the characters, but I'd like it if Joe focused a bit more on his work. I really enjoy Cleverly's writing style, though, so I'm sure the next book in the series will be on my list as soon as it comes out.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good entry in the series, although I found my mind wandering a bit in some of the science or political discussions. And I have to say I have lost track of where Joe originally met all these women. And although I am just as happy to have her gone, you would think Dorcas would be worth a mention. After years of being in love with Joe, she seemed to throw it all away (last book) fast enough.

[Kathleen Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was just okay for me, I have to admit that I miss India as a setting for this series.

[Debbie Maskus · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the past, I enjoyed the Joseph Sandilands series. The last novel of this series presents a sad disappointment. The novel features the daring and intrigue of the past novels, but the language does not evenly flow. The banter into the workings of Scotland Yard and M15 proved tedious and boring and the descent into the works of ancient writers lengthens the boredom. The erotic habits of the wealthy and the eventual effect of this debauchery continue the dribble. Veterinarians have just found a medical to euthanize animals and one of the characters uses this medicine. The big scare is the splitting of the atom and the consequences of this means of mass destruction. Hitler and his regime silently steal into the scene. Too much trivial explanation and not enough romance.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series but found this entry very tedious to read. I had a hard time sticking with it to be honest.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF Not the book for me, way too much blathering, didn’t like the characters.

[Judith Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assuredly one of the best of the Sandilands series. The Cambridge setting is atmospheric, the historical period fraught with danger, and Sandilands is surrounded by suspects scientifically capable of detonating devastating blast in town. Add to that, a thoroughly depraved, manipulative, and unpredictable aristocrat who seems to have a score to settle with Sandilands, and you have a plot with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. The best part, however, is Cleverly's writing. Her care and attention are obvious and it made the book a pleasure to read.

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good mystery. I didn't know picking this book up from the library that it was part of a series. This is one of those times that you need to read the books prior to fully invest in the story. Many references to events and characters that were in the previous books. For myself as a reader it would of been helpful to have either a character summary at the beginning or short summary of few paragraphs at beginning of prior events for readers who hadn't read the other books.

[Helenk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Joe Sandilands novel. Time moves on and we are set in the mid 1930's. There is a great deal of intrigue with the scientists of Cambridge. Russians, Germans (Nazis), British are all part of the world of spying, defections and atomic secrets. In addition, there is an odious gentlemans club who also were a part of the above. Some were swept in over their heads. This book exposed a portion of history of which I knew nothing. I love this series and recommend it.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy the Joe Sandilands series overall, but felt that the Joe in this particular title was NOT the same guy as in previous books in the series...even allowing for character growth. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the novel and would recommend it to other mystery readers.

[Kathy Moberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cracking good read from Barbara Cleverly with spies, killers, scientists (I loved the scientists!), a spot or two of romance, and such an interesting peek into pre-WWII England. And now, what's next for Joe??

[Harriet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The background in England politically and scientifically before WW 2 is the basis of this mystery. It was heavy going at some points but on the whole I was glad I stayed with it.

[Sunaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing and not quite upto the usual snuff.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shame on you, Joe Sandilands, for (again!) allowing perpetrators of two murders go free. I can't believe that a Scotland Yard detective with his lamentable propensity for letting murderers off the hook would ever have climbed to the dizzying height of Assistant Commissioner! This becomes even less believable when one considers that the public mentality of the 1920's & 30's was very much an attitude of "hang 'em first, ask questions later," rather than the more modern view of leniency and criminals rights. Strike one.
Per the backstory to this book, in the "author's note," she was intrigued by the accusations of spying in the laboratories of Cambridge University on behalf of Russia, which were made but never proved in the case of one famous physicist, Peter Kapitza. She went as far as to make this real man a character in this book, with tantalizing trails seeming to lead to a genuine spy-ring, only to drop that plot line far too abruptly and end with a completely unconvincing tale of madness and egomania. To be fair, she did set up the "bad guy" early on, easily spotted by readers familiar with her techniques, but with very little supporting connection, so that if readers came to this book cold, without having at least read the previous book in the series, Enter Pale Death, the ending must have come very much out of left field. As someone who has read the whole series in order, I still felt cheated of a satisfactory ending. Strike two.
And then, one really must comment on Joe's dire love life! The man cannot find real love for anything! All the women with whom he either has relationships or falls in love, dump him. I feel this says more about him than them. I don't know why/how he scares or bores them off, but he definitely does. I'm guessing that the author just wants to keep him "foot-loose & fancy-free," but as he is now pushing 40, he is no longer a charming young man looking to find his soul mate, but a middle-aged bachelor who should either settle down with someone who can take him down a peg (and just about ANY woman can!) or else just admit he's past it and stop messing around! (The only other detective character who exceeds Joe's bad luck in love is Martha Grimes' Richard Jury!)
Strike two & a half!
I'm not calling Joe out because there's still a lot of good potential in the series, but I do wish that Barbara Cleverly would send him back to India where the truly great mystery stories were laid!

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read all of Cleverly's Sandilands book, but this was my least favorite. One thing I have enjoyed is the author's ability to tell a story, to describe a country or a political situation while keeping in the foreground the human element and the colorful persons involved. This book had long, drawn out political expositions. I'm sure that they were rather interesting, but I felt that the book just got bogged down in the history rather than raised by the story.

Cleverly often seems to drop hints or hold back important information for the reader in a rather cryptic way. One thinks, "now what is she getting at?" at times in her novels. That is often tantalizing and even, at times, amusing -- but in this book it was annoying. The best part of the book was the side story about Aiden and his son and following the love life of Sandilands. Those were the most human part of the book and most heartfelt. Maybe I'm just a romantic, but Sandilands is rather swashbuckling..

[karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's probably not fair of me to give a "finished" date for this book, since I didn't read it to the end, but honestly, as much as I have loved Joe Sandilands, I didn't feel like investing the time to finish this latest episode in his life. Has the author had a stroke or something? Seriously, her writing has changed so much since the inception of this series and while I realize authors evolve, this installment in the Sandilands mysteries is so overly-wordy, it set my teeth on edge. The dialogue was just abysmal. The characters never engaged in actual conversations, but delivered lengthy monologues or speeches to one another. It was really frustrating to try and follow any type of plot with this bizarre "monologue" barrage constantly being thrown at me. I felt as if I was wading through a swamp or that a large boot was being lowered on my brain each time the characters began to speak--I began dreading the sight of the quotation marks! Sorry to be blunt, but it was a disappointment.

[Virginia Tican · Rating 5 out of 5]

1933 ~ Cambridge. The boffins split the atom and the Red Menace had never been felt as during this time as well as that of Hitler's race to arm Germany... no wonder England was constantly in Red Alert for perceived enemies aside from the threat within given the political situation and the opposition to the present coalition government. Time for an ambitious and entitled megalomaniac to step in and for Sandilands to find this threat. Time also for Sandilands to settle down and have a family... if only he would find a woman comfortable with his life~threatening profession but who had her own profession and can with aplomb juggle her various roles as wife, mother, smart professional woman with independent means, a mind of her own... etc. All three ~ Dorcas, Adelaide and Dorothy would do for most of the aforementioned requirements except for the independent means which only Dorothy had. So... maybe Dorothy would take him on... given that he had already been unofficially engaged to the other two. Problem would be... these women were friends... it could be pretty awkward. And there was also Jack Drummond.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having now read 4 stories in the Joe Sandilands series, I've gotten a pretty good idea of what the pattern is in the "romance" part of the story. That's the worst part, but at least, at times, it hints at a feminist streak on the part of the author. This story's plot had an international intrigue aspect which was interesting not only given the historical time frame, but also given today's international political climate.

In all of the stories, but especially in this one, the dialog is very esoteric which I feel rather ambivalent about. At times it is fascinating and inspires me to learn more Greek and Latin. At other times, it makes it hard to follow the point of the conversation and I feel like I might be missing out on some important clues.

[Judy Hankom · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is 1933 in Cambridge, England and it is All Hallow's Eve in a church. A doctor by the name of Dr. Adelaide Hartest comes across a man in the throes of death. He has a dagger buried in his chest. It is obvious that he was stabbed and yet he confesses that he did it to himself. So it will be settled as a suicide.

But this death triggers an investigation by Scotland Yard as he is known there. His death bec0mes a matter of national concern. Assistant Commissioner Joe Sandilands is sent from London to investigate the truth of this death. Joe knows the victim very well and sets about discovering the truth.

He finds a lot of espionage going on. As well as cutting research being done at the university. Joe is put to the test to figure it all out.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diana's Altar a choice for Women in the1930s

I did like the book. Characters were complex. The plot of Communism, Hitler, and spying and developing of atomic power and poisonous gas is present after WWI in 1930s.
It saddens me that while nations switch from nationalistic to globalist and back, what stays consistent is reckless development of weapons by scientists that seem to fall into wrong hands.
Enough of my lecture, it seems as if this pattern keeps repeating, as we see from aggression over power

[Kiwi Carlisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book kept me guessing through a lot of wild plot turnabouts and outright flips. I nearly stopped reading at one point because of a hugely convincing red herring that occupies a lot of the book. The Cambridge setting is convincing, full of lively anecdotes and portraits of real people. The story is once again complicated by Joe's difficult love life. He's really not good enough for the women Cleverly keeps putting into his life. I wonder how long the new one will last?

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascist parties flourished in many European countries in the 1930s, not least Great Britain, with a nexus in Cambridge. But so did the communists. A cell at the Cavendish Laboratory runs into trouble with the local fascists, and Joe Sandilands for Special Branch is sent down from Scotland Yard to investigate three recent mysterious deaths. This long-running series takes a turn into the espionage genre.

[Rita Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as good as prior books in this series. Too many characters giving speeches instead of talking to each other, far too much romance, and we pretty much know who the villain is right from the start. Barely qualifies as a "mystery".

And the "Diana's Altar" of the title only comes in way toward the end, almost as an afterthought, to explain why Joe winds up with one woman rather than another.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series was new to me when I pulled Diana's Altar off the library shelf. Cleverly didn't seem particularly clever with her verbose dialogue. That the plot was based on an actual event in history suggested this would be a page turner. Instead, things plodded along until, finally, we reached the end. I confess I skipped pages in order to bypass lengthy, involved conversations that didn't seem to go anywhere. I don't see myself trying another in the series.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite in the series, to say the less. In part, because I don't care for spies' stories, but also because I really didn't like Joe's actions and they don't seem realistic either for the character or the era.

I'm getting more and more disappointed with these stories. I have one more audiobook that I wasn't able to get before. After that one, I'm finished, and I truly hope that it will be on a higher note *fingers crossed*

[Vanillabean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one - definitely better than the Edward Marston (Inspector Colbeck)series I’ve been reading - but the girl turnover is a bit annoying. I can deal with a hero who has a different girl every book in historical fiction, but Sandilands himself gets too invested, minds too much when they turn him down, for it not to be a bit of a nuisance.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This very convoluted story set in Cambridge in 1933 deals with unnatural deaths, communist plots, antiwar demonstrators, blackmail, and more. Joe Sandilands enters this quagmire, while at the same time trying to convince a woman doctor to marry him. Will he escape unharmed and uncover the culprits? Hard to put down. Recommended.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A satisfying read set in England during the build up to WWII. Particularly of interest are the themes echoed in Oppenheimer though this scientist, nor Fuchs are not mentioned. Sandilands is a capable and clever hero, and the heroines - Adelaide and Elizabeth are as well. Curious shift in narrative pov not too far into the story that is a tell if you're observant.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nearly a 4, this guy reminds me of Peter Wimsey. Set in 1933, a dying man is found by a nurse and a cop inside a church. After discovering that Joe has known him for years and also set him up to investigate for MI6. Taking place after WWI, the Brits are already concerned about Hitler and the Germans. Great writer.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slower going than most of the Joe Sandilands series. I could not sympathize with some of the characters and ended up setting the book aside for a while. A shame since I really enjoyed the first few in the series.