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Charlie Peace #4
The Bad Samaritan
The wife of a vicar, Rosemary Sheffield suddenly decides she no longer believes in God, leaves her marriage, and befriends a Bosnian named Stanko, who ends leading her back to the parish and embroiling her murder investigation. Reprint.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
13 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Robert Barnard
202 books88 followersAka 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 12, 2024
4 STARS - The story of how this book made it into my collection is not even amusing at best, but still I would like to share it w/ you before I begin with my review.
I, like many of my contemporaries in the "lower echelon" of the young urban professional's, do a good percentage of my shopping at second hand stores. Some people think it's because we like the out-of-date styles that can be found and this makes us trendy in a way... in-truth it's cause, like many Americans we'd like to live beyond our means. But UN-like many Americans we just don't want the debt.
In other words, while we're not poor, per say, we just can't afford to buy all things new. So when I shop for books I start my search at the local SalVo. As you can imagine, unlike the Bookstore, the Salvation Army is rather limited in its selection. So, it's important not to go shopping w/ a specific agenda. This can cause you to have some fruitless shopping excursions or questionable purchases. But on average it's not a bad way to live within your means.
And on occasion you make discoveries like The Bad Samaritan, here. This book was an impulse purchase based solely on the cover. Right-I know don't judge a book and all that... to be honest, I really wasn't expecting to ever read this book. But the cover was just so amusing and for $0.50 (fifty cents) I couldn't help myself.
I purchased a book with the devil on the cover eating pizza.
Then one day, not sure when or why, I picked it up and read the first few pages. I must have been hard up for something to read. Well to my amazement this book, which turned out to be part of the author's Charlie Peace series, was just so very excellent!
Now as a mystery fan I wonder if the author pulled the name "Charlie Peace" from the historical figure (an actual English criminal who was mentioned in a Holmes story). But then why make him the detective... hmmm?!
But let's dispense with that line of conjecture and get to the reason you've culled though the preface here... Why did I give this book four out of five stars?
Well, what first intrigued me was the character of Rosemary Sheffield, a vicar's wife in her middle age who, one quite ordinary day, loses her FAITH. I must admit this was a strange beginning to what was reported to be a 'crime novel'. But so interesting was Rosemary's story, and well written the book, that I could hardly put it down. I love it when genre's get blurred!
Now what did Rosemary have to do with this case, well as it turns out quite a bit and not much at all in fact. The little social commentary here was very subtle, but all made for Rosemary's little fall from grace, if you will.
She then takes a much-needed rest at a seaside resort and there befriends Stanko, a young Bosnian refugee working as a waiter. When he later shows up at the vicarage, she finds him a job making pizza in town. From there... well you guessed it "a murder most foul" occurs and Detective Charlie Peace is called in.
Charlie must navigate his way through this suburban mine field without the map we have been given, though Rosemary, but he is quite clever and in no time the mysteries on top of mysteries start to reveal themselves.
Who was Stanko really? And who is "Dark Satanic Mills"... in fact who are any of these mild mannered suburbanites? Seems only detectives Mike Oddie and Charlie Peace can deliver the answer to these questions.
From this book alone I would dare say that Mr. Barnard is an great storyteller and I would read any of his other novels.
I would recommended this book anyone who loves to read a good mystery as well as most readers who do not specialize in reading just one genre (sadly there are readers like that out there) because there is just so much going on here it's just an excellent read.
I, like many of my contemporaries in the "lower echelon" of the young urban professional's, do a good percentage of my shopping at second hand stores. Some people think it's because we like the out-of-date styles that can be found and this makes us trendy in a way... in-truth it's cause, like many Americans we'd like to live beyond our means. But UN-like many Americans we just don't want the debt.
In other words, while we're not poor, per say, we just can't afford to buy all things new. So when I shop for books I start my search at the local SalVo. As you can imagine, unlike the Bookstore, the Salvation Army is rather limited in its selection. So, it's important not to go shopping w/ a specific agenda. This can cause you to have some fruitless shopping excursions or questionable purchases. But on average it's not a bad way to live within your means.
And on occasion you make discoveries like The Bad Samaritan, here. This book was an impulse purchase based solely on the cover. Right-I know don't judge a book and all that... to be honest, I really wasn't expecting to ever read this book. But the cover was just so amusing and for $0.50 (fifty cents) I couldn't help myself.
I purchased a book with the devil on the cover eating pizza.
Then one day, not sure when or why, I picked it up and read the first few pages. I must have been hard up for something to read. Well to my amazement this book, which turned out to be part of the author's Charlie Peace series, was just so very excellent!
Now as a mystery fan I wonder if the author pulled the name "Charlie Peace" from the historical figure (an actual English criminal who was mentioned in a Holmes story). But then why make him the detective... hmmm?!
But let's dispense with that line of conjecture and get to the reason you've culled though the preface here... Why did I give this book four out of five stars?
Well, what first intrigued me was the character of Rosemary Sheffield, a vicar's wife in her middle age who, one quite ordinary day, loses her FAITH. I must admit this was a strange beginning to what was reported to be a 'crime novel'. But so interesting was Rosemary's story, and well written the book, that I could hardly put it down. I love it when genre's get blurred!
Now what did Rosemary have to do with this case, well as it turns out quite a bit and not much at all in fact. The little social commentary here was very subtle, but all made for Rosemary's little fall from grace, if you will.
She then takes a much-needed rest at a seaside resort and there befriends Stanko, a young Bosnian refugee working as a waiter. When he later shows up at the vicarage, she finds him a job making pizza in town. From there... well you guessed it "a murder most foul" occurs and Detective Charlie Peace is called in.
Charlie must navigate his way through this suburban mine field without the map we have been given, though Rosemary, but he is quite clever and in no time the mysteries on top of mysteries start to reveal themselves.
Who was Stanko really? And who is "Dark Satanic Mills"... in fact who are any of these mild mannered suburbanites? Seems only detectives Mike Oddie and Charlie Peace can deliver the answer to these questions.
From this book alone I would dare say that Mr. Barnard is an great storyteller and I would read any of his other novels.
I would recommended this book anyone who loves to read a good mystery as well as most readers who do not specialize in reading just one genre (sadly there are readers like that out there) because there is just so much going on here it's just an excellent read.
July 13, 2020
Read this in the large print edition at my parents' house and really enjoyed it, more for the dark comedy of a priest's wife losing her faith in a parish full of jockeying power centers than for the detective story -- that only really gets going mid-point, but it's handled nicely. The priest comes across as good and patient guy and I doubt anybody's faith would be harmed in the enjoyment of this novel, though you might look at the folks in your next church committee meeting a little differently. The cover of this edition is weird and doesn't suit the book. Think of a skeptical version of Barbara Pym writing a comedy of manners that addresses illegal immigration by refugees (to the UK, in the 90s) as a social justice issue -- but half way through it reveals itself to actually be a murder mystery being investigated by a fellow (Charlie Peace) who've we've had only the slightest glimpse of in the first half. So, a little confusing in terms of genre and POV, but a fun read. There are some really deliciously funny lines in it.
February 18, 2018
I read one book by Barnard that I thought was AMAZING, as murder mysteries go; it was fun, a little in bad taste, gave me quite a little shock at the end. I immediately added him to the list of authors I always troll for in used book stores (the book was Death of an Old Goat). They've all fallen rather flat since.
There's nothing actually wrong with it, except that I didn't care much for any of the characters. They were tiresomely good people, in the main, or just tiresome. There was a lot of inter-character drama set in a churchy community; a lot of really engrossing drama can be made out of a very little thing, so long as it isn't little to the protagonist (Jane Austen, you minx), but I daresay the characters have to have some interior life for that to work. You have to feel more than a mild interest in them.
I'm just feeling disappointed because I'd like to read another Old Goat sometime.
There's nothing actually wrong with it, except that I didn't care much for any of the characters. They were tiresomely good people, in the main, or just tiresome. There was a lot of inter-character drama set in a churchy community; a lot of really engrossing drama can be made out of a very little thing, so long as it isn't little to the protagonist (Jane Austen, you minx), but I daresay the characters have to have some interior life for that to work. You have to feel more than a mild interest in them.
I'm just feeling disappointed because I'd like to read another Old Goat sometime.
November 26, 2013
Barnard has written better than this - none of the characters were very believable.
May 21, 2015
The Bad Samaritan by the late lamented Robert Barnard reveals the real truth behind the society of an English Anglican Church parish while spinning an intriguing tale which turns into a very deft back-twist ending.
Although the title is listed as one of the Charlie Peace series, Barnard has a winner in Rosemary the initial protagonist and in one way, it's a pity he didn't use her again in later works. Today's reader, so used to continuing series character development would have enjoyed the ride immensely I suspect.
However, Rosemary's point of view allows a refreshing glimpse into small group associations and the games people always play. She suffers few gladly as she views with an engaging clarity the universal congregational characters, unencumbered by the usual expectations of vicar's-wife diplomacy. Her spontaneous loss of faith (wonderously described in the earliest pages) allows many impressively sharp assessments: the fortuitously named Florrie Harridance is the congregation's harridan indeed, "with her whiskery face, her voracious expression, and her enormous bosom stretching out before her like some kind of personal continental shelf." No doting mother she, Rosemary also acknowledges the universal lament of too many parents who suddenly realise while they still love their offspring, they just really don't like them and firmly slaps down her obnoxious son as a "sanctimonious little prat". Talk about setting boundaries for your visiting adult children! The vernacular "You GO girl!" seems distinctly appropriate here.
As others have acknowledged, Barnard's satire almost overtakes the mystery angles of his stories but one cannot be annoyed by this drift as one snorts with laughter throughout the colour commentary. In this case the murder plot (and sadly still timely and appropriate) of human trafficking is neatly knitted into a satisfactory finale that will surprise.
My continued adventures through Barnard's backlist of well written and neatly plotted titles promises to keep me entertained for some time to come.
Although the title is listed as one of the Charlie Peace series, Barnard has a winner in Rosemary the initial protagonist and in one way, it's a pity he didn't use her again in later works. Today's reader, so used to continuing series character development would have enjoyed the ride immensely I suspect.
However, Rosemary's point of view allows a refreshing glimpse into small group associations and the games people always play. She suffers few gladly as she views with an engaging clarity the universal congregational characters, unencumbered by the usual expectations of vicar's-wife diplomacy. Her spontaneous loss of faith (wonderously described in the earliest pages) allows many impressively sharp assessments: the fortuitously named Florrie Harridance is the congregation's harridan indeed, "with her whiskery face, her voracious expression, and her enormous bosom stretching out before her like some kind of personal continental shelf." No doting mother she, Rosemary also acknowledges the universal lament of too many parents who suddenly realise while they still love their offspring, they just really don't like them and firmly slaps down her obnoxious son as a "sanctimonious little prat". Talk about setting boundaries for your visiting adult children! The vernacular "You GO girl!" seems distinctly appropriate here.
As others have acknowledged, Barnard's satire almost overtakes the mystery angles of his stories but one cannot be annoyed by this drift as one snorts with laughter throughout the colour commentary. In this case the murder plot (and sadly still timely and appropriate) of human trafficking is neatly knitted into a satisfactory finale that will surprise.
My continued adventures through Barnard's backlist of well written and neatly plotted titles promises to keep me entertained for some time to come.
November 12, 2008
The first half of the book is about Rosemary Sheffield, the vicar's wife, and her sudden loss of faith. She decides to spend a few days away in Scarborough. There she meets Stanko, a waiter, who is actually an illegal immigrant from Bosnia. He shows her pics of his wife and daughter and she sympathizes with him. Returning home, she goes about dealing with various busybodies from the church that are responding to her loss of faith. Then one night Stanko shows up at their door begging for help. He is running from police because of his alien status. They help him find a job in a pizza place, with a place to live above it. The story comes to a climax the night of the church party. A man is found dead in the nearby park. The second half of the book brings Charlie Peace in to investigate. No one really liked the dead man. And he had some shady business dealings. The twist comes at the end with a confession. Charlie realizes its real intent is to protect a loved one, the murderer.
February 21, 2025
Charlie Peace is now living with Felicity in Leeds, and I'm liking him more and more. The author's wry sense of humor is present here in the character of Rosemary Sheffield, a vicar's wife who has suddenly lost her faith. Although not especially troubled by this, she takes a couple of weeks at the seaside to be alone and avoid the expected talk among the congregation. There she meets a young Yugoslavian and develops a friendship which continues once she is at home again in Leeds. Then comes an encounter with one of the church's members and a murder that seems to point to Rosemary's young friend. Interesting to read about the civil war in that region while it was going on, and to compare to other times in history when people were forced to flee from war and oppression.
2/21/25: I enjoyed this even more on a second read. I don't understand why the BBC hasn't snatched up this series--I can imagine it doing as well as Midsomer Murders.
2/21/25: I enjoyed this even more on a second read. I don't understand why the BBC hasn't snatched up this series--I can imagine it doing as well as Midsomer Murders.
May 31, 2021
Robert Barnard has used some current problems as the backdrop for several books (like children who were evacuated from London during the War, as adults, or the required quarantine of dogs being brought into the country).
The back ground in this one is the problem with illegal immigrants, particularly from Eastern Europe. This book was written in the '90's but illegal immigration is still a big problem. So when the victim turns out to be a villain who is smuggling these people into England - for large sums of money, for some not so wonderful purposes - you can expect the murderer to be one of the injured. Right? Only that isn't the case.
This is one of the earlier Charlie Peace books, where Mike Odie is still his superior office, so we get to see the interplay between the two. For me, that just adds more fun.
Oh yeah - the idea of a vicar's wife who suddenly loses her faith adds a fillip.
The back ground in this one is the problem with illegal immigrants, particularly from Eastern Europe. This book was written in the '90's but illegal immigration is still a big problem. So when the victim turns out to be a villain who is smuggling these people into England - for large sums of money, for some not so wonderful purposes - you can expect the murderer to be one of the injured. Right? Only that isn't the case.
This is one of the earlier Charlie Peace books, where Mike Odie is still his superior office, so we get to see the interplay between the two. For me, that just adds more fun.
Oh yeah - the idea of a vicar's wife who suddenly loses her faith adds a fillip.
April 20, 2011
Cozy. Used both 'pillock' and 'prat' to describe a particularly self-righteous character.
Library Journal said, "Another winning combination of plot, character, and wit."
spouses of clergy--fiction
Library Journal said, "Another winning combination of plot, character, and wit."
spouses of clergy--fiction
August 18, 2024
I really enjoyed this mystery! Although I read this book first, it didn't get in the way. The author had good writing and good characterizations--of English parishioners in a small village and various immigrants.
October 14, 2025
This is a short entertaining quick read. I haven't read any other books in the series, but I probably will! The character development focuses on the community rather than the detective, and is well done. I always appreciate a crime story with at least a few likable and intelligent characters!
Read
October 21, 2021Did not capture my interest.
June 11, 2023
Skimmable mystery about a vicar's wife who has lost her faith. The mystery isn't as interesting as her thoughts about her faith (or lack thereof) and the parish power struggles that result.
February 24, 2013
Robert Barnard always keeps my attention from the first page. In this story the first half of the book is about Rosemary, a vicar's wife who has lost her faith. This small change in her life send ripples through her husband's congregation that leads to a revelation of how unchristian most church goers can be.As the saying goes "just because you sit in a garage it doesn't make you a car."
2/3 of this part of the book could have been edited out without making any difference in the story. More than halfway through the book there is a murder of one of the church goers who uses religion as a cloak of respectability to improve business connections. A man of little faith he was accepted on these surface behaviors while there was definitely a dark side to him.
Charlie Peace and Mike Oldie see though much of the facades the suspects hide behind and the murderers is a bit of a surprise.
2/3 of this part of the book could have been edited out without making any difference in the story. More than halfway through the book there is a murder of one of the church goers who uses religion as a cloak of respectability to improve business connections. A man of little faith he was accepted on these surface behaviors while there was definitely a dark side to him.
Charlie Peace and Mike Oldie see though much of the facades the suspects hide behind and the murderers is a bit of a surprise.
July 18, 2010
I really liked this tale of an English church affected by a bad seed. The pastor's wife loses her faith, but she isn't the bad seed. It might be any of these: 1) She befriends an illegal alien. 2) The power-hungry among her husband's parrish seize the chance to elbow her out of church posts. 3) An enigmatic church member (sexy or repulsive, depending on who you talk to) gets himself murdered. I thoroughly enjoyed Barnard's cozily cynical description of the church "community". Rosemary and her husband are delightful company, and again so is Charlie Peace.
June 6, 2013
Latest (though not by publication date) of about 20 Barnard mysteries I have read. Vicars wife, walking in the park one day, suddenly realizes that she has lost her faith and becomes an atheist. Story centers on the ironic and interesting problems that this creates, and on the death of a typically repulsive Barnardian villain. A good read, to coin a phrase!
July 3, 2008
When the vicar's wife loses her faith, somebody must suffer. Barnard builds a large and interesting community before electing a victim. At least some of the story's tension arises from wondering just whose the sacrificial corpse is going to be.
March 5, 2011
I always enjoy Robert Barnard's mysteries. Reliably good, not great, with interesting characters. This one centers around an Anglican congregation and a vicar's wife who has lost her faith.
January 1, 2018
Still wonderful. Really a novella.
October 31, 2008
A satifying read.
March 9, 2016
illegal immigration
April 20, 2017
I didn't think I wanted to read this book. It was bought for me by someone who believes quantity is more important than quality when it comes to books. I try to read everything he buys me because he does so out of love but some of his choices I just can't get through. I thought this was going to be one of those. I was familiar with Barnard's name from my stint as an assistant librarian though I don't think I've read anything by him. So I started it. And I was pleasantly surprised by how much I was drawn into the characters and story I found. This book went into one of the (many) keeper boxes of books awaiting shelves to live on.
All that being said, I don't know what it was that made me like it so much. I liked the characters very much. The relationship between the vicar and his wife was wonderful. I love how much mom despised her pompous son all the while feeling slightly guilty about it. I enjoyed the plot and I am looking forward to reading more books both in this series and and by the author in general. The mystery was solidly written and the twist at the end took me by surprise. I hope you choose to read this and that you like it as much as I did.
All that being said, I don't know what it was that made me like it so much. I liked the characters very much. The relationship between the vicar and his wife was wonderful. I love how much mom despised her pompous son all the while feeling slightly guilty about it. I enjoyed the plot and I am looking forward to reading more books both in this series and and by the author in general. The mystery was solidly written and the twist at the end took me by surprise. I hope you choose to read this and that you like it as much as I did.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews