Men of Subtle Craft

Arnold Landon #4

by Roy Lewis

A hunter stalks the wild, wooded grounds of the Kilgour Estates. But what--or who--is his quarry?

A haughty professor comes calling on Arnold Landon for research assistance. But he's overlooked an important fact. Landon already has a job at the council--along with a raft of superiors who'd rather he focused on the dispute at hand.

Namely, who is the rightful owner of the Kilgour Estates? And the opulent manor house in the grounds? Dashing rake Patrick Yates insists it's all his. But a black sheep in the family returns to claim otherwise. Who is telling the truth?

While Landon's still grappling with the complexities of the case, Yates turns up dead--an ancient arrow planted firmly in his chest. And Landon realizes his search for answers is leading him down a dangerous path indeed.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, British Literature

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1987

About the author

John Royston Lewis, who published his fiction under the name Roy Lewis, was a prominent English crime writer who wrote more than 60 novels. He was also a teacher, and he taught Law for 10 years before being appointed as One of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Further & Higher Education. He lived in the north of England where many of his novels are set.

Lewis is also the author of several law texts, which he published under the name J.R. Lewis.

Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Alison C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arnold Landon has a new supervisor in the Planning Office, and his workload has suddenly increased as the new head of the office keeps giving him thorny cases to handle. There is, for instance, the issue of a large estate which had passed from its owner to the man’s companion and land manager; all had seemed aboveboard, but a long absent nephew has written that the new owner had no rights to the land, which by law of succession should go to him. That nephew wants all planned changes to the property to be put on hold until his case is resolved, and he threatens to sue the Planning Office if they do not do so, even though the office has no authority in the case. Then there’s a request from a University Don for Arnold to assist another professor who has a theory about a 13th Century architect, a theory that Arnold could possibly prove or disprove. Unfortunately for Arnold, all the men involved in these cases are rude, obnoxious and disdainful, and there is no shortage of people who might want to see one or more of them dead. And soon enough, one of them is killed…. The fourth Arnold Landon book, published in 1987, shows Arnold stepping more confidently into his own competence, although he feels that he is becoming unusually critical of others; it is not usual for him to instantly like or dislike people, but he finds that occurring now and it worries him a bit. However, once again his arcane knowledge of life in the Middle Ages helps him to unravel the mysteries, a satisfying outcome; recommended.

[Alžběta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like most of Roy Lewis's books, "Murder in the Stableyard" spends a lot of time setting up the story and examining the land dispute at the heart of the book in detail. The murder itself happens quite late in the book - for a murder mystery. I understand some readers might find Lewis's pacing too slow, but I really enjoy this detailed setup full of fascinating historical facts and hilarious descriptions of the Senior Planning Officer's ridiculous behaviour.

[Helen Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot is convoluted

This story was heavy on the build up. It set the scene in great detail. The actual crime seems like a post script to the lives of the characters. The murderer was not the person I thought it would be.

[Mr Kenneth L Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story

Another great story in the Arnold Landon series featuring a local government planning officer who has a knack of getting himself involved in murder. Well written with lots of interesting characters. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun and interesting read in this the fourth of the Arnold Landon, planner, mystery series. Can't get enough so far...each story is unique in the premise but solid in the characters and history.

[Francois Garcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t like the person who reads these books and I made a mistake as I do listen to his other series which are read by by someone else. I do find the author a very dry writer, so definitely take getting used to. I returned this book without reading.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roy Lewis is one of my favorite authors!

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read and slowly getting to know Arnold Landon and how he reacts to situations

[Mary]

See private notes--no rating