The Water Clock

Rating:
Summary: Real Mystery
Review: The author has put together a real mystery and one which can
be savored as it is read. The premise isn't Earth-shattering,
but the writer does an exceptional job expanding the persona of
his characters, and those in the forefront really come to life.
The hero is a reporter for a small newspaper in the Fen region
of England, adjacent to the famous old area known as The Wash,
and he often wonders why he left the much better job on Fleet
Street for this very small newspaper. About the only thing he does is write small stories and spend part of every night sitting beside his wife, who is in a coma in the local hospital.
Dryden is so wracked with the guilt of driving the car that plunged into a ditch filled with cold water, which was the cause
of his wife's very sad condition.
But then he gets to the scene of a similar event, and he watches
as a car is pulled from icy water; but events take a sudden turn
when police discovered a mutulated body inside. Identification
is going to take awhile, but before that case can even get moving, another body is discovered. The 2nd body is found at
the top of Ely Cathedral, wedged among battlements, but it is
quite decomposed, and the first estimates are that the body has
been there a very long time. A bit later, they determine the
body was that of a robbery suspect who disappeared in 1966. And
it has been there on that high roof all the time.
As these unexpected events unfold, another bizarre twist developes when it turns out both bodies, the one representing
a very recent murder, and the one over 30 yrs old, are connected.
The reporter lets his natural curiosity take over, and he begins
to pursue the killer himself; partly because he doubts the local
police are working quite as hard as they should, and partly because of personal drive. Plus, if he can uncover some facts
unknown to the police, he can use those facts to barter for a
look at the secret file on his auto accident.
Many complications arise here, and the characters slide in and
out of focus as his investigation continues, and as his work keeps intersecting that of the police. And he seems to be keeping one step ahead of the police, much to their annoyance.
Altogether, this is a real mystery and one that will keep most
readers guessing and pressing forward with their reading as they
try to reach some understanding of all events here.
The publisher says this is this author's first book, and it contains so many details and is so well-thought-out that the
author must have been thinking of this for a very long time.
In addition to the good mystery, this is a must for any mystery-loving Anglophile because there is much use of the English language that is "foreign" to most US readers, and that new
language, plus the considerable detail of the weather, terrain,
and history of the fen country, will be most satisfying. No
editor re-worked the author's language to make it more American.
Many of this cast of characters will stay with the reader quite
a long time. Very highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Real Mystery
Review: The author has put together a real mystery and one which can
be savored as it is read. The premise isn't Earth-shattering,
but the writer does an exceptional job expanding the persona of
his characters, and those in the forefront really come to life.
The hero is a reporter for a small newspaper in the Fen region
of England, adjacent to the famous old area known as The Wash,
and he often wonders why he left the much better job on Fleet
Street for this very small newspaper. About the only thing he does is write small stories and spend part of every night sitting beside his wife, who is in a coma in the local hospital.
Dryden is so wracked with the guilt of driving the car that plunged into a ditch filled with cold water, which was the cause
of his wife's very sad condition.
But then he gets to the scene of a similar event, and he watches
as a car is pulled from icy water; but events take a sudden turn
when police discovered a mutulated body inside. Identification
is going to take awhile, but before that case can even get moving, another body is discovered. The 2nd body is found at
the top of Ely Cathedral, wedged among battlements, but it is
quite decomposed, and the first estimates are that the body has
been there a very long time. A bit later, they determine the
body was that of a robbery suspect who disappeared in 1966. And
it has been there on that high roof all the time.
As these unexpected events unfold, another bizarre twist developes when it turns out both bodies, the one representing
a very recent murder, and the one over 30 yrs old, are connected.
The reporter lets his natural curiosity take over, and he begins
to pursue the killer himself; partly because he doubts the local
police are working quite as hard as they should, and partly because of personal drive. Plus, if he can uncover some facts
unknown to the police, he can use those facts to barter for a
look at the secret file on his auto accident.
Many complications arise here, and the characters slide in and
out of focus as his investigation continues, and as his work keeps intersecting that of the police. And he seems to be keeping one step ahead of the police, much to their annoyance.
Altogether, this is a real mystery and one that will keep most
readers guessing and pressing forward with their reading as they
try to reach some understanding of all events here.
The publisher says this is this author's first book, and it contains so many details and is so well-thought-out that the
author must have been thinking of this for a very long time.
In addition to the good mystery, this is a must for any mystery-loving Anglophile because there is much use of the English language that is "foreign" to most US readers, and that new
language, plus the considerable detail of the weather, terrain,
and history of the fen country, will be most satisfying. No
editor re-worked the author's language to make it more American.
Many of this cast of characters will stay with the reader quite
a long time. Very highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: model mystery
Review: This novel has the best of every feature a mystery novel can have. It has well drawn characters, a complex, but tightly interwoven plot, witty and intelligent dialogue, and a plausible, but not too obvious conclusion. I most highly recommend this book to a wide audience of readers, not just mystery lovers.