Caroline Graham, Faithful Unto Death
Headline, 1996
The original incarnation of TV's DCI Barnaby!
In this series known as Midsomer Murders (also a major TV drama, available on Hallmark in India; sorry, don't remember the timings), the impressive Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby and his thoroughly un-likeable sidekick Detective Sergeant Gavin Troy unravel twisted minds to solve gruesome murders.
When the colourless Simone Hollingsworth fails to turn up for bell-ringing practice, the village of Fawcett Green puts it down to yet another waning of interests. But when her husband Alan starts behaving strangely, curiosity is aroused. Days pass with Simone is still missing and Alan persisting in his odd, reclusive behaviour. Time for DCI Barnaby and his team to step in. On cue, a body turns up. Is it suicide or murder? What have the neighbours seen? Is the disappearance of their daughter connected?
As new clues surface, Barnaby feels the case spiralling out of control. What secrets are Fawcett Green in general, and the Hollingsworths in particular, hiding? In all, Faithful Unto Death is a gripping tale, told well, with an unlikely and unusual ending. Though written in third person, there are a number of perspectives. The author has the habit of throwing in personal details about the characters, which, though irrelevant to the story, fit in rather well with our understanding of the bigger picture.
Caroline Graham has been referred to as 'probably the most underrated British crime writer' by the Yorkshire Post. One would tend to agree. In a line-up consisting of Reginald Hill, Ian Rankin, Peter Robinson, P.D. James, Ruth Rendell, Peter Lovesey—and I'm sure I'm missing out some very important people—it is difficult to get any time out in the middle. But Graham has a certain style about her that makes her very enjoyable. She uses a lot of humour—despite the gruesome genre—and her quirky sentence construction sometimes makes things rather interesting.
While DCI Barnaby is the sort of man every person—man, woman, child—would love to know and look up to, DS Troy is a most disgusting man! Barnaby, a seasoned and respected veteran, happily married for thirty years, with a grown-up daughter, appears to be the quintessential father figure. (Warning: I have just read the one book!) Sharp yet gentle, flawed yet honest:
Fair, they said, but with a sharp edge to his tongue. Stood square behind his team but had been known to fall on it from a great height should its attention be wandering. Never backward in coming forward to claim credit... he was also known for never passing the buck.
(p. 77)
Barnaby has an unsual knack of unemotional acceptance of his mistakes and his failures which sometimes puts his superiors in embarrassing situations. However, it earns him the respect of his subordinates. He appears remarkably non-judgemental, especially with regard to his 'bag carrier' Troy. The young sergeant is a truly awful human being and it is perhaps a tribute to Graham's characterization that he really does get under your skin. Troy is selfish and spiteful. Other people's misfortune and discomfort give him great pleasure—perhaps pointing to his own insecurity. He is also a male chauvinist (calling him a pig would be an insult to those intelligent animals). There are a number of hints that he may be unfaithful to his wife.
During one interview of a suspect:
Sergeant Troy, never averse to seeing others all of a twitch, especially when they so plainly regarded themselves as his superior, bit his lip to keep back a grin. Personally, he had never hit a woman though it couldn't possibly be denied that they spent half their lives begging for it. Especially Maureen [Troy's wife]. He regarded this restraint as worthy of a medal.
(pp.239–40)
His only redeeming feature appears to be that he is a good investigator, quick on the uptake. Oh, and that he likes dogs. At first I was willing to give him points for being a loving father to three-year-old Talisa-Leanne, but then he qualified his pride in fatherhood by mentioning that his offspring was 'female, true, but plenty of time to rectify that' (cannot be bothered to trawl through the book for the page number!).
Excellent though the book is, there are a few inconsistencies. There are any number of typos, to begin with, always an annoyance. A photograph is described as five millimetres square. Surely the author meant five centimetres? A software company has designed what appears to be a revolutionary application. The back-up exists on a floppy disk. This is the UK in 1996. Surely CDs existed, or tape drives? (Or have I got it wrong?) One of the characters refers to his 'smashing teenage daughter and a pair of lively sons'. Later on, a toddler is mentioned as his 'eldest'.
Having seen some episodes of the TV series, it was hard not be be prejudiced. Barnaby, played by John Nettles, suits the role perfectly. Unless, of course, Graham did a Colin Dexter and changed the appearance and personalities of the characters. Troy is played by Daniel Casey, but on TV he seems a perfectly agreeable man!
RATING: 6.5/10