The Riddle of Samson is a mystery from English journalist and crime novelist Andrew Garve, the pseudonym of Paul Winterton. I have always enjoyed his writing, and Samson offers a complex plot in a setting so unique it is almost a character itself.
Located off the coast of Cornwall, England, lie the Scilly Islands. Comprised of St. Mary's (the largest), Bryher, Tresco and St. Martin's (to the north), and the uninhabited Samson to the west - all encompassed within just 30 square miles - indeed, you can walk between the islands at shallow tide. While mostly rugged moorland, the ideal weather on par with the French Riviera allows their main export - bulb and flower marketing.
John Lavery has visited many times - as a university history lecturer he is intrigued by the Celtic chapel ruins on Samson, and plans to have a 'dig' with George, a fellow enthusiast. Amongst the holiday-goers in the pub, John meets Olivia, a journalist's wife tired of travel and of her loud, braggart husband, Ronnie. They meet again the next day, and John shows her his excavation site on barren Samson, until...Olivia misses the last ferry back to St. Mary's. The only option is to share his tent for the night. Nothing improper happens, but Ronnie is enraged when he learns of it, and confronts them as they explore the cliffside. Suddenly - amid their denials, with Ronnie becoming more agitated - he slips and falls backwards into the sea. John jumps into the raging surf, but Ronnie has disappeared. Help arrives, and the rocky coast and grottos are searched to no avail. Their story is told and it is declared a sad accident. However...
It is known that Ronnie was angry they spent a night together, and it surfaces that Ronnie had a substantial life insurance policy. Word amongst the islands spreads quickly. With Olivia returned to England, it is up to John to deny the growing police investigation that John and Olivia planned the murder of Ronnie for the money so they could run away together. His unfound body could be buried in the excavation dig!
John begins his own investigation, and realizes (as much as the police story could technically be true), there are mounting clues that Olivia set him up as scapegoat for a murder she planned all along.
This mystery kept me engaged, and even when the facts are presented, it was hard to see which explanation was the truth. A good sign for a mystery. I found the setting of the Scilly Islands fascinating, I didn't know they existed. This also has other subplots including smuggling and drug running that blend into the mystery nicely.
Twisted with a few hair raising action sequences. Garve does not disappoint.
My other reviews for Andrew Garve thrillers:
1954 / Paperback / 192 pages
コメント