Wycliffe and the House of Fear
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4.2 • 6 Ratings
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
A troubling disappearance. A puzzling mystery. A new investigation for Detective Wycliffe.
Detective Superintendent Wycliffe is holidaying in Cornwall when he meets the intriguing Kemp family. The Kemps have lived in Kellycork, their decaying family seat, for almost 500 years and have a tragic history. Roger Kemp's first wife disappeared mysteriously in what was presumed to be a boating accident and now the Kemps are struggling to maintain their family home. When Roger's wealthy second wife, Bridget, also disappears Wycliffe is inevitably drawn into the case.
Wycliffe is troubled by the dysfunctional family he is investigating. Can the loss of their mother account for the Kemp children's strange behaviour or is there a more sinister explanation? And why is his main suspect doing so little to save himself?
Why readers love W.J. Burley:
'First-class, old-time, hyper-ingenious whodunit.' Observer
'You can always count on Wycliffe ... he inevitably guarantees a good story, convincing characters and appealing landscape ' Financial Times
'Wycliffe teases out the truth with delicate skill that leaves the reader intrigued and convinced.' Mail on Sunday
'Gripping.' The Times
Fans of Ruth Rendell, Val McDermid and Peter Robinson will love W.J. Burley:
1. Wycliffe and the Three-Toed P***y
2. Wycliffe and How to Kill a Cat
3. Wycliffe and the Guilt Edged Alibi
4. Wycliffe and Death in a Salubrious Place
5. Wycliffe and Death in Stanley Street
6. Wycliffe and the Pea-Green Boat
7. Wycliffe and the School Bullies
8. Wycliffe and the Scapegoat
9. Wycliffe in Paul's Court
10. Wycliffe's Wild Goose Chase
11. Wycliffe and the Beales
12. Wycliffe and the Four Jacks
13. Wycliffe and the Quiet Virgin
14. Wycliffe and the Winsor Blue
15. Wycliffe and the Tangled Web
16. Wycliffe and the Cycle of Death
17. Wycliffe and the Dead Flautist
18. Wycliffe and the Last Rites
19. Wycliffe and the Dunes Mystery
20. Wycliffe and the House of Fear
21. Wycliffe and the Redhead
22. Wycliffe and the Guild of Nine
* Each Inspector Wycliffe novel can be read as part of a series or as a standalone*
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Charles Wycliffe's 20th case (after Wycliffe and the Dunes Mystery) begins as he is on holiday with his wife in Cornwall, where he becomes interested in the 500-year-old estate of Kellycoryk and its family, the Kemps. The manor at Kellycoryk has fallen into ruin and is barely habitable. To save it, Roger Kemp, to whom heritage matters above all else, must either sell outright or lease it to the company owned by his wealthy second wife Bridget, who plans to make it a tourist resort. Roger, with "a knack for turning misfortune into... calamity," becomes the prime suspect when Bridget goes missing and the evidence points to murder. Wycliffe's natural curiosity becomes official when he takes over the investigation and turns his attention to the boating death of Roger's first wife, all while sorting out the Kemp family's festering relationships. Intuition, experience and factual inconsistencies lead him toward the solution of both deaths, but not before an apparently guilt-induced suicide occurs. This skilled blend of mood, character and plot will likely be read in one sitting.
