Hamilton Crane - Miss Seeton Flies High

Rating: 3/5

Review:
Not a classic Miss Seeton

I have thoroughly enjoyed all the Miss Seeton books I have read, but I'm afraid that I didn't find this one quite so good.  It has its moments, but Miss Seeton herself is a slightly tangential character for quite a lot of the book, and it is only when she is the subject of the narrative that the book has the charm of many of its predecessors.

There is a long, long set-up involving a possible kidnapping near Glastonbury and the inheritance shenanigans of a rather unconvincing family in the same area, during which Miss Seeton is a minor, almost unrelated character.  In addition it all seemed uncharacteristically laboured and even rather clunky at times, so having slogged through about a third of the book (around 100 pages in old money) I came close to giving up.  Fortunately, at this point Miss Seeton herself becomes the focus as she takes a brief holiday in Glastonbury and is her usual delightful self.  "Hamilton Crane" also gives a lovely portrait of Glastonbury in 1976 (I knew it a little around then as I lived in both Bath and Bristol and visited sometimes), and captures the blend of ghastly nonsense and endless shops selling little figurines of Merlin with the undoubted beauty and sense of spirituality of the area.

Later, the book again reverts mainly to police activity and some pretty thinly-stretched deductions from Miss Seeton's pictures, even making the very generous allowances I'm happy to apply to this series.  As a whole, then, I found it a bit of a disappointment.  This came as a surprise because the Miss Seeton series under all three authors including recent additions by "Hamilton Crane" has been characterised by excellent writing and a lovely lightness of touch, which seemed to be rather dimmed in Miss Seeton Flies High.  I will, of course look forward to a return to form (and hopefully to The Village) in the next book, but I'm afraid I can only give this one a very qualified recommendation.

(My thanks to Farrago Books for an ARC via NetGalley.)