This time, John and Arthur end up stranded in a snowstorm on the way to Devon with a van full of arcane objects and theatrical props (of course they do – Arthur is involved) while the Unit is again under threat from Whitehall who have unleashed a Royal Visit on them at a very difficult time. Two deaths have to be solved simultaneously, one in the snowbound road and one in the Unit itself.
As always, Fowler writes with wit, insight and an excellent sense of his characters. It’s a very good, well told and well paced mystery. However, Arthur and John when out of London are never quite as satisfying; Arthur’s inexhaustible fund of arcane London knowledge is a source of immense pleasure to me, but in a snowbound location in the country it doesn’t have much of a chance to shine. This is still a very good read and a cut above a lot of crime fiction, but isn’t one of my favourites in the series.
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