Book description
Bullen Hall, a stately home in rural Norfolk where Anne Boleyn spent
her childhood, is desperately in need of repair and extra funding. A new
curator, Chad Shelden, is brought in to do the job, and to write the
biography of Laz Appleyard, a hero in the Hungarian fight against
communism and ancestor of the current residents of the hall. But,
shortly after his arrival, the young, romantic and artistic Shelden is
found dead in the moat, apparently having fallen from the roof before
being attacked by eels in the water. No one suspects murder - at least
not until the results of the autopsy come in. Fleeting passions, incest,
present conflicts and family reputations are all compelling motives -
but are they enough to drive anyone to murder someone they've just met?
It's up to Detective Inspector Ben Jurnet to unravel the truth from
among the dark stories surrounding Bullen Hall. Sylvia Theresa Haymon
was born in Norwich, and is best known for her eight crime fiction
novels featuring the character Inspector Ben Jurnet. Haymon also wrote
two non-fiction books for children, as well as two memoirs of her
childhood in East Anglia. The Ben Jurnet series enjoyed success in both
the UK and the US during Haymon's lifetime: Ritual Murder (1982) won the
prestigious CWA Silver Dagger Award from the Crime Writers' Association.
Stately Homicide (1984), a skilful variation on the country house
mystery, was praised by the New York Times as a 'brilliantly crafted
novel of detection...stylish serious fiction', and favourably compared
to the work of Dorothy L. Sayers.
