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The Gardens of the Dead by William Brodrick

Father Anselm is an unlikely hero in detective fiction. The former barrister turned monk displays remarkable tenacity and loyalty but he is fallible, often prevaricating, often drawing false conclusions. In this regard, he is engaging human, without any of the gritty roughness so often associated with literary sleuths. Yet, in The Gardens of the Dead, William Brodrick has created an eminently English, eminently likeable, detective. Reminiscent of Josephine Tey’s The Franchise Affair, the novels unfolds with gentle twists and turns that gradually reveal the truth behind the lie, beneath the deceit. Elizabeth Glendinning QC is a barrister on the track of a criminal who out-manoeuvred her a decade ago. Her task becomes harder when she succumbs to a genetic heart condition and dies in her car in London’s East End. Her legacy is to pass the mystery on to her former colleague, Father Anselm, and she leaves him a series of pieces of information and tips which try to map his route through a labyrinth of deception. Written in lucid, sophisticated style, the plot evolves in with rigid constancy. Gripping and intriguing, this is one of the best mystery novel of the year.