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Bettina Whitelaw is a grand dame of the English literary scene. Approaching eighty, with a beautiful flat in Holland Park and a comfortable income, her life is not dissimilar to that of her wealthy, elegant neighbours. But her background most certainly is. Brought up in Bundaroo, a small town in the Australian outback, Bettina's childhood was dominated by the relentlessly blazing sun, the long daily walk to school, and by the simmering animosities of smalltown life. Aged sixteen, Bettina managed to escape to begin her literary career in Europe. But now, more than sixty years later, her past is coming back to haunt her. As she embarks upon the painful process of writing her memoirs, images from her childhood begin to re-surface. And when her former housekeeper is the victim of a violent attack, Bettina begins to realise that she herself is in serious danger, a danger that has its roots in a small, dusty outback town.
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Eighteen and eighty sat regarding each other across the Holland Park flat, calculation and world-weariness instinct in the eyes of the younger woman. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Eighteen and eighty sat regarding each other across the Holland Park flat, calculation and world-weariness instinct in the eyes of the younger woman. Read the first page
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Robert Barnard, currently lives with his wife in Yorkshire. He was born in Essex on 23 November, 1936. Educated at the Royal Grammar School in Colchester and at Balliol College, Oxford, taking his Ph.D. from the University of Bergen, Norway, in 1972, he spent many years as a distinguished academic while establishing himself as one of today's most distinguished crime writers. His fascination with the pure detective story is evident in his many novels.
This is crime writing at a slower pace, but none the worse for that. Robert Barnard books are slower paced than a lot of modern day crime writer's but they are interesting and easy reading and I find them very enjoyable.
This story is about Bettina Whitelaw, a grand dame of the English literary scene. Now almost eighty and living an extremely comfortable existence in Holland Park, Bettina's life is not dissimilar to that of many of her wealthy neighbors. But it wasn't always like that. She had come from humbled beginning in a small town in the Australian outback. Not until she was sisteen did she manage to escape the hardship and poverty and begin her literary career in Europe.
Now more than sixty years on images from her childhood begin to resurface and when her former housekeeper is violently attacked, Bettina realises that she, herself is in serious danger, a danger that has its roots in a small Australian outback town.
This is crime writing at a slower pace, but none the worse for that. Robert Barnard books are slower paced than a lot of modern day crime writer's but they are interesting and easy reading and I find them very enjoyable.
This story is about Bettina Whitelaw, a grand dame of the English literary scene. Now almost eighty and living an extremely comfortable existence in Holland Park, Bettina's life is not dissimilar to that of many of her wealthy neighbors. But it wasn't always like that. She had come from humbled beginning in a small town in the Australian outback. Not until she was sisteen did she manage to escape the hardship and poverty and begin her literary career in Europe.
Now more than sixty years on images from her childhood begin to resurface and when her former housekeeper is violently attacked, Bettina realises that she, herself is in serious danger, a danger that has its roots in a small Australian outback town.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Thoroughly unconvincing. Barnard's lit. criticism is much better than his crime books.
8 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A very disappointing book.Very pretentious and not up to the standard one has come to expect from Robert Barnard. It is difficult to believe that this boring novel was written by the author of the highley entertaining `Little Victims`.
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