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The Hidden Assassinsby: Robert Wilson |
A Finer Endby Deborah CrombieDo you consider anything with a paranormal twist flaky, bunk, crap, hogwash and pure nonsense? Or perhaps you admit that there are things beyond our usual knowledge of which we're not normally aware? In either case, perhaps you should read Deborah Crombie's A Finer End. Set in England, a country steeped in history since the dawn of time, A Finer End includes characters with both viewpoints. Ms. Crombie has managed to combine realism with the supernatural using one of England's famous locations – the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey and the High Tor which overlooks it.Anyone who has actually witnessed 'automatic writing' will have difficulty attempting to disparage it; the most anyone can do is to claim it's a product of the subconscious. And in some cases, perhaps it is. In A Finer End, however, the writing seems to be a communication from a monk, dead for many centuries, and written in Latin. Jack Montfort, an architect with a healthy disdain for everything New Age, including Ley lines and crop circles, etc. etc. etc – finds himself the recipient of the Latin message in a totally unfamiliar handwriting – yet unquestionably penned with his own hand! A number of important characters appear throughout the novel before the arrival of Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James from Scotland Yard. Duncan is Jack Montfort's cousin, arriving in response to a call from Jack, and bringing Gemma with him – supposedly both on a holiday. The other characters, all living in or around Glastonbury, are Faith Wills, an adolescent pregnant girl kicked out by her family and subsequently taken in by a woman named Garnet. Garnet lives in an unmodernized farmhouse, makes tiles for a living, and happens to be a firm believer in ancient magic, including the power of The Goddess. Nick Carlisle is a handsome young man who left his famous mother's care and is now permanently residing in Glastonbury, working in a bookshop. He falls for Faith at first sight. Winnie Catesby is a cleric, presently living with her brother Andrew, and recently enamored of Jack Montfort. Fiona Finn Allen is a well-known successful artist, painting on inner demand. Fiona's paintings have recently all included the same female child, and her husband Bram, who owns the gallery where most of her work is displayed, has refused to hang them. Simon Fitzstephen is an historian with a number of scholarly books to his credit concerning the Grail. Each of these people play significant roles in the story, and when Duncan and Gemma finally arrive on the scene, they find themselves becoming increasingly involved in spite of the fact that Duncan is completely out of his jurisdiction. This is something he must face when one of the characters is intentionally run down and another is murdered. Inspector Greely, the local detective, is less than helpful. In his bungling attempts to force a confession, he manages to accuse first one then another of the survivors who couldn't possibly have committed the crime. Music also has an influential role – especially an ancient, secreted Gregorian chant. It seems that the powers of Darkness and Light are forever in an unceasing battle for supremacy in Glastonbury, and the monk's chant is a pivotal force. Jack's automatic writing points toward discovery of this lost chant. Deborah Crombie is at her best in A Finer End. The reader, along with Kincaid, is led to believe the murderer is one person, when Duncan suddenly realizes the circumstances also fit another individual. As the real murderer is eventually apprehended, events of a past situation are uncovered, explaining some of the odd behaviors of certain characters. A Finer End then brings a most satisfactory conclusion to both ancient and more recent evils. After reading any of Ms. Crombie's novels, you would swear Deborah Crombie lived in England instead of in Texas. The English countryside comes to vivid life under her influence, and the power of her description makes the reader acutely aware of the mystical attractions of Glastonbury, whether or not you happen to believe in such things! In addition to being an important step in the ongoing saga of Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, A Finer End is a challenge to your beliefs – and a challenge which cannot be resolved until you travel to Glastonbury yourself. Alan Paul Curtis |
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