Robert Blair was about to knock off from a slow day at his law firm when the phone rang. It was Marion Sharpe on the line, a local woman of quiet disposition who lived with her mother at their decrepit country house, The Franchise. It appeared that she was in some serious trouble: Miss Sharpe and her mother were accused of brutally kidnapping a demure young woman named Betty Kane. Miss Kane's claims seemed highly unlikely, even to Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard, until she described her prison -- the attic room with its cracked window, the kitchen, and the old trunks -- which sounded remarkably like The Franchise. Yet Marion Sharpe claimed the Kane girl had never been there, let alone been held captive for an entire month! Not believing Betty Kane's story, Solicitor Blair takes up the case and, in a dazzling feat of amateur detective work, solves the unbelievable mystery that stumped even Inspector Grant.
While it is an interesting mystery, it mostly concerns the lawyer Robert Blair and his growth as a person and his asking of questions about the rut he's in.
The mystery at the centre, and the catalyst for change, is a accusation of beating and kidnapping on the part of two reclusive women, one of whom attracts Robert. But who is right and who is wrong? It's more racist than sexist but it is reflective of the time. I often tell people who wonder what life was like at a certain time to read contemporary fiction, it offers an insight into the psyche of the time that is often interesting and instructive.
The world it shows is quite stratified and quite strange to modern eyes and some of the description shows the bias of the author. But it was interesting, not as much for the mystery, but for the characters.
Reading updates
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1 December, 2008:
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1 December, 2008:
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