Sometimes don't you just wish you had the opportunity to buy a first edition first printing of a really hilarious murder mystery about a Vicar with a talking dog and cat? Well this might not be an obvious dream but this book has star quality written all over it. Plus you can quite easily see this being adapted for the small screen - this book will stand the test of time with these incredible characters.
About this collectors item
Doodled Books is thrilled that Suzette Hill has signed, lined, dated and doodled first edition first prints of her book Bones in the Belfry. This is the second book of the series and we can't wait for the rest. This book is also numbered and there are only 5 like this in the world!
Book Description
More vicissitudes for the vicar!
Readers who enjoyed Suzette Hill’s first novel A Load Of Old Bones, will be interested to see that its sequel Bones In The Belfry is released this summer. The problems of her clerical anti-hero, the permanently panic-driven Reverend Francis Oughterard, remained unresolved at the end of the earlier book. Thus he is now plunged into further shady subterfuge as he tries to escape both the law and the attentions of awesome lady crime writer Maud Tubbly Pole. As before, he is aided, addled and abetted by his animal companions the acidic Maurice and bone-gnawing Bouncer.
The original novel was much enjoyed by those with a strong sense of the absurd and won critical praise from, among others, veteran comedy actor Leslie Phillips C.B.E., novelist Dame Beryl Bainbridge - ‘I think this is tremendous’ - and Christina Hardiment in the Times audio books review - ‘This leisurely thriller is as eccentrically English a story as can be imagined: E.F. Benson crossed with Jerome K. Jerome.’ Those familiar with A Load Of Old Bones will be pleased to find that its world of polite clerical mayhem features just as strongly in the sequel!
Synopsis
Having extricated himself from the embarrassment of murdering his lady parishioner, the Rev. Oughterard is now plunged into the traumas of art theft. Forced by the shady Nicholas Ingaza into being a fence for stolen paintings, he endures the investigative probings of terrifying female novelist and amateur sleuth, Maud Tubbly Pole, hell-bent on portraying him in her next novel. Haunted by the recent murder and fearful of exposure in his new role of 'receiver', the Reverend blunders haplessly in a mesh of intrigue and risible deceit. As before, his antics are commented upon by his cat, the acidic Maurice, and redoubtable bone-grinding ally, the dog Bouncer.
About the Author
Suzette A. Hill taught English Literature for many years at Reading College before retiring to Ledbury, Herefordshire.
Bones In The Belfry - Reviews
This dry, funny British gem, with its eccentric cast of characters, will leave readers laughing and eagerly awaiting the next episode. (Publishers’ Weekly)
A welcome return for the Rev. Francis Oughterard, Bouncer the dog and Maurice the
cat . . . . Quite why this series should be charming, astringent and witty, instead of emetically twee, I am not sure, but it is entirely delightful!
(The Guardian)
Another mystery-romp featuring Francis Oughterard, the vicar of Molehill . . . For fans of Saki, E. F. Benson and P. G. Wodehouse. (Soho Press, U. S.)
Broad humor enlivens the novel from the names of characters and places to the dialogue and trenchant observations. Fans of cozy English mysteries will enjoy the setting and characters in Bones in the Belfry, a humorous tribute to Agatha Christie and other British mystery writers. A cliffhanger ending provides scope for a sequel.
(Gumshoe Review, Aug. 2008)
A load of fun and suspense: I got a kick out of this book. Ms Hill's snappy and unmistakable British style was a treat to read – fantastic vocabulary and descriptions. There is plenty to laugh about, and a few ironic plot twists. I didn't read the first one but now I'll have to find it too.
('Zinnia' . Amazon.com reviewer)
Product Details
- First Edition First Printing
- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Constable (26 Jun 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 184529582X
- ISBN-13: 978-1845295820
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14 x 3.2 cm
