A less than tasty mystery

The mysteries of Ian Sansom are an acquired taste. I acquired that taste by the end of the first book in his Mobile Library series, but after reading a second book in his County Guides series, Death in Devon, I am not there yet.

Set in England in the 1930s, the series features Swanton Morley, a writer who seems to know everything, or at least pretends to, and his young assistant, Sefton, who acts as Watson to his Holmes, This time they go to a boys' school in Devon, where Morley is the featured speaker at an event that brings parents and wealthy donors to the school. One of the boys is found dead, apparently from an unfortunate accident. This death hardly seems to dampen festivities. Nor does it keep Morley from gathering information for his next county guide.

Sansom mysteries are, like those of Alexander McCall Smith, more character-driven than plot-driven, Sansom's characters are, however, less interesting. They talk too much, especially Morley, who soon bores readers even more than he bores other characters. He dominates every conversation, expounding trivia about every subject. Whenever he hits upon an idea that might make a topic for yet another book, he tells Sefton to make a note.

It isn't even clear in Death in Devon who the novel's true hero might be. While Morley acts the part, it is Sefton who first realizes that something is terribly wrong at this school and that what's wrong has more to do with adults than students. To get Morley to take an interest in the bizarre events going on about them, he must manipulate his boss to move in the necessary direction. At this point, of course, Morley assumes it was his idea all along. And it is Morley's own daughter, Miriam, who is most in danger.

If less humorous than the Mobile Library series, the County Guides series does have comic elements. The cases at least are more serious than missing library books. Yet one must read through most of Death in Devon to realize there even is a mystery, let alone a mystery worth turning another page to get to the bottom of.