A Book of 1987: The Skeleton in the Grass by Robert Barnard

It is 1936 and Sarah Causeley has been hired as a governess for the Hallams, who have three grown children and one "afterthought," six-year-old Chloe. The family, with their open and affectionate behavior, is a new experience for Sarah, whose parents showed little emotion and were not supportive in her desire to explore the world beyond their village.

We see the events of 1936 through Sarah's eyes, but also via the educated and well-read Hallams, and the villagers. The King is spending time with a divorced woman. Civil war is breaking out in Spain. One of the Hallam sons goes to Spain to take part in the fighting. And during all of this, because the Hallams are pacifists, malicious pranks are carried out on the grounds of Hallam House. The last prank results in a death and the Hallams are the logical suspects. From that time on, life at Hallam House is less idyllic.

This is my submission for the Crimes of the Century meme at Past Offences, and the year for this month is 1987. However, since this novel is historical fiction, set mainly in 1936 and occasionally a decade or two later, I learned more about the 1930s than 1987.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It is a quiet story and is really more about the times and the people than a mystery, but that type of novel appeals to me. I did like how the culprit was revealed in the end. Publisher's Weekly said: "Remarkably inventive British author Barnard recreates England in the mid-1930s in this spellbinding mystery."

Some have compared this book to another of Barnard's novels, Out of the Blackout, a story about a man who grew up in London but was evacuated to the country during the 1940s. His parents never came to pick him up after the Blitz ended, and, as an adult, he has strange memories of his childhood in London. I have read that book and liked it but honestly cannot remember how it compares to this one.

I have been a fan of Robert Barnard for years. I like his standalone books and his series books, and fortunately I still have many unread. At the Gregory & Co. website, there is a remembrance written by Martin Edwards.

Two other very good reviews are at Letters from a Hill Farm and Mystery*File.

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Publisher:   Charles Scribner's Sons, 1987
Length:      199 pages
Format:      Hardcover
Setting:      UK, 1936
Genre:        Mystery
Source:      I purchased my copy.