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A review by robinwalter
The Elusive Bowman by Francis Vivian
funny
informative
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Another very entertaining instalment of the Inspector Knollis series. From the very start, with a quote from Roger Ascham's Toxophilus this one was all about archery, to the same extent that the preceding story, Singing Masons was all about bees, and indeed Knollis himself even refers to that adventure. When someone in this story encourages him to take up archery, he says "It isn’t many months since a man tried to persuade me to keep bees,” and then recounts the outcome of that advice.
Once again, Knollis is all business in yet another mystery where the victim was himself planning a murder before someone murdered him. At his first meeting with one of the prime suspects we read: "Rhoda Maddison wasn’t at all sure that she liked Inspector Gordon Knollis. He was a greying man in a grey suit, with grey eyes that looked down along an inquisitive nose" and this singleminded focus even unsettles his colleagues.
In the Ludovic Travers series by Christopher Bush, I love that the 'gifted amateur' has a genuine collaboration with the professionals of the police. In contrast in this story, Knollis's regular assistant Sergeant Ellis is absent and not even mentioned, so he's working only with the local Inspector, whose initial reaction to the very introspective Knollis was described this way: "This Knollis man, while utterly likeable, was as companionable as a jilted girl at her rival’s wedding." Later in the story he again complains internally about being kept continually in the dark by Knollis to such an extent that he is surprised when Knollis acts differently - "He discussed the matter thoroughly with Lancaster, to the latter’s surprise, for by now he had become reconciled to acting as Knollis’s guide and being told nothing."
Humorous asides that are sprinkled throughout the book , often reflecting Knollis's dryly cynical perception of people and society - this advice to an innocent victim of gossip probably being my favourite
remember you are living in a Christian country rife with understanding and charity, where people invent explanations suitable to themselves if they can’t find the true one
Several times through the story I chuckled while trying to keep track of the mystery - a task not made easier by the density of archery related information. I had smugly smiled at seeing "fletcher" in Ascham's invocation at the book's beginning and understannding it, but that smugness was soon erased by having to google "flat bow"
This mystery was all about archery, and Vivian clearly did his research well. All of the suspects are archers and the victim was mudered by being shot with an arrow, so the detailed references to archery practice and terminology were not just "colour", but critical to the working out of the mystery. The characters come across as very authentic enthusiasts, taking for granted that their listeners are familiar with the argot of archery, and apologetically explaining when reminded that Knollis and his colleagues are not. As a result I learned that, at least when the book was written, archers spoke of a pair when referring to a set of THREE arrows, and they called the bullseye "the gold".
The resolution of the mystery and the climax of the story were interesting too. The climax especially was a surprise, proving that one of the characters had surprising depth of commitment, despite having seemed utterly self-centred throughout the story.
Overall another interesting and informative time pass. Laid back without being bucolic, with a feel reminiscent of Golden Age mysteries but with flashes of a weary jaded cynicism that makes its early 50s setting seem a little less of a nostalgic Utopia than GA mysteries sometimes depict. It would be perfectly fine read as a standalone, but for me, the enjoyment was definitely enhanced by having being with Knollis from the start of his journey,
Once again, Knollis is all business in yet another mystery where the victim was himself planning a murder before someone murdered him. At his first meeting with one of the prime suspects we read: "Rhoda Maddison wasn’t at all sure that she liked Inspector Gordon Knollis. He was a greying man in a grey suit, with grey eyes that looked down along an inquisitive nose" and this singleminded focus even unsettles his colleagues.
In the Ludovic Travers series by Christopher Bush, I love that the 'gifted amateur' has a genuine collaboration with the professionals of the police. In contrast in this story, Knollis's regular assistant Sergeant Ellis is absent and not even mentioned, so he's working only with the local Inspector, whose initial reaction to the very introspective Knollis was described this way: "This Knollis man, while utterly likeable, was as companionable as a jilted girl at her rival’s wedding." Later in the story he again complains internally about being kept continually in the dark by Knollis to such an extent that he is surprised when Knollis acts differently - "He discussed the matter thoroughly with Lancaster, to the latter’s surprise, for by now he had become reconciled to acting as Knollis’s guide and being told nothing."
Humorous asides that are sprinkled throughout the book , often reflecting Knollis's dryly cynical perception of people and society - this advice to an innocent victim of gossip probably being my favourite
remember you are living in a Christian country rife with understanding and charity, where people invent explanations suitable to themselves if they can’t find the true one
Several times through the story I chuckled while trying to keep track of the mystery - a task not made easier by the density of archery related information. I had smugly smiled at seeing "fletcher" in Ascham's invocation at the book's beginning and understannding it, but that smugness was soon erased by having to google "flat bow"
This mystery was all about archery, and Vivian clearly did his research well. All of the suspects are archers and the victim was mudered by being shot with an arrow, so the detailed references to archery practice and terminology were not just "colour", but critical to the working out of the mystery. The characters come across as very authentic enthusiasts, taking for granted that their listeners are familiar with the argot of archery, and apologetically explaining when reminded that Knollis and his colleagues are not. As a result I learned that, at least when the book was written, archers spoke of a pair when referring to a set of THREE arrows, and they called the bullseye "the gold".
The resolution of the mystery and the climax of the story were interesting too. The climax especially was a surprise, proving that one of the characters had surprising depth of commitment, despite having seemed utterly self-centred throughout the story.
Overall another interesting and informative time pass. Laid back without being bucolic, with a feel reminiscent of Golden Age mysteries but with flashes of a weary jaded cynicism that makes its early 50s setting seem a little less of a nostalgic Utopia than GA mysteries sometimes depict. It would be perfectly fine read as a standalone, but for me, the enjoyment was definitely enhanced by having being with Knollis from the start of his journey,