Forgotten Book - The Massingham Affair

I've talked before about my admiration for the crime writing of Edward Grierson. He only published a handful of novels in the genre, but each is distinctive and well-written. I'm sure that if he'd written more books, more consistently, he would have become better-known, but he did achieve a considerable success despite following his instincts rather than the crowd.

The Massingham Affair, first published in 1962, is unlike his other crime fiction in several respects. First, it's a historical novel, set at the end of the nineteenth century. Second, it's obviously based on a real life case, the Edlingham Burglary. Third, it's set in the north east of England, scene of the crime that provided the source material. But the book, like some of Grierson's other work, displays his legal expertise and also his acute sense of irony. It was adapted for television in 1964 with a very good cast, but alas, I've not been able to trace the shows.

The story revolves around a burglary at a lonely rectory on the Northumberland moors. Two men are identified by the rector and his daughter as the culprits. The police, led by wily Superintendent Blair, are evidently determined to secure a conviction, but the evidence is tenuous. Young Justin Derry assists Gilmore, the defence barrister, but the two men are sent to prison.

Eight years later, Derry finds out something that makes him wonder if there has been a miscarriage of justice. He and a local vicar called Lumley join forces but soon Derry finds that his own life is in jeopardy. The suspense mounts and there are plenty of subtle plot developments. Grierson captures the period atmosphere impressively. I really enjoyed this book - first-rate.