Wycliffe and the Dunes (Book Review)

     W J Burley Wycliffe and the Dunes Mystery (1993) Six teens have an end-of-term party in a chalet by the sea, a stranger drops by, he dies, the teens bury his body. Fifteen years later, it’s discovered by a dog. He’s the missing son of a politician, and the broken bones are consistent with murder. And that’s where it starts. It ends when after one of the now 30-something teens kills himself, and a second murder is solved.
    I like these stories (and also the videos based on them). Burley’s low-key narration, in which he drops details of scene, memory, appearance, food, and anything else that catches his attention, creates a seeming-complete world, which we are glad to inhabit despite the somewhat excessive murder rate. Wycliffe has aged somewhat. He’s happy to have an excuse to get away from his desk. His relation with his colleagues is easygoing and mutually respectful: they make a good team. The other characters are vivid enough to stick in one’s memory long enough to make the resolution of the puzzle feel significant. This time, the puzzle is solved about 2/3rds of the way through, but we read on, enjoying how Wycliffe, Kersey, Lane and the others assemble the fragments of fact that will make the murder-narrative convincing enough to justify the inevitable arrest. I think this series is under-rated. ***