W. J. Burley. Wycliffe and the Three-Toed Pussy (1968), & Wycliffe and Death in a Salubrious Place (1973)

     W. J. Burley. Wycliffe and the Three-Toed Pussy (1968) The Pussy in question is Pussy Welles, who has a slight deformity, revealed when her killer strips the deformed leg of its stocking. Pussy was bad, Burley doesn’t use the word “psychotic”, but that’s what she was. Wycliffe digs up her past (as he always does), and her past holds the key. Psychologically not believable these days, but I suppose in 1968 it seemed plausible, since Freud’s baleful influence on psychology still had its effects. I’ve noticed that Wycliffe’s sidekick seems to change with each book. Does Burley not keep track, or does he not want to be burdened with having to develop another relationship? Wycliffe’s marriage is barely hinted at, which suggests that Burley doesn’t want to deal with it; perhaps he was afraid that whatever he shows us of Wycliffe’s relationship to his wife, it would reflect on himself. ** (2005)

     W. J. Burley. Wycliffe and Death in a Salubrious Place (1973) I seem to be on a Wycliffe

kick, I guess they are easy and pleasant enough to take my mind off my worries (mostly having to do with the commitments I’ve made: volunteering is getting to be as stressful as working.) A girl is found dead in a quarry on the Scilly Isles, and a local pop-star is the favourite suspect. But when he is killed, too, it’s clear that the murderers are islanders, and Wycliffe gets the final help he needs to solve the case. Not that it matters, as the one murderer sets a fire that kills them both. Another well done puzzle, but with less human interest than most Wycliffe books (not that any of them are all that subtle in characterisation.) Books like these, with simple but well differentiated characters, are probably the best source for TV series, as the scriptwriter, director, and actor can add the subtleties that attract the viewer enough to care about the characters.. ** (2005)