A Guilty Thing Surprised
The fifth Wexford novel published by Hutchinson in 1970
High instincts, before which our mortal nature
Did tremble like a guilty thing surprised;
… those first affections,
Those shadowy recollections,
Which, be they what they may,
Are yet the fountain light of all our day …
The discovery of Elizabeth Nightingale’s broken body in the woods near her home could not have come as a bigger shock. Called in to investigate, Chief Inspector Wexford quickly determines that the Nightingales were considered the perfect couple: wealthy, attractive and without an enemy in the world. However, someone must have been alone with Elizabeth that night in the woods. Someone who hated—or perhaps loved—her enough to beat her to death.
The case seems straightforward. But Wexford soon learns that beneath the placid surface of the Nightingales’ lives lie undercurrents and secrets no one ever suspected.
Notes
Dedication:
For Michael Richards, my cousin, with love.
Adapted for TV in 1988
longlisted for the Lost 1970 Man Booker Prize.
Contemporary Reads 1
Susan Hill - I’m the King of the Castle
Toni Morrison - The Bluest Eye
Patricia Highsmith - Ripley Under Ground
Reginald Hill - A Clubbable Woman
Joan Fleming- Young Man, I Think You’re Dying
Footnotes
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