and as fabulously flawed as ever!
‘Death of a Scholar’ is the fourth outing of Fiorella de Maria’s Father Gabriel and it’s just as enjoyable as the previous three titles.
Father Gabriel is a flawed protagonist but not in the ‘socially inept though brilliant detective’ trope – like the famed Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot. Nor is he another Father Brown, the detective clergyman created by G.K. Chesterton, whose bumbling appearance belies an intuitive mind.
What he is though, is a subtle and nuanced character. For the reader, this proves to be an almost refreshing break from more clichéd detective fiction. De Maria is able to juxtapose Father Gabriel’s priestly vocation with his former life as husband and father which, while unusual, is executed well. Additionally, the post-war setting of these novels provides ample scope de Maria to seamlessly weave a tale into the tapestry of a Britain still grappling with the aftershocks of war.
Past and present jostle for attention in ‘Death of a scholar’ adding another layer of tension to this mystery, giving us both an interesting back story of the protagonist but also tying into the narrative theme that poses the question of how well we know the people around us and, perhaps more importantly, how well we know ourselves.
‘Death of a Scholar’ is not a tensely plotted mystery, which was absolutely perfect for my post-partum attention span, and it is a short read at 262 pages. It is, unsurprisingly with this author, a delicate character study through which the themes of scientific advancement, personal ambition and the morality and ethics of scientific enterprises are explored. Long after the novel is finished these questions linger; food for thought, or contemplation.
A quiet though excellent read. I’d highly recommend adding this to your home library.
Originally posted 2022-10-11 15:22:04.