The Bones in the Attic

March 11, 2002
In this superbly written suspense novel from British author Barnard (Unholy Dying, etc.), former soccer star Matt Harper, now a television and radio personality, is the new owner of Elderholm, one of a small street of sturdy old houses in Leeds. As he and his remodeling contractor take a look around the attic, they come upon the skeleton of a toddler-sized child. The deeper Matt and Det. Sgt. Charlie Peace probe, the more certain they become that the child met its tragic death in 1969, the same fateful summer Matt had spent in this very community. A public appeal for information nets Matt an anonymous letter, confirming his suspicion that, as a seven-year-old youngster, he had seen or heard more than he was consciously aware. As Matt tracks down and talks with his old playmates from that summer, he connects fragments from his own memories with the information all of these provide. The conclusion isn't pleasant: some way, somehow, the kids he'd played alongside were involved. Some or all of them knew the truth about what had happened to the baby in the attic. Who of them had actually done the deed? Was it Rory? Drinking seemed to be his only solace. And what of Caroline? She had long since lost connection with most of reality. One by one, Matt delves into the past and present lives of his former companions. And slowly the circle narrows. Barnard quickly pulls his readers into the plot and holds them there right through the final pages, leaving them, along with his hero, pondering further possibilities. (Apr. 23)FYI:An eight-time Edgar nominee, Barnard has won the Nero Wolfe Award as well as Anthony, Agatha and Macavity awards.

April 1, 2002
Master storyteller Barnard (The Corpse at the Haworth Tandoori) focuses on an old house in Leeds, where new owner Matt Harper, a TV personality, discovers the skeleton of a small child in the attic. Police say the skeleton has been there for 30 years which means that Matt was in the area at the time the child died. A skillful rendering.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2002
Barnard ushers his fans on another excursion through murder and mayhem in the north of England. A nasty event that occurred a few decades earlier is discovered when Matt Harper, a TV and radio star and former "footballer," buys an old house in Leeds for himself and his family. Between buying the house and actually moving in, Matt finds the skeleton of a child in the attic. Detective Sergeant Charlie Peace is officially in charge of the case, but Matt carries on his own investigation, including ransacking his own memory. He is familiar with the neighborhood because he stayed there with his aunt back in the hot summer of 1969, which is when, the forensic specialists estimate, the body was placed in the attic. Matt is interested in looking up the people who used to live on the block. What part does the hippie couple who were squatters in one of the houses play in the mysterious affair? As always, Barnard is absolutely compelling.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)