Who killed Emily Erskine?  In this turn of the century novel, the author provides a character study of a milquetoast of a man infatuated by a woman who proudly lords her ability to manipulate him.  She agrees to marry him, and then condemns him to a life of celibacy.  When she is murdered, her hapless husband is accused of the crime and although he’s innocent, the amount of alcohol he consumed on the night in question leaves him with holes in his memory.

The Lady of the Manor is an excellent character study of a somewhat spineless man married to a trouble woman and the odd friends and servants that surround them.  Through the eyes of an uncomplicated man, the author unpeels personalities layer by layer to expose the hidden secrets that push one person to murder.  I found the story a bit slow moving at times and I became impatient with George Erskine for his simple mindedness; however, the depth with which the author analyses motives and personalities leaves the reader guessing at each suspect and marveling at how George will be able to extricate himself from the circumstantial evidence which damns him.  While I found the main character to be somewhat unsympathetic because of his naiveté (and that’s my own character flaw), I believe this book to be worth the read.

August 11, 2008