Author: David Robinson
ISBN: 978-1-897442-15-9
Published: Virtual Tales
May 2008
http://www.virtualtales.com/Mystery/Crime/Haunting-of-Melmerby-Manor.html
Book quote:
“Scepter edged into the room and surveyed the scene. The TV, as Angie had said, lay face down on the carpet; the armchair had stopped its dancing and, along with its twin, had been upended and dropped onto the couch. The overall effect was that the suite had been made ready for the moving men. Like the hall, the walls were covered in flock wallpaper, which was hanging off in places. Above the fireplace, an Arsenal banner hung from a single drawing pin, as if someone had ripped the other end down. As she watched, the message Man. U. 4 Ever appeared across it as if sprayed by a hand wielding an invisible can of paint.”
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Melmerby is what one would call a “thumping good read”. It’s got something for everyone, and the story doesn’t hang about. There are gangsters, there are ghosts. Football fanatics (alive and deceased), con-men (nice and not-so-nice), technological shenanigans, spirits kicking up an awful rumpus while some of the living jump in on the act, a whole lot of boys running about and mainly just one girl.
The novel is the first in what is hopefully to be a series of ‘Spookies’ paranormal detective stories. The team’s name is made up out of the initials of the three (live) group members: Sceptre Rand, Pete Brennan and Kevin Keeley: S-P-K. Rather unsportingly, they haven’t included the fourth member of the team, Scepter Rand’s deceased butler Albert Fishwick (he was killed on the first day of the Somme but has been hanging about ever since). Though him, they’ve got a insider’s view of their quarry, rather after the style of ‘Randal and Hopkirk Deceased’. The fact that neither of the two men in the team are very inclined to believe in Fishwick's existence leads to some tensions within the group.
When Fishwick alerts the team to a paranormal disturbance at a council house, the team turn up for their first investigation. The poltergeist activity at the house is quite unrestrained, and when it stops they track it (again with Fishwick’s help) to Melmerby Manor, which is conveniently owned by a friend of the aristocratic Scepter. Here they set up their cameras and discover more than spooky goings on. As matters progress the team are on the run from both the criminals and the police.
The main characters bounce off each other nicely. ‘Scepter’ is an aristocratic Miss, Peter is a disgraced detective turned private eye, and Kevin is an overweight electrician turned wheeler-dealer. The characters they interact with - the police, the goons and gangsters, the long-dead nobles, enraged spirits, and the millionaire DVD pirating tycoons with very questionable family ethics, all fall into a tight web of conspiracy and fraud.
The settings range from the traditional draughty manor house to a seedy nightclub and a council house. This is a slice of ‘life’ (and death) that’s cut squarely top to bottom, with some icing, some filling and plenty of crumb at the bottom. In a story that ranges from remote-controlled espionage and trickery to 17th century bogus witch trials, it’s probably a good idea to just read the book and enjoy the ride, and forget about reviews that’ll just spoil the plot for you.
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