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Disappointing ending
The Norfolk Mystery is the story of Stephen Sefton, who, jobless and desperate for money after drifting through a few teaching jobs and fighting in Spain, becomes a writer's research assistant. Swanton Morley, the writer, churns out dozens of newspaper articles and books on any topic imaginable. His latest project is a set of guidebooks for every county in England, starting with Norfolk.
Sefton and Morley travel to a small village to begin their research, only to find themselves stuck there after they discover the vicar's dead body and become embroiled in the investigation as to what happened.
Morley is completely obnoxious--he knows everything and talks constantly, and much of what he says is in Latin. Sefton is okay as a character even though his main contribution to the narrative is to feel embarrassed on Morley's behalf. We meet a colorful cast of characters in this story, some of them reasonably amusing, and then the book ends in a horrible letdown as Morley magically solves the case and you find that there wasn't really a mystery at all.
I might try other books by this author, but I don't think I'll return to this series.
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