The Return of Captain John Emmett

Londoner Laurence Bartram, three years after coming home from WWI a shell of his former self, starts to reawaken at the outset of this moving mystery debut from British classics scholar Speller (Following Hadrian). The young widower begins probing the apparent suicide of fellow veteran John Emmett%E2%80%94whom he remembers most vividly as a fearless schoolboy%E2%80%94primarily as an excuse to see Emmett's fetching sister, Mary. But as Bartram and his intrepid friend, Charles Carfax, uncover Emmett's role in the execution of a "boy officer" court-martialed for desertion%E2%80%94as well as discover how many others involved have subsequently met with suspicious ends%E2%80%94the investigation becomes compelling in its own right. It also spurs Bartram to finally confront some hard truths about himself. Though Speller eventually falters with an overreliance on coincidence, for the most part she delivers an elegant, engrossing read. (July)