Fate Worse Than Death

In her fifth book, Radley (The Quiet Road to Death once again displays her gift for depicting life in the English countryside. Chief Inspector Douglas Quantrill is called on to investigate the death of a young woman who had disappeared on the eve of her wedding. The insular Suffolk village locals seem to close ranks against Quantrill and his young aide Hilary Lloyd, who suspect some of them of conspiracy in an illegal scheme. Quantrill's problems are complicated by the presence of ambitious Inspector Martin Tait, involved with Quantrill's daughter and trying to convice his rich Aunt Con to reinstate him in her will. After a leisurely setting of scene and tone, the book explodes with incident: an aristocratic horsewoman disappears, the villagers' plot is exposed, Aunt Con apparently kills herself, the kidnapper is uncovered and meets a grisly end. Plot here is secondary to local flavor, but the flavor is delicious. (March)