Dark Provenance is mystery set amid English church politics. Its protagonist is the head of the Dilapidations Board at Canterbury, who returns from a holiday to find that a colleague from his war years has died after trying to get in touch. This sets him off on an investigation which will uncover secrets concealed for fifty years and threaten the reputation of the Church. Dark Provenance never builds up a full head of steam, but Anthony does an excellent job with his central character and his plot is not too implausible — and I found the diocesan politics as interesting as the actual mystery.

August 1996

External links:

- buy from Amazon.co.uk

Related reviews:

- more detective fiction