Judging by the title, one might think that Twelve Drummers Drumming is set at Christmastime, but this is not so. The story does however, feature a vicar named Tom Christmas, who would really rather not be addressed as “Father Christmas,” thank you, and the character of Tom Christmas is one of the delights of this mystery.
The Reverend Tom Christmas, an English vicar whose wife was savagely murdered in the church of his former Bristol parish, has recently relocated himself and his young daughter, Miranda, to the pastoral English village of Thornford Regis. The small village is not as peaceful as Tom would wish, though, and while attending the May Fair Tom discovers the murdered corpse of Sybella, a teenage girl who was infamous for getting into trouble. Tom, who is still haunted by the unsolved death of his wife, feels compelled to investigate the murder of this young woman, all the while worrying that the small and seemingly idyllic village may not be as safe as he had hoped.
While the characters of Tom and Miranda are complex and delightful, the same cannot be said of most of the characters who inhabit the village, many of whom seem to be merely types with little depth to make them seem sympathetic. These include Madrun, the snooping vicarage housekeeper, whose gossipy letters to her mother are interleaved throughout the book; Sebastian, Tom’s young assistant, who is suspiciously secretive; Liam, a former criminal whose violent temper makes him the perfect suspect for any violent crime; Mitsuko, Liam’s artistic wife, who seems to care more for art than for people; Julia, Tom’s sister-in-law, who is both desperately lonely and guilty; and Alastair, Julia’s doctor-husband, who is cold and emotionally absent from his marriage.
While many of the characters seemed dislikable to me, Twelve Drummers Drumming does offer convoluted plotting and the portrayal of a close and witty relationship between a father and his daughter. Additionally, the character of Tom Christmas often addresses some serious questions, such as how is one to balance belief that people are basically good in a world in which meaningless violence touches all of us. Tom’s profession of vicar also often conflicts with his role of self-appointed sleuth, and part of the suspense is finding out how Tom will resolve these two callings.
If you enjoy character-driven mysteries with eccentric amateur sleuths, you may well enjoy Twelve Drummers Drumming.
(Delacort Press, 2011)
Comments