Can you name a mystery about bell ringing? Of course--The Nine Tailors, by Dorothy L. Sayers. How about another? Well, this book about small-town British coppers Chief Inspector Barnaby and Sergeant Troy might qualify: it begins when a young female campanologist in the village of Fawcett Green fails to show up for practice. Was Simone Hollingsworth kidnapped for ransom? Was her doting new husband involved? Or does her disappearance have something to do with her snooping neighbors--especially the neighbor's obsessive daughter? As she did so well in Written in Blood, Caroline Graham captures the inwardly seething inhabitants of a supposedly placid village with the skill of an expert entomologist observing an anthill. And Barnaby and Troy are once again the perfect pair: the chief inspector's calm introspection is a fine match for the younger, brasher officer's occasional outbursts and blunders. Not the least of Graham's accomplishments is keeping the subgenre of the traditional British village mystery fresh and meaningful. --Dick Adler


From Publishers Weekly
Witty characterizations coupled with some astute reflections on life in a remote English village more than make up for a dearth of solid suspects in Graham's latest addition to the Inspector Barnaby series (Written in Blood, 1995). Pampered housewife Simone Hollingsworth vanishes. Her workaholic hubby, Alan, hides out, hits the bottle hard and subsequently dies of poisoning. Timid next-door neighbor Brenda Brockley also disappears, as does local artist Sarah Lawson, beloved of Gray Patterson, a financially ruined software designer and onetime business partner of Alan Hollingsworth. Since Alan once ripped poor Gray off to buy a fancy piece of jewelry for the vapid, if decorous Simone, Gray's looking more than a wee bit guilty. Eventually, a ransom message is delivered for Simone, and Brenda is revealed to have been involved in a secret romance. Series copper Barnaby is an unobtrusive detective who plods for the most part and is aided by surly subordinate Sergeant Troy, a ladies' man and chronic snob. What distinguishes this series from run-of-the-mill English country fare is Graham's dry wit, which is especially smooth when turned on the banality of English middle-class repression: "Now, as she slid the little aluminum tray from its temptingly illustrated sleeve, she thought how very reassuring frozen comestibles were. Constrained beneath a glittery crust of sterile crystals, they did not leak or smell or ask to be in any way humanly dealt with." Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Inspector Barnaby (Written in Blood, LJ 3/1/95) arrives in Fawcett Green looking for clues to the disappearance of a bell-ringer and the subsequent murder of her husband. Great stuff for British procedural fans.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Faithful Unto Death has more plot twists and turns than an English lane. Life in a rural village isn't as quiet as it appears, nor are the inhabitants as innocent as they'd like to appear. Hugh Ross is an excellent reader, and the characters come vividly to life through his voice. There are a number of villagers, both male and female of all ages, as well as police officers brought in to cope with suspicious disappearances and death. Ross seems to enjoy the story as he slips from one voice to another. His enthusiastic narration is so contagious the listener becomes totally engaged with the novel from beginning to end. D.M.W. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Here's an intricate and shocking British mystery, the latest installment in the Chief Inspector Barnaby series. When a young married woman disappears, nearly everyone in the village of Fawcett Green has an opinion. Did she leave her husband? Was she murdered? Did she just wander off, planning to return eventually? Barnaby collects a lot of theories--but not much hard evidence--as he tries to determine if a crime has even been committed. Readers who follow the engaging chief inspector on his seemingly pointless quest for answers will be amply rewarded: the conclusion of this excellent novel is truly surprising--plausible and satisfying, yet from far enough out in left field to be entirely unexpected. What begins as a seemingly typical British small-town mystery ends as an eyebrow-raising shocker that will leave readers feeling a little dizzy. Lovers of British mysteries who haven't yet sampled Graham's work will find this an excellent place to start. David Pitt


From Kirkus Reviews
A rewarding entry in the British police genre featuring reflective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby and his frequently obnoxious sidekick Sergeant Troy (Written in Blood, 1995 etc.). The tiny, gossipy village of Fawcett Green is on Barnabys turf, and strange things are happening there. Beautiful, fragile blond Simone Hollingsworth has disappeared in what soon appears to be a kidnaping for ransom, and her adoring husband is drinking himself into oblivion at Nightingales, their overdecorated house. Next door at the Larches live uptight Reg and Iris Brockley and their cruelly plain daughter Brenda, who is secretly obsessed with Hollingsworth. Her parents keep a sharp eye on their neighbor until Brenda, too, vanishes. When Hollingsworth is found dead of a prescription drug overdosea goodbye message on his computerBarnaby is unconvinced its suicide. His attention turns to Gray Patterson, cheated in business by Hollingsworth and once arrested for attacking him. But Pattersons energies seem focused now on Sarah Lawson, a reticent artist living in Bay Tree Cottage whose coming and goings carry their own mystery. The complex resolution of all this and more leaves Barnaby in a state of mind that combines satisfaction with frustration. Graham writes in an old-fashioned waywith leisurely grace, ironic wit, real-seeming characters, ongoing suspense, and a corker of a plot. The result: top-flight entertainment. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
"Barnaby applies his logical mind to the many false clues in this cunning case, but it takes all his acquired insights into human psychology to distinguish the killer from all the other cuckoo characters who live and thrive in the mad, mad world of Fawcett Green." --The New York Times Book Review

"Simply the best detective writer since Agatha Christie." --The Sunday Times of London

"Satisfies on every level: wicked humor, intricate plotting, and razor-sharp characterizations." --Philadelphia Inquirer



Review
"Barnaby applies his logical mind to the many false clues in this cunning case, but it takes all his acquired insights into human psychology to distinguish the killer from all the other cuckoo characters who live and thrive in the mad, mad world of Fawcett Green." --The New York Times Book Review

"Simply the best detective writer since Agatha Christie." --The Sunday Times of London

"Satisfies on every level: wicked humor, intricate plotting, and razor-sharp characterizations." --Philadelphia Inquirer



Book Description
When bored young housewife Simone Hollingsworth misses bell-ringing practice-her latest effort to find something to do-no one is surprised. In fact, if old Mrs. Molfrey, her neighbor, didn't report it to Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby, Simone's disappearance might have gone unrecorded in Fawcett Green. But ever Barnaby isn't concerned-until a body is found.

Soon Barnaby is uncovering the passionate entanglements beneath the placid surface of Fawcett Green-and perhaps jeopardizing his career. Now, if he misconstrues the clue buried in Simone's garden-and a subtlety of human behavior his experienced eye should spot-a brutal killer may go free...



About the Author
Caroline Graham lives in Suffolk, England. She has an M.A. in writing for the theater and has written several plays for both radio and theater, as well as the Chief Inspector Barnaby novels, which have been adapted for television..

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Quiet as the grave, the village of Fawcett Green is no place for a vacantly pretty, vividly blonde, and terribly bored young wife. So when Simone Hollingsworth misses bell-ringing practice-her latest effort to find something to do-no one is surprised. In fact, if old Mrs. Moffet, her neighbor, didn't eventually report her disappearance to Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby, the fact that Simone had vanished might have gone unrecorded.But even Barnaby isn't concerned-until a body is found.

Soon Inspector Barnaby is uncovering the passionate entanglements beneath the placid surface of Fawcett Green-and perhaps making the worst mistake of his career. Now, if he misconstrues the clue buried in Simone's garden-and a subtlety of human behavior his experienced eye should spot-a wicked killer may go free...

HIGH PRAISE FOR CAROLINE GRAHAM AND FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH

"Inspector Tom Barnaby, the resident copper in this series, applies his logical mind to the many false clues in this cunning case, but it takes all his acquired insights into human psychology to distinguish the killer from all the other cuckoo characters who live and thrive in the mad, mad world of Fawcett Green." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Intricate and shocking...The conclusion of this excellent novel is truly surprising-plausible and satisfying.... Lovers of British mysteries who haven't yet sampled Graham's work will find this an excellent place to start." (Booklist)

"Graham makes her characters humanly believable in her witty and tragic novel, a real winner... An uncommonly appealing novel." (Publishers Weekly)

"A rewarding entry in the British police genre featuring reflective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby...Graham writes in an old-fashioned way with leisurely grace, ironic wit, real-seeming characters, ongoing suspense, and a corker of a plot. The result: top-flight entertainment." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Graham expertly balances low-key style of detection with a rich variety of disparate characters." (San Francisco Chronicle)

"Fawcett Green: an ideal setting for a comfortable English cozy, you'd think. For only about a page or so, until Caroline Graham's incisive, almost savage take on village quaintness opens your eyes. And then come the surprises." (Philadelphia Inquirer)

"Fans of English writer Caroline Graham's Chief Inspector Barnaby mysteries will want to queue up to read FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH. Graham's dry wit is on full display in this seemingly cozy tale." (Orlando Sentinel)

"Great stuff for British procedural fans." (Library Journal)

"Terrific...with an ingenious plot and excellent characters and characterizations." (The Guardian - UK)

"Caroline Graham's latest Inspector Barnaby novel is one to savor." (Manchester Evening News - UK)

"Graham is probably the most underrated British crime writer. Her talent is rare, combining wit, pathos, and an entertaining narrative. Here she takes the 'mayhem parva' so beloved by Christie fans and weaves her own magic into it. Brilliant." (Yorkshire Post - UK)