The Beales are an oddity in the village: Roman Catholic in a mostly Methodist world, rich, apparently tightly knit and aloof from the villagers. When the army gun of one of the family members is stolen, it isn’t long before a villager is dead, and the only thing that Chief Superintendent Charles Wycliffe is sure of is that somehow, the Beales are involved…."Wycliffe and the Beales" is the 11th in the long-running series by Cornishman W. J. Burley, although it isn’t necessary to have read the previous volumes to enjoy this one. There’s a nice mixture of old with new here, for example having young girls dancing around a maypole on May Day while cars drive by, and there’s a well-constructed plot and well-clued mystery. My favourite parts of the Wycliffe series, however, include the main character himself, who is of the intuitive-leap school of detectives, and the vistas of Cornwall, where I lived as a child. One doesn’t need that connection to enjoy this series, however, just bring your interest in police procedurals! Recommended. ( )

'Wycliffe and the Beales' is set in Dartmoor and begins with the murder of a village eccentric,who has lived alone and in virtual squalor for years. Wycliffe and his crime team arrive to investigate,but before long another body is found. Both victims have been shot in the head by a bullet from a Beretta. All the threads of the case seem to lead back to the affluent family who dominate the lives of those who live in the area. But are these leads merely 'red herrings'.
Burley seems to be under-regarded these days,partly I think because of the television series starring jack Shepherd. For me Shepherd was wrong for the part,and certainly several people have told me that his portrayal has put them off the books.
In actual fact,the books,although not of the first order,are quite good reads and the scene setting is particularly good. ( )