Six Men Standing

Description

An initiative by ramblers to open up a long forgotten path leads to the discovery of two skeletons in a shallow grave beside Pellyn Cottage, home to John Trevail, a Cornish excise officer, and his wife Sylvia. Pellyn Cottage then becomes the focus of a murder investigation as it becomes clear that the 40 year-old skeletons were the victims of foul play. The police are not greatly interested and John Trevail allows his curiosity to lead him into his own enquiries. It turns out that the murderer is very much alive and very much a presence in this part of Cornwall. The author, who worked in Cornwall for Customs and Excise for many years, skillfully captures the culture and atmosphere of these communities on the south-western tip of England and the story trails through a cast of interesting characters on the way to its conclusion. The “six men standing” are megaliths on the moor who silently and impassively observe the passing passions of human life.