The Barchester murders

Anthony Trollope finds the beautiful city of Barchester idyllic on visiting it for the first time. This idyll is, however, soon shattered when the body of Thomas Rider is discovered in the almshouses known as Hiram's Hospital. Trollope soon uncovers the existence of a long-hidden secret which has the power to destroy the reputation of the Reverend Septimus Harding, the Warden of Hiram's Hospital, and his-son-in-law, Dr Theophilus Grantley, the Dean of the Cathedral and next in line for the position of Bishop of Barchester. A number of the old bedesmen at Hiram's Hospital would do anything for the Warden, and his daughters, Eleanor and Susan, have every reason to want the secret kept. It is also possible that family friend and Eleanor's admirer, John Bold, may have had a hand in the crime. With so many suspects, the local police officer is at a loss as to how to solve the case. The murderer soon strikes again and it falls to Anthony Trollope to unpick the mystery. This book does not require you to have read Anthony Trollope's classic works, but those who love his novels will enjoy meeting their key characters again.