Post by tintin on Jul 15, 2016 17:14:15 GMT 1
Definitely a book for adults (warning SPOILERS)
Told in the first person by a private detective, who is definitely a gentleman.
Set in the modern day fictional "Prince Alberts Troop, Royal Horse Artillery" a mounted battery very similar to the real life Kings Troop RHA
The Troop take over public duties at Horseguards, Whitehall while the Household Cavalry are at their annual camp. Unfortunately someone cuts the head off the NCO of the guard just before the 4pm daily inspection.
This is extremely disruptive to the well ordered, even idyllic, life of the unit.
The civil police are called in to investigate, but the case is complex (theoretically almost all the guard could have done it)and the CID Inspector is obnoxious (typical of a certain sort of Met officer who knows everything and despises all other cap badges) The victim is also obnoxious. The men close ranks and clam up.
Fortunately, one of the officers is in the same club as the narrator and invites him to stay at the Mess. The detective also invites his nephew to join the party of Cadets on work experience at the barracks.
The life of the mounted battery is much more interesting than the rather squalid murder, but the two are interestingly interwoven. The Riding School scenes are brilliant. The author rides and hunts and spent some time fact finding with the Kings Troop and it shows.
The gunners are likeable and realistic, sadly the horses don't get characters. Because of the subject matter there is rather a lot of the seamier side of army life, but the good far outweighs it. Although there is no sexual content, there is some rather heavy sexual banter, which although typical, some people may find upsetting. There is not a lot of it though.
I found the book quite uplifting. 5, but very near Gold Cup for me.
Happily there are more stories of Prince Alberts Troop, but regrettably only this one in physical format.
Told in the first person by a private detective, who is definitely a gentleman.
Set in the modern day fictional "Prince Alberts Troop, Royal Horse Artillery" a mounted battery very similar to the real life Kings Troop RHA
The Troop take over public duties at Horseguards, Whitehall while the Household Cavalry are at their annual camp. Unfortunately someone cuts the head off the NCO of the guard just before the 4pm daily inspection.
This is extremely disruptive to the well ordered, even idyllic, life of the unit.
The civil police are called in to investigate, but the case is complex (theoretically almost all the guard could have done it)and the CID Inspector is obnoxious (typical of a certain sort of Met officer who knows everything and despises all other cap badges) The victim is also obnoxious. The men close ranks and clam up.
Fortunately, one of the officers is in the same club as the narrator and invites him to stay at the Mess. The detective also invites his nephew to join the party of Cadets on work experience at the barracks.
The life of the mounted battery is much more interesting than the rather squalid murder, but the two are interestingly interwoven. The Riding School scenes are brilliant. The author rides and hunts and spent some time fact finding with the Kings Troop and it shows.
The gunners are likeable and realistic, sadly the horses don't get characters. Because of the subject matter there is rather a lot of the seamier side of army life, but the good far outweighs it. Although there is no sexual content, there is some rather heavy sexual banter, which although typical, some people may find upsetting. There is not a lot of it though.
I found the book quite uplifting. 5, but very near Gold Cup for me.
Happily there are more stories of Prince Alberts Troop, but regrettably only this one in physical format.
