A Finer End

Crombie

Just read my first Crombie book. This one takes place in Glastonbury and the author intertwines a present mystery with a medievil/mystical/edwardian one having to do with archeological discoveries of the ancient abbey's foundations through automatic writing. I love Glastonbury. I visited the site during my college days during my junior year abroad and found it beautiful and serene (I've heard its not like that now). Crombie does a good job with the Francis Bligh Bond discoveries the early 1900s (based on automatic writings) and with her exploration of the mystical ambiance that seems to permeate Glasonbury. She also knows her medieval history and seems well versed in the Joseph of Arimethea legend. I had a problem though, with the coherence of the novel. I felt that Crombie tried to juggle too many characters and that the novel lacked the tightness that one usually expects of a mystery.