Kept

A friend recently lent me a copy of D. J. Taylor's Kept, which is a mystery story set in Victorian times. The main mystery is how a young wife disappears and exactly how her husband met his death. The answer includes a major train robbery, a seemingly haunted house, a mysterious face at a window and much else besides, including some wonderful descriptions of life in Victorian London. I like D.J. Taylor's work very much, and enjoyed this novel, although there was a slight question mark about who the narrator actually is. Nevertheless, the suspense is well-maintained and although the point of view seems to switch from character to character with a sometimes confusing rate of change, the story continues on its way notwithstanding. The mystery side of the novel remains just that until near the end, and the title also raises the question as to just who it is who or what is kept. I look forward to what he will write next.