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When the crushed body of the unpopular nouveau riche antiques magnate Arthur Rainbow is found in the local graveyard, it falls upon Superintendent George Felse to get to the bottom of the murder The sleepy village of Middlehope is suddenly jerked into life by antiques mogul Arthur Rainbow. In a whirlwind of activity, he extravagantly refurbishes the manor house; joins the golf club, angling society, and arts council; and-in a ruthless coup-dislodges the old church organist to take over the show more position himself. But for all his reforming zeal, the Middlehope community rejects Rainbow. And when Rainbow's crushed body is found in the graveyard of Saint Eata's church, there is very little surprise or sorrow-but much speculation as to whom the murderer could be. After all, there are so many candidates-from his young, beautiful, flirtatious wife to the usurped organist and his mutinous choir. It falls upon Superintendent George Felse, newly promoted head of the Midshire CID, to solve this most perplexing murder case. Rainbow's End is the 13th book in the Felse Investigations, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. show lessTags
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Mr. Rainbow just doesn't fit into the small community of Middlehope. In fact, he is like a pebble in the shoe. What are they to do with him? This becomes Inspector George Felse's problem when it develops that someone has put an all too final end to the problem of Mr. Rainbow.
This story was good reading. As always, Peters manages to create both lovable and despicable characters. The community itself acts as a character in this tale. I was distracted while reading it, but had no trouble putting the clues together to solve the mystery.
This story was good reading. As always, Peters manages to create both lovable and despicable characters. The community itself acts as a character in this tale. I was distracted while reading it, but had no trouble putting the clues together to solve the mystery.
After a mysterious death occurs, Mr. Rainbow the church organist, is found to have met his demise by falling from the church's bell tower. The question is ... was the tragedy intentional, or accidental? And what was he doing in the bell tower to begin with? When upon further investigation evidence is found to suggest he was pushed the story goes into full swing ... leading one to suspect his wife, her admirer (lover?), a choirboy, among others. I wasn't seriously drawn into the story, but as with all mysteries compelled to read on and see the outcome. I thought the motive was lame, and the plot revolving around Rainbow's conceitedness about his musical talent unbelievable. The valuable musical manuscripts hardly seemed worth killing over.
Not bad, but not very satisfying or memorable. I know I've read it before but I didn't remember any of it - not even the tour of the Abbey, which was amusing mostly because I've been Bossie on such tours. Rainbow is pretty much a non-entity. even when he's being most annoying, so it's no big deal when he's killed (not a spoiler, or not more of one than the title!). Barbara gets more interesting once he's dead, but she remains more or less incomprehensible; Bossie is mildly interesting at best and mildly annoying at worst. I like Toby, but he doesn't play much of a part. And like that. Nothing wrong with the story, but nothing particularly attractive about it either. Hmm, should check dates - is this an early effort? Also, no mention of show more Dominic at all, despite a lot of school-kid characters and parental concerns. Only two mentions of Bunty, for that matter. But it's really not a police procedural, either. show less
The gate-posts, until recently shorn of their crests and leaning drunkenly out of true, now stood up regally on either side of the drive, crowned with a pair of baronial lions, gripping in their paws, escutcheons certainly not native either to the building, which was in fact a rather monstrous eighteenth century vicarage, built by a wealthy pluralist in the days when such remote parishes carried a stipend fit for a prince, or the present owner, who was a come lately antique dealer from Birmingham, the first landlord since 1800 to be able to duplicate the founder's extravagant fancies.
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Author Information
150+ Works 58,642 Members
Ellis Peters is the pseudonym for Edith Pargeter, who was born in Horsehay, Shropshire. She was a chemist's assistant from 1933 to 1940 and participated during World War II in the Women's Royal Navy Service. The name "Ellis Peters" was adopted by Edith Pargeter to clearly mark a division between her mystery stories and her other work. Her brother show more was Ellis and Petra was a friend from Czechoslovakia, thus the name. She came to writing mysteries, she says, "after half a lifetime of novel-writing." Her detective fiction features well-rounded, knowledgeable characters with whom the reader can empathize. Her most famous literary creation is the medieval monk Brother Cadfael. The blend of history and the formula of the detective story gives Peters's works their popular appeal. As detective hero, Brother Cadfael remains faithful to the requirements of the formula, yet the historical milieu in which he operates is both fully realized and well textured. Peters received the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award in 1963 and the Crime Writers Association's Silver Dagger Award in 1981. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Rainbow's End
- Original publication date
- 1978
- People/Characters
- George Felse (Inspector); Bunty Felse; Robert Macsen-Martel; Jack Moon (Sergeant); Arthur Rainbow; Barbara Rainbow (show all 7); Willie the Twig
- Important places
- St. Eata's, Abbot's Bale, Midshire, England, UK (fictional | Shropshire, England, UK)
- First words
- The gate-posts, until recently shorn of their crests and leaning drunkenly out of true, now stood up regally on either side of the drive, crowned with a pair of baronial lions, gripping in their paws escutcheons certainly not... (show all) native either to the building, which was in fact a rather monstrous eighteenth-century vicarage, built by a wealthy plurarlist in the days when such remote parishes carried a stipend fit for a prince, or the present owner, who was a come-lately antique dealer from Birmingham, the first landlord since 1800 to be able to duplicate the founder's extravagant fancies.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)You should know by now, that kid always falls on his feet.
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- ISBNs
- 17
- ASINs
- 6
