House of Parrots
hilary west
- 'House
- of
- Parrots'
- is
- a
- multi-layered
- mystery
- novel
- involving
- Gerald
- Brown
- the
- parrot
- man,
- who
- lives
- in
- the
- village
- of
- Beauhampton
- and
- courts
- the
- attractive
- Wendy
- Hewlitt.
- Things
- seem
- to
- be
- going
- well
- for
- all
- concerned
- and
- Gerald
- plans
- on
- building
- himself
- and
- Wendy
- a
- new
- bungalow
- on
- his
- own
- land.
- However,
- the
- Potter-Barnes',
- lords
- of
- the
- manor,
- have
- other
- ideas.
- They
- wish
- to
- open
- a
- butterfly
- farm
- and
- want
- Gerald's
- land
- on
- which
- to
- do
- so.
- Gerald
- is
- adamant
- they
- cannot
- have
- it.
- Meanwhile
- the
- Potter-Barnes'
- old
- family
- retainer
- Dolby
- is
- dying
- so
- Fenella
- Potter-Barnes
- advertises
- for
- a
- replacement.
- Up
- turns
- Robert
- Bailey,
- a
- handsome
- young
- guy
- Fenella
- thinks
- she
- can
- interest
- in
- Julie
- Farrell,
- her
- maid.
- But
- things
- do
- not
- go
- well
- for
- the
- couple,
- particularly
- after
- Robert
- meets
- Darren
- Bignold
- and
- his
- cousin
- Dylan,
- who
- make
- a
- play
- for
- Robert.
- Robert
- becomes
- confused
- and
- experiments
- with
- his
- sexuality,
- eventually
- sleeping
- with
- Darren.
- But
- Julie
- finds
- out
- and
- is
- furious.
- Fenella
- Potter-Barnes
- is
- not
- too
- pleased
- either
- and
- reacts
- to
- the
- news
- by
- ordering
- bromide
- from
- the
- chemist.
- Other
- characters
- in
- the
- village
- include
- Gerald
- Brown's
- sister,
- Gloria
- Rosen,
- who
- has
- an
- affair
- with
- local
- grocer
- John
- Painton.
- At
- first
- Gloria
- sides
- with
- Gerald
- and
- frowns
- upon
- the
- Potter-Barnes
- demand
- to
- buy
- his
- land
- but
- eventually,
- as
- her
- liaison
- with
- John
- Painton
- intensifies,
- Gloria
- decides
- it
- would
- be
- best
- to
- let
- the
- butterfly
- farm
- go
- ahead,
- as
- John
- wants
- the
- extra
- traffic
- the
- farm
- would
- bring
- to
- increase
- trade
- for
- his
- ailing
- shop.
- When
- Gerald
- knows
- Gloria
- has
- changed
- sides
- he
- is
- maddened
- and
- threatens
- to
- cut
- her
- out
- of
- his
- will.
- It
- is
- not
- long
- after
- Gerald
- is
- murdered.
- Derek
- Moore
- is
- gardener
- for
- the
- Potter-Barnes
- and
- he
- is
- a
- bit
- of
- a
- ladies
- man
- though
- on
- the
- rough
- side.
- He
- dates
- Kay,
- the
- daughter
- of
- local
- barmaid
- Ella
- Dickson,
- but
- is
- frowned
- upon
- by
- Beulah,
- Ella's
- sister,
- who
- takes
- care
- of
- Kay.
- Ella
- denies
- that
- Gerald
- is
- the
- father
- of
- Kay
- but
- most
- people
- suspect
- that
- he
- is.
- A
- paternity
- test
- follows
- and
- Ella
- is
- furious
- at
- the
- result.
- Derek,
- although
- in
- love
- with
- Kay,
- gets
- cheated
- by
- Beulah
- who
- influences
- Kay
- against
- him.
- His
- attention
- turns
- to
- Wendy
- Hewlitt
- and
- he
- has
- an
- attraction
- for
- her
- that
- is
- strong.
- The
- police
- begin
- to
- wonder
- if
- Wendy
- and
- Derek
- have
- plotted
- Gerald's
- murder.
- Robert
- Bailey
- the
- new
- butler
- is
- all
- out
- of
- sorts
- over
- Julie
- and
- Darren
- Bignold
- and
- tussles
- with
- many
- demons,
- so
- much
- so
- that
- one
- night
- on
- the
- river
- he
- tries
- to
- drown
- himself.
- He
- is,
- however,
- saved
- by
- Derek
- Moore.
- After
- Gerald's
- murder
- the
- village
- community
- comes
- under
- scrutiny
- and
- Darren
- Bignold
- runs
- away
- frightened
- for
- his
- life,
- but
- is
- he
- in
- fact
- the
- guilty
- party.
- Ella
- Dickson
- is
- then
- arrested
- for
- fraud.
- She
- has
- been
- fiddling
- thousands
- for
- herself
- from
- the
- brewery
- under
- the
- close
- eye
- of
- accountant
- Gerlad.
- He
- has
- said
- nothing,
- however,
- because
- of
- the
- hold
- Ella
- has
- over
- him.
- What
- is
- the
- nature
- of
- that
- hold
- and
- why
- we
- ask
- ourselves
- is
- it
- so
- crucial
- to
- solving
- the
- mystery?
- Kay
- does
- some
- digging
- and
- gets
- in
- touch
- with
- Gerald's
- first
- wife
- and
- she
- learns
- something
- crucial
- to
- solving
- the
- puzzle.
- But
- not
- until
- more
- tragedy
- follows
- and
- there
- is
- another death.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
