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A Case to Answer
A CASE TO ANSWER
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
2 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Yorke
101 books47 followersMargaret Yorke was an English crime fiction writer, real name Margaret Beda Nicholson (née Larminie).
Margaret Yorke was awarded the 1999 CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger.
Born in Surrey, England, to John and Alison Larminie in 1924, Margaret Yorke (Margaret Beda Nicholson) grew up in Dublin before moving back to England in 1937, where the family settled in Hampshire, although she later lived in a small village in Buckinghamshire.
During World War II she saw service in the Women’s Royal Naval Service as a driver. In 1945, she married, but it was only to last some ten years, although there were two children; a son and daughter. Her childhood interest in literature was re-enforced by five years living close to Stratford-upon-Avon and she also worked variously as a bookseller and as a librarian in two Oxford Colleges, being the first woman ever to work in that of Christ Church.
She was widely travelled and has a particular interest in both Greece and Russia.
Her first novel was published in 1957, but it was not until 1970 that she turned her hand to crime writing. There followed a series of five novels featuring Dr. Patrick Grant, an Oxford Don and amateur sleuth, who shares her own love of Shakespeare. More crime and mystery was to follow, and she wrote some forty three books in all, but the Grant novels were limited to five as, in her own words, ‘authors using a series detective are trapped by their series. It stops some of them from expanding as writers’.
She was proud of the fact that many of her novels were essentially about ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary situations which may threatening, or simply horrific. It is this facet of her writing that ensures a loyal following amongst readers, who inevitably identify with some of the characters and recognise conflicts that may occur in everyday life. Indeed, Yorke stated that characters were far more important to her than intricate plots and that when writing ‘I don’t manipulate the characters, they manipulate me’.
Critics have noted that she has a ‘marvellous use of language’ and she has frequently been cited as an equal to P.D. James and Ruth Rendell. She was a past chairman of the Crime Writers' Association and in 1999 was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger, having already been honoured with the Martin Beck Award from the Swedish Academy of Detection.
Margaret Yorke died in 2012.
Margaret Yorke was awarded the 1999 CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger.
Born in Surrey, England, to John and Alison Larminie in 1924, Margaret Yorke (Margaret Beda Nicholson) grew up in Dublin before moving back to England in 1937, where the family settled in Hampshire, although she later lived in a small village in Buckinghamshire.
During World War II she saw service in the Women’s Royal Naval Service as a driver. In 1945, she married, but it was only to last some ten years, although there were two children; a son and daughter. Her childhood interest in literature was re-enforced by five years living close to Stratford-upon-Avon and she also worked variously as a bookseller and as a librarian in two Oxford Colleges, being the first woman ever to work in that of Christ Church.
She was widely travelled and has a particular interest in both Greece and Russia.
Her first novel was published in 1957, but it was not until 1970 that she turned her hand to crime writing. There followed a series of five novels featuring Dr. Patrick Grant, an Oxford Don and amateur sleuth, who shares her own love of Shakespeare. More crime and mystery was to follow, and she wrote some forty three books in all, but the Grant novels were limited to five as, in her own words, ‘authors using a series detective are trapped by their series. It stops some of them from expanding as writers’.
She was proud of the fact that many of her novels were essentially about ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary situations which may threatening, or simply horrific. It is this facet of her writing that ensures a loyal following amongst readers, who inevitably identify with some of the characters and recognise conflicts that may occur in everyday life. Indeed, Yorke stated that characters were far more important to her than intricate plots and that when writing ‘I don’t manipulate the characters, they manipulate me’.
Critics have noted that she has a ‘marvellous use of language’ and she has frequently been cited as an equal to P.D. James and Ruth Rendell. She was a past chairman of the Crime Writers' Association and in 1999 was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger, having already been honoured with the Martin Beck Award from the Swedish Academy of Detection.
Margaret Yorke died in 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
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July 5, 2008A Case to Answer, by Margaret Yorke, B-plus. Narrated by Celia Montague, produced by Clipper Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
First, I have to say the quality of this audio book wasn’t great. Audible purchased it in 2001, and the digitization process has improved vastly in quality since then. Celia Montague, is a very good narrator for this book.
Charlotte Frost is a widow whose husband died suddenly. Her step children took the opportunity of selling the estate out from under her, buying another house for her in a distant area without consulting her, and moving her in. Charlotte is lonely and has made only one friend in the village, an elderly navy captain. Then her husband’s family foists upon her a troublesome teenager, Imogen, because they don’t know what to do with her. Although she is difficult, she and Charlotte begin to cement a friendship. Imogen meets a boy from the village, Jeremy Hunt, who had been in prison, who had hooked up again with a friend and was scamming people to set up robberies, but who decided to go straight after meeting Charlotte Frost. But Jerry is not so easily separated from his past. And Imogen, impulsively puts into action a plan which results in tragedy. The ending was somewhat unsatisfactory. We didn’t see anything to fruition. We don’t know ultimately what happened to Imogen.
First, I have to say the quality of this audio book wasn’t great. Audible purchased it in 2001, and the digitization process has improved vastly in quality since then. Celia Montague, is a very good narrator for this book.
Charlotte Frost is a widow whose husband died suddenly. Her step children took the opportunity of selling the estate out from under her, buying another house for her in a distant area without consulting her, and moving her in. Charlotte is lonely and has made only one friend in the village, an elderly navy captain. Then her husband’s family foists upon her a troublesome teenager, Imogen, because they don’t know what to do with her. Although she is difficult, she and Charlotte begin to cement a friendship. Imogen meets a boy from the village, Jeremy Hunt, who had been in prison, who had hooked up again with a friend and was scamming people to set up robberies, but who decided to go straight after meeting Charlotte Frost. But Jerry is not so easily separated from his past. And Imogen, impulsively puts into action a plan which results in tragedy. The ending was somewhat unsatisfactory. We didn’t see anything to fruition. We don’t know ultimately what happened to Imogen.
August 26, 2011
Something of a slog to get through, it's not a standard whodunit. Infact, if you are looking for a mystery novel give it a miss. I would call it a coming of age/slice of life novel except no one really grows up or even really lives. I had a hard time working up any sympathy for any of the characters and the only one I really liked was the old man Captain Smythe.
September 19, 2019
Margaret Yorke has a knack of taking ordinary, mundane, every day events and writing a novel that is fascinating and entertaining. Perhaps it's because her characters are so real and the events in the book so believable. Whatever it is, it makes for wonderful reading. As with all the other of her books that I've read, this one is a page turner that I found difficult to put down.
February 28, 2025
This is really one of those books that doesn't match it's cover. I purchased three Margaret Yorke books because of the genre being crime, and the covers are typical for crime novels.
I haven't read any books by this author before but was expecting a gripping crime novel. However I am finding the book very twee and sugary. The characters all seem out of place for a crime novel. I think I was expecting something perhaps like The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling, with the village being quaint but not the residents.
In its favour the book is not a new one so its very dated compared with today's crime novels. I am sure that Margaret Yorke is a well respected author and had a following but for me I'm struggling. I am on chapter 11 and not a great deal is happening.
For now this book is left unfinished.
I haven't read any books by this author before but was expecting a gripping crime novel. However I am finding the book very twee and sugary. The characters all seem out of place for a crime novel. I think I was expecting something perhaps like The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling, with the village being quaint but not the residents.
In its favour the book is not a new one so its very dated compared with today's crime novels. I am sure that Margaret Yorke is a well respected author and had a following but for me I'm struggling. I am on chapter 11 and not a great deal is happening.
For now this book is left unfinished.
June 28, 2023
This book was written in 2000 and it certainly feels from a different era! Captain Smythe apprehends a thief during a burglary and pins him down with a golf club until the police arrive! The writing is tedious. Do we need to know which items are hanging on a washing line or what she buys in the local shop? The characters are all rather stereotypical with an overemphasis on physical appearance defining behaviour. Then the book ends …
April 4, 2023
Not a bad read a bit predictable in places but a decent bed time read. Not the best written book but better than some mysteries. Some really dislikeable characters which are annoying, and on the whole the book is a bit slow. However I did enjoy it and I had picked it up at a very reasonable price.
April 2, 2019
Margaret Yorke delves very much into the depth of her characters, their deepest base character, this I love. Her plot is very well developed around her characters. Although I enjoy mystery or history it's always the characters in the book which I enjoy the most.
February 1, 2023
paced unevenly and ends abruptly, but I enjoyed the little details added to make the world fleshed out and the characters are believable and relatable. the themes are pretty inoffensive. good if you need a palette cleanser, I'd say
November 15, 2022
It was a nice enough little story but nothing really happened. It just ambled along and finished.
January 25, 2013
What a tangled web Ms. Yorke weaves. These are excellent books. Each novel a different set of characters, a new mess of deceptions, a thread of hope which may or may not hold fast. I've waited the appropriate number of years and have it in mind now to read them all again.
It's the later ones I'd think you want -- not those from early in her career when what she was writing were a bit more like romance novels.
It's the later ones I'd think you want -- not those from early in her career when what she was writing were a bit more like romance novels.
November 25, 2017
A reasonable enough read in the vein of Ruth Rendell. I found the characters credible enough, the twice-widowed Charlotte, the truly obnoxious Felix, troubled teen Imogen & recently reformed criminal Jerry. They are all hiding things from one another & their lies & various misunderstandings of different events makes for interesting reading. Things culminate in the disappearance of Charlotte. Entertaining enough but the ending for me however was too inconclusive.
April 12, 2009
I have yet to find a Yorke book that I haven't enjoyed. I love how close she makes you feel with her characters, as if you are one of a well-loved neighbour. I was a little sad about the death, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2015
This is a difficult book to put down! It's an exciting mystery full of interesting and realistic characters. The ending irritated me as with other books by this author - she throws twists to make you feel challenged!! Fun and entertaining read.
December 18, 2016
Not as bad as some, but not at all good. I could not get into this book. I had to force myself to read it to finish it for a challenge or I would have stopped reading. Further on it picked up and became slightly better. It never read as well as the summary and cover led me to believe.
September 4, 2008
On a roll right now of Margaret Yorke, partly due to a somewhat limited choice in small town library of more current books, but also I continue to find her a "cozy" read.
August 4, 2009
This was my first Margaret Yorke book and I really liked it. She writes psychological suspense and this book might move slow for some but I enjoyed the pace. I look forward to reading more by her.
July 10, 2012
Psychological thriller in the English tradition. Superb plotting and in-depth personalities. Yorke may not be every reader's cup of tea, but she is good at what she does.
July 1, 2015
Decent filler of time..
Thankx
Thankx
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews