Unholy Harmonies

 

Unholy Harmonies / Elizabeth Pewsey
London: Sceptre, c1997
336 p.

Book Three in the Mountjoy series by Elizabeth Pewsey (aka Elizabeth Aston), this one is a little stranger than the last. We see many of the same characters, but there is also a bit of a sharper edge to this. 

Sylvester, a cellist who appears in each book, has moved into the small town of Unthrang in Eyotshire while his house in a nearby village is having some extensive repairs done. This means he comes into closer daily contact with a variety of characters, and he is, as always, one of the change elements in all the stories. His housekeeper Lily is a bit of a witch in her own right, always knowing what's about to happen and who is doing what. 

And there is a lot to keep track of in this village! We have Roxane, who rents out her big house and lives in a renovated stableyard behind it; where does she get all her money? People wonder, but the reader knows. And we have a number of unsettled marriages - Justinia, married to the controlling Digby; Lucius, married to a woman who desperately wants to get back to London from this provincial hole he's landed them in; and middle-aged Sadie, who is reshaping her life after her husband ran away with the milkman and now wants her house as well. And in the big house in the middle of town, a recluse named Zephania stirs up interest as a previously unknown nephew comes to stay with her while he's at college. 

This one is really all about the trials of romantic and familial relationships of all kinds -- there's lots of sex, lots of change and resettling of connections, and as always lots of music. There is also, here, a stranger who rides into Unthrang on his motorcycle as a kind of Dionysius figure who shakes up the normal course of life for everyone. Unfortunately, he's described as a Russian dancer, which in current circumstances I found hard to be amused by. Still, he appears, leaves, and then reappears just in time for spooky season. 

There's a lot to like in this book, with a variety of characters to follow. I liked Zephania's character, especially once you learn her backstory. And Sylvester and Lily are always great to have as acting characters in this series. So another enjoyable entry into this set of books.