Crosses and Contraband: 'Villainy at Vespers' by Joan Cockin – Book Recommendation

A murdered naked corpse is found on the altar of a Cornish village church and a London copper on his family holiday helps with the subsequent investigation. Who is the victim? Was he killed by a local, or by one of the many tourists in the area? What was the motive? Strange goings-on abound, as smuggling, witchcraft, shady antiques dealing, religion, and the legacies of World War II are brought together in this 1949 crime novel by Joan Cockin (who, incidentally, had a very accomplished and varied career outside of writing, working as a diplomat and champion of consumer rights).

Whilst this 2022 reissue contains rather too many typesetting errors (‘winch’ instead of ‘which’ popped up several times, for example), this doesn’t detract from a great vintage read. Cockin’s cast of local and visiting characters seems to embody the tensions between old and new, resident and foreigner, all of which were of course prevalent after the war’s end. This makes it a bit more than an average crime caper, but there’s still plenty of action, derring-do, and good humour to provide a sense of nostalgia whilst you wonder whodunnit.

Villainy at Vespers by Joan Cockin ISBN: 9781912916900