In the peaceful English village of Kynchester, rivalry between two local archaeologists is reaching breaking point. Colonel Cackett has formed a body of local young men into the 'Roman Guard' - an organisation which reflects the Colonel's belief that a return to Roman values will raise Britain from the degeneration of permissive twentieth-century society. Canon Burbery finds the Colonel's ideas preposterous and suspects that they are based on a false idea of British history. So when the Canon gets permission to set up an archaeological excavation to test his theory that Kynchester is the seat of a pre-Roman Celtic kingdom, tempers are understandably frayed.
But when the Canon's archaeological ambitions lead to tragedy, his friends suspect that a very ingenious murder has been committed - a murder that will be almost impossible to prove...
Dealing memorably with notions of fascism, patriotism and the political currency of the national past, Stanley Casson's novel is at once a traditional village murder mystery and an intriguing insight into British national identity in the years leading up to the second world war.
But when the Canon's archaeological ambitions lead to tragedy, his friends suspect that a very ingenious murder has been committed - a murder that will be almost impossible to prove...
Dealing memorably with notions of fascism, patriotism and the political currency of the national past, Stanley Casson's novel is at once a traditional village murder mystery and an intriguing insight into British national identity in the years leading up to the second world war.
