Rascals and confusion, Trollope wrote with all the elements that excited that of readers from the Victorian Era, and that can also excite ones from our age.

One of the brightest lights of the Palliser novels is extinguished in the first chapter with the death of the Duchess Glencora. Bereft of her vivacious influence the grieving Duke, already reserved and traditional, sinks into stodginess. Far worse than this, he is left with three young adult children whom he fails completely to understand. To say that they cause him many heartaches is to greatly understate the situation.

The eldest, heir to the title, Lord Silverbridge has already been booted out of Oxford for a silly prank. Now he goes into horse racing with questionable companions and winds up as the victim of a major scandal, which costs his father a huge sum. Next he deserts his father's choice for his bride to woo an American girl whose grandfather was a laborer.

The Duke's daughter, Mary, wants to marry a commoner, son of a country squire, a good man, but with no title and little money. The outraged Duke is adamantly opposed to such a match, but Mary vows to marry no other and is constantly miserable.

The youngest son, Gerald, who plays a relatively minor role in the novel, is forced to leave Cambridge because he was away without permission attending a race in which his brother's horse was running. Later he loses several thousand pounds in a card game.

The Duke bemoans his children's foolishness and their lack of respect for the traditions of their fathers. He pays for their mistakes, but vigorously opposes the two unwise marriages. But although he is a strict, authoritarian man, he is also a compassionate and loving father. Will he yield to the fervent desires of his rebellious offspring? The resolution of this clash of generations brings the Palliser novels to a satisfying conclusion.

As always, it is Trollope's great gift of characterization which makes THE DUKE'S CHILDREN an outstanding novel. From the outwardly firm but inwardly doubting Duke to the very sincere but frequently erring Silverbridge to the tragic Lady Mabel Grex, who has the young heir in her grasp only to let him slip away, these are well-rounded figures with whom the reader lives intimately and comes to understand thoroughly. With the perfectly depicted ambience of upper-class Victoriana as the setting, this novel is an absorbing work of genius.

I pulled this one off the bookshelf to read after seeing it sit there for many years and was captivated throughout the long, long length of the book. What a period piece! What an intricate plot of whodunnit! Rich in 1800 English settings and in a convoluted family history where everyone was out to claim their title to great, great, grandpa's estate. Unfortunately for the main protaganist, most everyone's claim hinged on whether or not he was dead. But after almost 800 pages, certainly not caring for any of the murderous family members, I realized that I didn't care for the main character either. All of the characters in this book are very flat, two-dimensional; set in a well-wrought, three-dimensional world. I'm torn in my rating....5 stars for plot and setting.....1 star for character development.

A young boy, a will and a mystery set in Regency England.

I read this book originally in the early 1990's and have just finished reading it for the second time.

If I had placed a review immediately after the first reading I think that I would have shared other reviewers' relative disappointment at the ending.

However after this second visit, I now think that a tidier ending with all loose ends accounted for, would not have done justice to the complexities of the rest of the book.

Looking at the story now, it seems to me to be an entirely satisfactory and deeply considered work of art, one that the master of this sort of novel, Wilkie Collins would surely have approved of.

Very few writers have Pallisers skill to immerse the reader so quickly in the world he describes. Once you have dipped your toe in this book (say 40 pages or so), then the rest of the 1100 pages or so swim by without your noticing its extraordinary length.

Indeed I believe that you will become so engrossed that it will be with increasing irritation that you find yourself having to put the book aside for another night.

If you have any feeling at all for the historical novel, or enthralling mysteries, then be good to yourself and start reading now!

With a huge, colourful cast of characters, The Quincunx by British author Charles Palliser is, like Edward Rutherfurd's London, the kind of book that comes along all too rarely--a book wherein one loses all sense of the present as one is transported back through history to another time and place. This is a novel that is at once a family saga, an adventure, and a mystery with plenty of twists and surprises. With it, Palliser has proven himself to be a master storyteller, and it has been a long time since I have enjoyed a book as much as this. In fact, I'm not sure it didn't surpass London--another historical of epic proportions that I highly recommend--as my favourite novel by a contemporary author. (I ought to mention I've yet to read Eco's The Name of the Rose).

At 781 pages, however, this historical masterpiece set in early nineteenth-century England is not for the faint of heart. At stake is a legacy--title to a huge estate of land. Though the story literally takes place during the span of several years, it is a tale about an extended family (and their relationships with one another) whose beginnings take us back five generations. Bit by bit the family history is revealed--and it is a history rife with intrigue, double dealings, scandal, and even murder. What makes the revelation of the family history so exciting and so important is its relevance to the novel's present, for not only is the identity of our young protagonist and narrator, Johnnie Mellamphy, at issue, but his very survival hangs delicately in the balance.

Those for whom this engrossing, unputdownable novel will be a special treat are those who enjoy solving word or logic puzzles (I am a puzzle buff myself). To be enjoyed to its fullest, this is a book that benefits from active participation on the part of the reader; indeed, it is (in my opinion) to a certain extent mandatory. As the story unfolds, Palliser provides the reader with both outright information and clues (some of which are quite subtle) as to who's who, what really happened, and why. Palliser enjoys teasing us, and some of his subtle clues result in our drawing the wrong (though perfectly plausible) conclusions. At other times (particularly near the end), he refuses to spell things out for us, leaving us to rifle back to previous parts for a confirmation (and perhaps even an explanation) of what happened. For those with ready access to such, Palliser would even have one delving into reference books in order to find the dates when certain events occurred (like Johnnie's birth, for example), for they are all revealed by reference to other events which occurred at or around the same time.

I might just mention: I found it very helpful to create a family tree (in pencil!) as the geneology unfolded--be it from village gossip, facts, or my own suppositions. I also set out who would inherit if certain conditions were met and identified these individuals on the tree. Very early on, I began to dog-ear important passages that I thought I may wish to refer back to (to make the rifling back process easier!). Most importantly, I found this to be the sort of book that benefits from reflection, for it is by logically following an idea through in one's mind that one can reach a number of accurate conclusions ahead of the protagonist. Don't think that this will ruin the surprises for you, for it won't. Palliser, I have no doubt, expects no less of us.

In conclusion, I highly, HIGHLY recommend this to anyone looking for an intelligent, captivating, masterfully written novel. I simply cannot praise it highly enough. It is not, however, for the individual who expects to be spoon-fed by an author. In other words, if you are looking for something one can read while putting the brain in neutral, you'd best look elsewhere. With this novel, what you get out of it is directly proportionate to what you put into it!

The novels of Mr. Palliser generally are closer to or well in excess of 500 hundred pages. Having been through, "The Quincunx" and "The Unburied", I found, "The Sensationist", and at a miniscule 153 pages and thought I had stumbled upon another Author of the same name. That this is certainly not the case is readily apparent when the reading begins.

A male protagonist obsessed with encounters with women that are unknown to him until they become the object of his brief amusement, is not a new idea. Mr. Palliser puts his own mark on this theme with an easily unlikable predatory male named David. More interesting than David and his cliché lifestyle is the structure of the narrative as it presents the story in what would generally be considered sound bites if spoken. Not only is the information delivered sparingly, it's also vague on detail and delivered in a staccato blitz. This is primarily the case with everything outside of his physical encounters, but even they tend to be abbreviated once the conquest is at hand. The chase is all that matters, a woman he invites to spend the evening is someone he resents for being in his presence in the morning.

David has another vice that is for readers to puzzle over which eventually will contribute to his slide down from a comfortable life just as the building in which he lives is literally settling at an angle, and threatens to eventually travel down hill like the rest of his world. Mr. Palliser eventually takes David down, however it is not as you might expect or have read in the past. His fall does arrive and it is brutal even beyond what he perhaps deserved. There is of course a victim but it is not the one that is expected.

The book initially put me off, as I am a great admirer of his longer complex period pieces. The book quickly will change a reader's mind for it is clever, uniquely presented, and like all of this man's work, brilliantly executed.

Plangent, a new vocabulary word which I picked up from this book, and a good description of the story. Very Calvino-ish, yet different. Imagine short, descriptive vignettes of the unfolding of a relationship set in a uncaring city that is all about work, work, work. Selfishness and selflessness are examined in soundbites that, in the end, come together as a whole and in a completely satisfying way. Who loses in this kind of a world, our world? The adults seeking love for personal gratification or the children that live in the periphery? Or both? This short, one-night read, unlike any Victorian, plot-twisters which Palliser has written, goes deep.

It's hard to say where this novel comes from; Paliser's other works are overlong, mannered, deliberately artificial. The writing here is as natural as breathing, the narrative voice as quietly devastating as the voice of our own conscience. A young man in a cold, unnamed foreign city works feverishly at an unspecified technical job. As things fall apart for him at work he embarks on a doomed affair with a disturbed artist. It's all over in little more than a hundred pages; the impact lasts a lifetime. This is one of the few convincing love stories ever written as well as a chilling indictment of a frenetic, work-driven, utterly alienating society. The Sensationist is an unrepeatable masterpiece and one of the best novels I've ever read.

Palliser presents a fine story in the pages of the Unburied and I join the other readers who appreciate the layering of both story and elements that Palliser uses to tell a fairly complex tale. Still, this book is not an "easy" read. If you skim portions of it in search of more action, you are likely to miss out on the details and nuances that give this book its flavor. Palliser continues to write intriguing stories, but I also join the readers who found the Quincunx a more satisfying experience. If you haven't read any of Palliser's books, I'd give the Quincunx a first read, then come back to the Unburied if you like his style of writing.

In this book the author has spun an intricate web of manipulation and murder. A mysterious invitation, unsolved murders, a lost ancient manuscript and secret ambitions all form an integral part of the story. This book is like a maze, an ultimate search for the truth along twisted pathways with new surprises at every turn.

The ending is impossible to guess although all of the pieces do fall perfectly into place. It is worth it read this book again and try to look for the clues that the author has sprinkled throughout.

A deeply atmospheric book, the author has done a superb job of recreating a small, Victorian cathedral town and all of its mystery.

Some have compared An Instance of the Fingerpost to this book. In my opinion, there is absolutely no comparison. The Unburied is far superior to the dry, dull An Instance of the Fingerpost. Indeed, most mysteries seem dull and boring compared to this tour de force. Never to be forgotten by me or any other mystery fan.

The Unburied by Charles Palliser though a little tricky, was EXCELLENT and a real pleasure to read! The story, set in England; circa late 1800s, was extremely well written and researched. With forays into early English history, Church of England politics and hints of pre-Freudian analysis, this novel is packed with twists and turns at every page. Alan Collins' excellent and articulate review (here at Amazon) is quite accurate and to the point. If you like multi-layered period mysteries, read the excellent 5star book, "An Instance of the Fingerpost" by Iain Pears. Also a very engaging and thought provoking work that should not be missed. I can't wait to read the Quincunx. Thank you Mr. Palliser!

I find this book unreadable. I read the first half and scanned the rest. I found it rather like a joke played on the reader rather than a novel. If this was a parody of style, it would work better if the reader was very familiar with the styles being parodied. I felt betrayed for having bought it. No character, if any could be called that, appeared to be remotely likeable.

I'm surprised by the unenthusiastic tone of the other reviews. I would assume that anyone who read Betrayals had read, at least, Palliser's first novel, The Quincunx, and would expect a book to be enjoyed more for its the beauty and wizardry of language than an exciting plot.

I will admit up front that I read Betrayals years ago and, it's definitely not in the class of The Qunicunx, which I've re-read about three times.

Yet Betrayals is truly a suberb book. More in the tone of Umberto Eco (Palliser is surely playing a semiotic theme) than Dickens, Betrayals presents a series of short stories with seemingly distinct plots that slowly and masterfully become entwined. We don't know which story is a subplot of the last, or the master plot of the next. Different chapters confront the same events not only from different points of view of the characters, but from different levels of plot. Is a murder told as news? as the plot of a bad television show? or the background to a love affair.

One turns the pages of Betrayals not to reveal the plot -- that is learned early. One turns the pages to discover the talent of Palliser in weaving the different layers into something not truly a novel, not truly a collection, but truly successful.

I've read this book a few times, and it never fails to amuse me with its intricately woven stories, wicked satire, and twisted plots. Perhaps it's not everyone's cup of tea (as other reviews have shown) but I loved the mix of 19th century convoluted plotting (a la Wilkie Collins or Palliser's own Quincunx) and send-ups of modern literary theory, in the form of a literary critic cum cult leader, and such luminaries as Jeffery Archer, seen here as an egotistical politician turned plagarist. I am not a fan of books as puzzles, but this is no postmodern deconstruction of fiction; it's just a funny take on a thematically linked short story collection.

This edition by Penguin contains the full-length Sherlock Holmes novel THE VALLEY OF FEAR along with selected short stories from THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and HIS LAST BOW. THE VALLEY OF FEAR was written after Conan Doyle killed off Holmes in 1892, but is set before Holmes' disappearance at the Reichenbach Falls. THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES opens with a story that shows that Holmes didn't die in his struggle with Professor Moriarty after all.

These stories show a decline in Conan Doyle's writing. As Iain Pears wrote in the introduction to another Penguin edition of Holmes stories, in the latter half of his life Conan Doyle turned to mysticism and spiritualism and was increasingly unable to portray the cold rationalism of Sherlock Holmes. Many of the stories lack motivation. The story HIS LAST BOW, which is final story in the canon according to Holmesian time, is a poorly-plotted bit of propaganda for England in World War I.

There are footnotes to each story, compiled by Ed Glinert. An expert on literature set in London, Glinert explains the geographical settings of the Holmes stories, and defines anachronistic terms that are no longer use. He also points out the mistakes Arthur Conan Doyle frequently made in his stories, which are often quite amusing (contradicting timelines, Conan Doyles' incomplete understanding of obscure sciencs, etc).

Because of the illuminating introduction and the helpful footnotes, I'd recommend over any others this edition of THE VALLEY OF FEAR AND SELECTED CASES