School for Murder

by Robert Barnard

Book Overview

This no-holds-barred satire of Britain's school tradition is perhaps Robert Barnard's most hilarious mystery. An uproarious parody of failed pedants and crackpot bureaucrats, Barnard's wit moves from satire on stuffy rulemongers to a desperately black comedy of manners characterisitc of his best work.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684181134
• ISBN13: 9780684181134
• Release Date: January 1984
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 201 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Pitch Perfect

It is difficult to choose among Barnard's books (they are all extremely well-written, literate entertainment), but this is one of the funniest. His gift for deft characterization is on full display here.

A wonderful satire and pretty good mystery.

Robert Barnard is that rarity: one who writes mystery novels that may be better as novels than as mysteries.This is an example of his early style: elegant, witty, epigrammatic, but extremely insightful.I taught in a private school very much like the one described in this book, and Barnard's picture is dazzling in its accuracy and devastating in its satire. His command of personalities and politics and teacher/student relations is perfect.Recommended for any lover of good writing, bad schools, and great mysteries.