"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
The eponymous (Dennis) Hatchett and (Alec) Lycett, old school chums and now schoolmasters at Crotchet Green's Kirby Grammar are both "sweet" on the same woman: childhood friend Norma Lewis, who teaches at the neighbouring "gels" school, Saltdene. Squaring their initially unacknowledged romantic triangle is not the only problem. A Saltdene/Kirby trip to France results in the death (in distinctly suspicious circumstances) of the rather butch Franco-admiring Spanish teacher, Miss Everett. Hatchett asks Norma (if on this occasion only humorously) to marry him and Norma finds herself smuggling Rachel, a Jewish-German girl with an astonishing grasp of nuclear physics, into England as her niece. The moment war is declared Alec enlists and becomes engaged to Norma. However, the reappearance of Alec's long-banished twin brother Lucius and the continuing decimation of Saltdene's fascistic, lesbian, Spanish department by poisoning and strangulation prove almost as alarming as the increasingly omnipresent exploits of the "heartless Nazis".
In places Williams relies too heavily on the Curse of the Comic Capitals (there are a tad too many "The Boy With the Peculiar Ears" and "The Question of the Tomato Sandwich" type gags) but this book is littered with fragments of absolute comic genius--a magnificently rambling vicar's sermon just before Chamberlain's immortal speech is hilarious. There are also touches of astonishing pathos. The Agatha Christie-style murders, while often very funny, feel like an ingredient too many; even Williams himself seems to forget about them halfway through. The unmasking of the murderer at, an unsurprisingly farcical, funeral-cum-wedding is something of an anticlimax. By then Williams has made the unravelling of a darker secret from Hatchett and Lycett's childhood far more intriguing. Its resolution, together with the settling of the bizarre love triangle (more of a love hexagon by the end), provides the book's real, and much more satisfying, dénouement. --Travis Elborough
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR004009249
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Hatchett and Lycett This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780670912551
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780670912551
Book Description Condition: Used: Very Good. VERY GOOD CLEAN COPY. SENT NEXT WORKING DAY FROM THE U/K 1ST CLASS 0.0. Seller Inventory # 1124H063595
Book Description 1st Edition. Near fine copy in the original stiff-card wrappers; edges very slightly dust-dulled and toned. Remains particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered. Physical description: 422 pages; 24 cm. Subjects: World War, 1939-1945 England; Fiction. Teachers England; Fiction. 20th century fiction. Genre: Fiction. 1 Kg. Seller Inventory # 333704
Book Description Condition: Used: Very Good. ex library so some stamps etc.very good overall condition. sent next working day from the u/k 1st class 0.0. Seller Inventory # 0226GP1GCKA
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: Near Fine. No Jacket. 1st Edition. Uncorrected Proof Copy of this comical World War 2 mystery / romance thriller. In fine condition. Seller Inventory # 23157
Book Description 1st Edition. Near fine copy in the original stiff-card wrappers; edges very slightly dust-dulled and toned. Remains particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered. Physical description: 422 pages; 24 cm. Subjects: World War, 1939-1945 England; Fiction. Teachers England; Fiction. 20th century fiction. Genre: Fiction. 1 Kg. Seller Inventory # 333704
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: Near Fine. White Pictorial Soft Cover. Signed by Author on title page. Spine ends Very lightly rubbed at extremities, pages slightly age toned, else fine. 423pp. All in fine condition. A beautiful, unread copy. Not Price Clipped. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Signed by Author(s). Book. Seller Inventory # 013357