Well plotted with a cast of likely suspects, 'A striking murder' is set during a miners' strike in nineteenth century Wigan. The year is 1893 and the town of Wigan, and its working class suburb of Scholes, is suffering a harsh and bleak winter. The colliery owner, Arthur Morris, is threatening to reduce the men's wages by 25 per cent which has resulted in a bitter strike. The novel opens with his murder in a dark alleyway in Scholes near the homes of the mining families and a long way from his own.
The story moves along at a brisk pace and the possible perpetators of this crime are many: the mining family of the Hagerty's whose daughter, Bridie, is in love with Andrew Morris, son of the colliery owner; James Cox, local steelworks owner, whose lucrative contract for Blackpool Tower is held up by the strike; Andrew Morris who want to elope with Bridie, against his father's wishes; Bragg, the shadowy one-eyed man who has been asking questions. The suspects are considered in turn until the final denouement which provides the twist in the tale. Excellent descriptions of the town, its inhabitants and the winter weather makes this a whodunnit well above the average.
