A Narrow Door: The electric psychological thriller from the Sunday Times bestseller

As usual Joanne Harris’ stories are beyond the ordinary. So well written, again as usual. Kept me spellbound until the end. Such a talented author.

In Joanne Harris’s ‘A Narrow Door’ we visit for the third (and final?) time St Oswald’s Grammar School for Boys which has now, after the appointment of Rebecca Buckfast as Head, been re-named St Oswald’s Academy. And that is not the sole change, for not only has St Oswald’s never had a woman as head teacher, but the school now caters for female pupils too. Fortunately, despite having had a heart attack and being offered retirement, Classics master Roy Straitley is still in his post, determined that he will not be put out to pasture and is still teaching Latin to his boys - but, of course, he now has young girls to contend with. When on the first day of term, Straitley’s ‘Brodie Boys’ (who now include Benedicta Wild, or ‘Ben’ as she prefers to be known and with the pronoun ‘he’) arrive at his classroom and tell him they think they have found a dead body on the site of the half-finished building site of the new Gunderson Building, Straitley thinks it could just be a practical joke - his ‘Brodie Boys’ are known for their jokes - but when he visits the site himself, he feels his pupils might be right. Taking his fears to Rebecca Buckfast, Straitley is talked out of reporting his suspicions to the police by the Head’s assurance that it is very unlikely to be a real body and that she will deal with the situation herself. And when Straitley suffers another heart attack and is hospitalised soon afterwards, he has to trust that Ms Buckfast will do as she has promised - but firstly, his head teacher tells him, he must listen to the story of the disappearance many years’ ago of her elder brother before deciding if his suspicions need to be reported to the authorities. And so, each evening, like Scheherazade in the Arabian Nights, Ms Buckfast shares with Straitley how, when she was only five years old, her fourteen-year-old brother, Conrad, disappeared almost in front of her eyes and was never seen again and of the effect his disappearance has had on her entire life since then…As with the two previous books in this series (‘Gentlemen and Players’ and ‘Different Class’), this novel is presented to the reader in first-person narratives and I was pulled into the narrators’ stories from the very first pages. It is true that the reader will need to suspend their disbelief at times, but also true that Ms Harris takes her readers on a dark and twisty journey with this third St Oswald’s novel and I was wrong-footed on more than one occasion during the course of the story. I can’t say too much more about the plot for fear of spoilers, but what I can say is that Joanne Harris's descriptions of the old school, with its quads, its ancient buildings, its bell tower and its dusty corridors, are very well done and particularly evocative for those who, like me, have attended or who work in a traditional school like St Oswald's - in fact it was this part of the book that I found especially enjoyable. (And in this book we also get to read about St Oswald's rival school: King Henry's - another very traditional, independent school, which is actually more exclusive than St Oswald's). I also found the author's portrayal of the grizzled and dedicated Roy Straitley particularly convincing and, if this is the last book in the series, I have to say that I am sorry to leave St Oswald’s behind me. (Although I’m quite sure that all three books would stand at least one rereading at some time in the future).4 Stars.

I have not read many of her books but I shall now. This is a great read and an interesting subject

I have just started my second reading of this excellent story. When I first began to read, about a week ago, I quickly realised that I needed to go back to the previous instalment of this intriguing series: Different Class. I have enjoyed all the St Oswalds books but feel that they build one on another. Since it is five years since Different Class was published, readers may not be au fait with the essential background to A Narrow Door and its quirky characters. I now look forward to finding out what happened next to Straitley et al. (Having now reached the end of the story, I thought I would add a couple more points. The book is a mix of several genres. Its has elements of magic, as in Chocolat and Red Shoes, and of the earlier St Oswalds mysteries. I found the dual voices and timelines a little confusing, as were all the nicknames, and I missed Staightley's honesty and humour. There was rather a lot of la Buckfast, whose voice I found a little woke at times. The book seemed rather long to me and I would have liked an earlier denouement.)

Joanna Harris never fail.I was guessing until the end of the book.could not put it down .totally riveting read .

The standard of writing is excellent as always.The story takes a long time to unravel and for me was too crammed with detail, so that I kept forgetting who was who.Joanne Harris's knowledge and experience of school life gives it a very authentic air.

Note: I would suggest reading 'Gentlemen and Players' and 'Different Class' before reading this, the final, in the series.I cannot go into details about the plot because I want you, reader, to experience what I feel was the perfect end to the series.What I will say, though, is this: you will not regret purchasing all three!

It is 2006 and once again Roy Straitley, ageing classics master at St Oswald’s school, has to deal with major changes. He respects La Buckfast, as he calls her, but can’t stop himself calling her Headmaster. His “Brodie Boys” have moved up the school ladder but they still seek him out as their mentor. They have spotted something suspicious on the construction site of the new school building. Of course, Roy consults his Head before approaching the police, but this causes Rebecca Buckfast to begin telling him the story of her earlier life in small intriguing episodes.Rebecca is an unreliable witness. She describes the mysterious disappearance from St Oswald’s of her 14-year-old brother, Conrad, when she was only 5. The frightening experience left her confused. What did she witness? As she describes her teaching career, fighting the prejudice against a woman in the nearby King Henry’s boys’ school, we can’t help admiring her, especially meeting resistance from her soon to be husband, Dominic, who would prefer her to teach with him at the local Comprehensive. We learn that Dominic also has secrets and despite his declining health, Roy Straitley looks forward to learning more.The classical references to the rivers of the underworld in the book’s sections lead us towards Hades. Threads of deceit and confusion gradually reveal what happened all those years ago. Will the truth ever be revealed and how will the relationship between Roy and Rebecca develop? I found the epilogue particularly pleasing. Another masterpiece by Joanne Harris.

It was difficult to get oriented to the book story line because of the change in narration - the narrators changed. But it is turning out to be a good novel. Have not finished it yet.

I have enjoyed every one of her books that I have read but this is definitely the best so far.

I read this book in the summer. It's a crime novel with feminist statements. I read this was the third and last one of a series, but it can be read on its own and I think this makes the author very skilled. I'm thinking about reading the other two.I read a lot and I have a degree in literature, so when I read something I expect some standards to be reached. All things considered, this was a great summer reading. The plot isn't boring nor predictable, which to me is very important because I read a lot of crime/thriller and many times I'm annoyed by the fact that I understood everything. Again, I read a lot so this is somehow normal and it takes a good author and a good plot to keep me reading!

A great cast of characters and a compelling mystery with lots of twists and turns. I have read all of Joanne’s books and this latest read was a joy

That’s it. Honestly, her earlier works were better. There was still some mystique, but it pales in comparison to earlier works like BlackBerry Wine and Jigs &Reels but too easily worked out.