The final part of the Fell trilogy involves Fell in a decades-old mystery linked to a graduate of the Gardner School, involving the disappearance of a ventriloquist dummy (or "figure", as they're officially known as). Fell Down moves from the present to events in the early sixties, when Leonard Tralastski started as a student at the Gardener School and became a Seven.
I thoroughly enjoyed Fell Down, which combined all the lyrical writing and strong elements of Fell and Fell Back (reviewed below). Like many people I find ventriloquism a little creepy, and Kerr uses that frisson of discomfort beautifully - who is it, exactly, writing the journal entries interspersed with Fell's perspective?
I was a little distressed to discover that, also like the other two Fell books, Fell Down finishes on a cliff hanger - the mystery isn't wholly revealed, and there's a new potential love interest for Fell, the sister of Delia Tremble, introduced on the very last page! ME Kerr's still writing but, as this last part of the series was published in 1991 the likelihood of us returning to Fell and finding out what happened seems remote. While I often like novels to be a little untidy in conclusion, rather than unrealistically wrapped up, this was a little messier than I prefer. Yet somehow, a tribute to Kerr's style, this unfinished element almost adds to the enjoyment of the novel. - Alex
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