Daedalian Muse by Jamie Crothall

This was rather quirky and a lot of fun. 

Tempus Fugit is, in his own words, “an independent agent in the investigation of scientific anomalies” and believes ghosts and goblins have no place in our “ever-so-tangible world, as all have valid and reasonable explanations.”

Tempus is called in to investigate some rather perplexing occurrences in the ruins of a building in a rural English village. Preferring to use his scientific logic to explain events, Tempus does his best to dispel the conception that the ruins are haunted. He firmly believes the truth is often cast aside, because fantasy is so much more attractive. 

However, even an expert of his calibre, can find himself everso slightly out of his depth…

Tempus is almost a victim of his name: time has passed him by, and he hasn’t quite caught up with modern day morals or technology. He really is a bit of an oddball, but he finds an unlikely ally in a teenager, wise beyond her years, who assists him with his strange assignment. There are some humorous moments provided by his encounter with a young lady with a voracious sexual appetite and his rather quaint interpretation of ‘homosexual’.

This doesn’t take long to read. There’s a lovely mix of characters, a dollop of eccentricity, and the author has an intelligent style of writing that doesn’t pretend to be supercilious or condescending.

Great fun.