William Mayne's Ravensgill … has already been praised highly elsewhere; but that is no reason for not praising it again. It is, I feel, his most considerable book for some time. In addition to the usual brilliance of his writing, there is a chilling depth that lends the story a rare excitement. Little by little a long-forgotten crime is brought to the surface—both literally and metaphorically—and the weird grandmother who stands at the plot's centre becomes a shifting, fascinating character exhibited in the dimension of time. There are many memorable passages in the book, but one in particular stands out. Apparently unrelated to the movement of the plot, yet providing a necessary emotional balance, there is an episode describing a game of French cricket that is pure magic. (p. 608)

Leon Garfield, in New Statesman (© 1970 The Statesman & Nation Publishing Co. Ltd.), November 6, 1970.