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elizabeth_noel's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nbarton82's review
3.0
I enjoyed the characters, as usual, but this is the second Hannasyde mystery in a row where I picked the killer from the get-go. And that's a bit of a bummer.
searchandrescueteam's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What a delight! Such a mischievous and funny book. There are moments that had me laughing😄out loud.
Ms Heyer did extraordinary and irreverent research (without the help of a PDF search function). I checked a few - using that 🔍 search function - and the biblical quotes were 👍🏽accurate. I pictured her leafing through Isiah, Revelations in an old family copy 📖 chuckling 🤫 to herself.
It was also interesting to think about who was walking the streets in this period: police on the beat, postmen picking up and delivering 📮 mail, coffee carts ! in the late evening.
And then the appalling casual racism, described by the author without a moment's hesitation. 🤷🏽♀️ I don't forgive, or forget or understand white English supremacism that runs through and through the history of that tiny little country and it's people's unrelenting belief in their right to supercilious and violent domination.
Still - I read to the end - and was smiling 🙂 when I finished.
Ms Heyer did extraordinary and irreverent research (without the help of a PDF search function). I checked a few - using that 🔍 search function - and the biblical quotes were 👍🏽accurate. I pictured her leafing through Isiah, Revelations in an old family copy 📖 chuckling 🤫 to herself.
It was also interesting to think about who was walking the streets in this period: police on the beat, postmen picking up and delivering 📮 mail, coffee carts ! in the late evening.
And then the appalling casual racism, described by the author without a moment's hesitation. 🤷🏽♀️ I don't forgive, or forget or understand white English supremacism that runs through and through the history of that tiny little country and it's people's unrelenting belief in their right to supercilious and violent domination.
Still - I read to the end - and was smiling 🙂 when I finished.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
melissa_who_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't want a mystery with guns in it this week. Also, nothing too violent.
Ernie Fletcher is murdered - sitting at the desk in his study, his head is bashed in. The investigators can't find the blunt instrument used in the crime. Turns out, most people found Ernie a charming man, but he was known to be "one for the ladies." For instance, he's been attempting to blackmail one of the neighbor's into sleeping with him - and she has no desire to cheat on her husband, so she's in a bind. In today's world, he reads like a most unpleasant type, and even given the standards of the time, one has a hard time feeling regretful he was murdered. No one grieves overmuch.
A bible-thumping constable, a nephew with no money and a casual take on the world, as well as a second murder enliven the tale.
Ernie Fletcher is murdered - sitting at the desk in his study, his head is bashed in. The investigators can't find the blunt instrument used in the crime. Turns out, most people found Ernie a charming man, but he was known to be "one for the ladies." For instance, he's been attempting to blackmail one of the neighbor's into sleeping with him - and she has no desire to cheat on her husband, so she's in a bind. In today's world, he reads like a most unpleasant type, and even given the standards of the time, one has a hard time feeling regretful he was murdered. No one grieves overmuch.
A bible-thumping constable, a nephew with no money and a casual take on the world, as well as a second murder enliven the tale.
rebroxannape's review against another edition
3.0
This is the 3rd or 4th time I've read this, so I knew "whodunnit" from the beginning. I can still appreciate the cleverness of the puzzle and enjoyed coming across the clues along the way. There was one really big one about in the middle. I listened to this one and loved Neville and Sally even more than when reading it. Neville is really one of a kind in the Heyer pantheon. I wish he had more interaction with "Ichabod" Glass. Ulli Birve did a fine job. It did get a little tedious, because Hawthorne and Hannasyde kept repeating and repeating the sequence of events and the time problem ad nauseum. If I had read it rather than listened to it, It would have been beyond tiresome.
thechroniclesofreading's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
I’m a massive fan of Georgette Heyer, I own all her historical and romance books so when I came across this book at my local telephone book swap, I thought I would give it a go. I’ve never really been tempted to read her detective novels, mainly because it’s not a genre I gravitate towards but when a book is free, I’m willing to read anything!
Sadly, this wasn’t the book for me. I found a lot of the characters annoying, the plot was meh and I ended up skim reading through a lot of it. I didn’t care about who was the murderer or enjoy the journey to find them. In fact, i only figured out who it was about 70 pages before the reveal and I’m not sure if it was because I just didn’t care about it enough to pick up on the clues or because I don’t read a lot of detective books.
So this one will go back to the book swap and hopefully someone else can get it and enjoy it a lot more than I did.
Sadly, this wasn’t the book for me. I found a lot of the characters annoying, the plot was meh and I ended up skim reading through a lot of it. I didn’t care about who was the murderer or enjoy the journey to find them. In fact, i only figured out who it was about 70 pages before the reveal and I’m not sure if it was because I just didn’t care about it enough to pick up on the clues or because I don’t read a lot of detective books.
So this one will go back to the book swap and hopefully someone else can get it and enjoy it a lot more than I did.
smunro's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
Such fun, and a good solution, too, although one you can never forget. Fortunately it is so much fun, and very funny, that I can live with rereading it, even though I always remember whodunnit!