Reviews

The Affair of the Mutilated Mink: A Delightfully Quirky Murder Mystery in the Great Tradition of Agatha Christie by James Anderson

muguete's review against another edition

4.0

3,5

feimineach's review against another edition

2.0

I only really read this book because someone loaned it to me, and felt I would really like it. I have no idea why. It's a mediocre whodunnit, at best. It's set in the 30s, so I understand that the author had some cultural stereotypes to live up to, but the sexism and classism were really very tiresome.

This is the second Anderson that I've read and I won't be reading any more. The general premise of all his books seem to be:

- Upperclass family throw a weekend house party for some vague,...more I only really read this book because someone loaned it to me, and felt I would really like it. I have no idea why. It's a mediocre whodunnit, at best. It's set in the 30s, so I understand that the author had some cultural stereotypes to live up to, but the sexism and classism were really very tiresome.

This is the second Anderson that I've read and I won't be reading any more. The general premise of all his books seem to be:

- Upperclass family throw a weekend house party for some vague, loosely constructed reason.
- Beautiful femme fatale shows up in dubious circumstances and gets killed.
- Investigation ensues which takes the reader in predictable, and ultimately false, direction.
- The real murderer turns out to the person you least expect who you knew it would be all along.

*yawn*

quietjenn's review against another edition

3.0

This series continues to delight, although for a bit it looked like our intrepid hero might not pull it out, so I was a wee impatient on that front. But Anderson pulls it off and there are some genuinely hilarious moments and overall some very clever plotting. And some very appreciated nods to beloved authors and sleuths. I'm sad there there's only one more book in the series, but that won't stop me from reading in p.d.q.

whimsyful's review against another edition

3.0

3.5, rounded up to a 4. Another fun homage to Golden Age murder mysteries, though if you're familiar enough with those you could probably guess whodunnit from genre convention alone (especially if you know your Agatha Christie).

samanthawattam's review against another edition

3.0

Lord George Burford, a recent convert to the joy of the Silver Screen is startled to receive a request from movie star Rex Ransom to come and stay at the family seat Alderley, with a view to using his home as a location if they can persuade Lady Lavinia to agree which will be no easy task. Very soon there is a full house when long lost relatives from Australia descend, their daughter Geraldine takes it upon herself to invite two rivals for her heart as well and more unexpected house guests arrive. But a murder soon puts the cat amongst the pigeons.

This is a parody/homage to the detective series of the 1930s, think Downton Abbey the murder mystery with all the cliches of the genre thrown in. It is written in the same world as Lord Peter Wimsey, P.G. Wodehouse with elements of Pride & Prejudice and lots of name dropping. It is impossible to deduce who is the guilty party many of the guests are not who you think they are and the plot becomes more and more preposterous as the story unfolds but it is a good romp. There is an exciting denouement with the rescue of a damsel in distress to top it off.

jennyanydots's review against another edition

4.0

1930s country house mysteries, with these 2 books written in 1975 and 1981 respectively. As convoluted as anything written by Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers, and in fact various characters mention meeting with both Poirot and Lord Peter Whimsey! In book 1, a small central European duchy is concerned by the rise of Hitler, and enter into negotiations with Britain for protection. The talks are arranged to be held secretly, under the guise of a weekend house party, at the estate of the Earl of Burford, whose brother is a junior minister at the foreign office, but are interrupted by the mysterious death of one of the participants. Inspector Wilkins of the local police force is called in to unravel all the secrets the various guests are keeping, but he's really not sanguine about his hopes. In book 2, a Hollywood director wants to use the house for a film set, and comes down with the leading man to convince the Earl and Countess to let them go ahead. Another house party, another shooting, and Wilkins is back, feeling as un-sanguine as ever. Great fun, and strongly plotted, with some very unexpected twists in the mystery. Sadly, the author only wrote one more in the series before his own untimely death, and I'm looking forward to reading that next, but wanted to capture these 2 now. And that puts me on track for my 2015 reading challenge. Good for anyone who likes convoluted country house mysteries, and secret passages.

julieputty's review against another edition

3.0

A funny spoof on the English manor-house mystery genre. Lots of wacky behaviors and complicated plots.

hevreadsherbooks's review against another edition

4.0

A reasonable read with some interesting characters and a fun plot, this is the first book in this series that I have read. It was enjoyable and fun to read, however the pacing was a little off for me and the book took an age to get going. Once it did though, it was a reasonable pace and held my attention. The characters were the strongest point for me, and I adore Gerry as a character. The solution surprised me and it was not a disappointment when the reveal happened. One thing that was frustrating was the fact that the characters were aware of information before the reader - we knew there was information to be had but the author was not giving it to us. This may be down to personal preference but I feel that there are subtler ways of providing information and hiding the meaning in the text rather than deliberately hiding it from the reader. Otherwise a fun read and I hope to get more in this series.