A review by vsbedford
The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart

2.0

I don't know if it's the hot weather or if I'm losing it but this novel was impenetrable for me - 20 pages in and I couldn't make heads or tails of the characters or where they were going or who was what and why. And when the the love interest appears, purely in photograph, with hands clasped demurely in front of her youthful, slim figure my eyes nearly rolled out of my head; what I wouldn't give for a heroine that's like a smooth 20 pounds overweight. I understand that this novel is both using and subverting the male detective tropes of its day but I found this hard cheese indeed. Perhaps Ms. Rinehart's not for me,however, as I didn't care for The Circular Staircase either. For completists only.

I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.