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A review by elusivity
Whom the Gods Love by Kate Ross
4.0
3.5 STARS
Enjoyable.
And yet, the victim had such extreme personality that he became a cardboard version of a cliche. Plot is rather convoluted--although masterfully so--but some of the twists defies belief.
As usual, Regency details and atmosphere masterfully rendered. The living characters are all unique and vivid, act and react in ways that makes sense for who they are. A very good locked drawing room mystery.
It feels kind of a cheat that the victim turned out to be such a terrible creature, having zero redeeming quality and basically asking to get killed.
Alexander Falkland was a narcissistic, sadistic sociopath who only cared about having everyone love him. He appeared charming and delightful, accomplished at everything. In private he was petty and mean, have no compunction to blackmail, torment, or murder. He married his proper wife because she's the most beautiful, but found her boring so mostly ignored her. In secret, he kept a mistress who procured a stream of young women for him. It was hinted that he beat them up as part of sex.
He blackmailed the young lawyer, Mr. Clare, to write learned letters to his father. He wanted to go into politics or something, and wanted to win his father to his side and promote his career. Mr. Clare's secret was that he was in fact a she, a female twin who is accomplished actress and was classically educated exactly as her brother. When the real Mr. Clare died of a fever, she took his place.
Meanwhile, Alexander spent and speculated wildly, and eventually lost a fortune. David Adams, a rich Jewish moneylender/business man, managed Alexander's finances and knew his vices, hated him, and loved Mrs. Falkland. He bought up Alexander's IOUs and absolved them in exchange for a chance to sleep with her. Alexander plotted with his mistress and tricked his wife into going off into some corner, where Adams became overcome with emotions and raped her. She became pregnant as result, and later rigs things so her horse threw her, causing her to lose the fetus.
Alexander wanted to get rid of evidence of the wife-exchanging scheme, so he drugged his mistress and committed her to a private insane asylum in the dark of night. He returned to murder the maid, and threw her body in a field with her face bashed in and obliterated.
This was because, for amazing coincidence, that maid was the identical twin sister of Mrs. Falkland's own maid servant! and he did not want a corpse from his secret life to draw the attention of people in his "real" life. This maid servant discovered Alexander killed her sister, and took the first good opportunity to bash his head in with a poker.
Julian Kestrel prevails and discovers all these crazy things. The maid gets sent to Australia, which is not bad for having committed murder. Mr. Falkland was disillusioned about his son, but finds love with now-Miss Clare. Mrs. Falkland will travel to the Continent with her younger brother. Julian wins his bet and gets 500 lbs.
Isn't this crazy convoluted???
Enjoyable.
And yet, the victim had such extreme personality that he became a cardboard version of a cliche. Plot is rather convoluted--although masterfully so--but some of the twists defies belief.
As usual, Regency details and atmosphere masterfully rendered. The living characters are all unique and vivid, act and react in ways that makes sense for who they are. A very good locked drawing room mystery.
Alexander Falkland was a narcissistic, sadistic sociopath who only cared about having everyone love him. He appeared charming and delightful, accomplished at everything. In private he was petty and mean, have no compunction to blackmail, torment, or murder. He married his proper wife because she's the most beautiful, but found her boring so mostly ignored her. In secret, he kept a mistress who procured a stream of young women for him. It was hinted that he beat them up as part of sex.
He blackmailed the young lawyer, Mr. Clare, to write learned letters to his father. He wanted to go into politics or something, and wanted to win his father to his side and promote his career. Mr. Clare's secret was that he was in fact a she, a female twin who is accomplished actress and was classically educated exactly as her brother. When the real Mr. Clare died of a fever, she took his place.
Meanwhile, Alexander spent and speculated wildly, and eventually lost a fortune. David Adams, a rich Jewish moneylender/business man, managed Alexander's finances and knew his vices, hated him, and loved Mrs. Falkland. He bought up Alexander's IOUs and absolved them in exchange for a chance to sleep with her. Alexander plotted with his mistress and tricked his wife into going off into some corner, where Adams became overcome with emotions and raped her. She became pregnant as result, and later rigs things so her horse threw her, causing her to lose the fetus.
Alexander wanted to get rid of evidence of the wife-exchanging scheme, so he drugged his mistress and committed her to a private insane asylum in the dark of night. He returned to murder the maid, and threw her body in a field with her face bashed in and obliterated.
This was because, for amazing coincidence, that maid was the identical twin sister of Mrs. Falkland's own maid servant! and he did not want a corpse from his secret life to draw the attention of people in his "real" life. This maid servant discovered Alexander killed her sister, and took the first good opportunity to bash his head in with a poker.
Julian Kestrel prevails and discovers all these crazy things. The maid gets sent to Australia, which is not bad for having committed murder. Mr. Falkland was disillusioned about his son, but finds love with now-Miss Clare. Mrs. Falkland will travel to the Continent with her younger brother. Julian wins his bet and gets 500 lbs.
Isn't this crazy convoluted???