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A review by robinwalter
Green for Danger by Christianna Brand
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
My first Christianna Brand was a mixed bag. Clear evidence of skill as a writer, and the author's personal experience in the environment she describes no doubt enriched the detail and atmosphere of the setting. The mystery itself was well constructed, with a very nice and deftly prolonged feint, which successfully threw me off the track.
Overall though, I simply couldn't get into the story. For much of it seemed like the author was unsure whether she was writing a mystery or a romance, and her attempts to blend the two were distracting, offputting and confusing. Long before halfway I gave up caring who was in love with whom, who was cheating on whom and who said what to whom about what two other people were doing. I was looking for a murder mystery, not a medical soap opera, while the author tried to supply both. In my view she didn't pull it off.
It also didn't help that I did not warm to Inspector Cockrill. I actually said to myself "he's no Inspector Knollis". Poor people skills and a detection style that came down to "let's give the murderer a chance to do it again", and when that doesn't work, resort to "let them all stew together, the culprit will crack". In both cases, his fondness for setting up bait/guinea pigs exposed innocent people to significant risk, risk that was averted on each occasion by good luck, not his good management. That said, I'm going to try a few more of hers and hope that there is more of a focus on the mystery, and less "let's play doctors and nurses". A more competent and less cocksure detective wouldn't hurt, either.
EDIT: On reflection, it is possible that much of what I found unenjoyable about this novel would actually help in its cinematic adaptation, about which I've heard good things. I stand by my contempt of Cockrill's incompetent investigative endeavours, though.
Overall though, I simply couldn't get into the story. For much of it seemed like the author was unsure whether she was writing a mystery or a romance, and her attempts to blend the two were distracting, offputting and confusing. Long before halfway I gave up caring who was in love with whom, who was cheating on whom and who said what to whom about what two other people were doing. I was looking for a murder mystery, not a medical soap opera, while the author tried to supply both. In my view she didn't pull it off.
It also didn't help that I did not warm to Inspector Cockrill. I actually said to myself "he's no Inspector Knollis". Poor people skills and a detection style that came down to "let's give the murderer a chance to do it again", and when that doesn't work, resort to "let them all stew together, the culprit will crack". In both cases, his fondness for setting up bait/guinea pigs exposed innocent people to significant risk, risk that was averted on each occasion by good luck, not his good management. That said, I'm going to try a few more of hers and hope that there is more of a focus on the mystery, and less "let's play doctors and nurses". A more competent and less cocksure detective wouldn't hurt, either.
EDIT: On reflection, it is possible that much of what I found unenjoyable about this novel would actually help in its cinematic adaptation, about which I've heard good things. I stand by my contempt of Cockrill's incompetent investigative endeavours, though.