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A review by ashleylm
Dover and the Claret Tappers by Joyce Porter
3.0
It's quite a change of pace. I think I prefer the traditional mystery, with a small cast in a small town (or large house) one of whom must have done it. This book is more of a suspense thriller / police procedural, Dover-style, where they're on the hunt for characters that the reader hasn't met. It's a high 3-stars (how I wish Goodreads was on a 100 point scale like Criticker!) but would be unfair to the 4-star books I've read to rate this quite as highly. In a whodunnit you can guess along, but here, you really can't.
That said, it's in keeping with the other Dovers otherwise, it's enjoyable enough, I was happy to turn to it before bedtime, and I did very much enjoy the twist of the opening situation. But having gone to so much trouble to establish "Dover didn't pay attention" this could have been more of a "whodunnit" after all, and I do wish she'd done that instead. But hey, it's her book!
Note: I have written a novel (not yet published), so now I will suffer pangs of guilt every time I offer less than five stars. In my subjective opinion, the stars suggest:
(5* = one of my all-time favourites, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = actually disappointing, and 1* = hated it. As a statistician I know most books are 3s, but I am biased in my selection and end up mostly with 4s, thank goodness.)
That said, it's in keeping with the other Dovers otherwise, it's enjoyable enough, I was happy to turn to it before bedtime, and I did very much enjoy the twist of the opening situation. But having gone to so much trouble to establish "Dover didn't pay attention" this could have been more of a "whodunnit" after all, and I do wish she'd done that instead. But hey, it's her book!
Note: I have written a novel (not yet published), so now I will suffer pangs of guilt every time I offer less than five stars. In my subjective opinion, the stars suggest:
(5* = one of my all-time favourites, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = actually disappointing, and 1* = hated it. As a statistician I know most books are 3s, but I am biased in my selection and end up mostly with 4s, thank goodness.)