Some time ago, I read most of the romance novels of Georgette Heyer. Even though I found some small issues with her writing, I liked it enough to read most of her romantic works. Around that time, I picked up this book at a used book fair. It looked brand new and in great condition.

I’ve been meaning to read some of the books in my collection and then donate them after I read them to free up space. I also want easy and cozy reads between my library ones.

I’ll start with the positives. I like Chief Inspector Hemingway and the other policemen in this novel. I did want to finish the novel to see how they figured it out, but I was underwhelmed by the rest.

The CI notes in the novel that the case has a lot of suspects. Too many! In fact the beginning and the middle of the book is full of red herrings. Furthermore, there is a lot of dialogue in this book that doesn’t amount to much in the end. The ending is a tad anticlimactic as a result. I much prefer Agatha Christie’s pacing and style for English mysteries.

It’s not the say I won’t try another Heyer novel, but I am less than impressed. I think I’ll try one more but then move on to other authors and books.

This was apparently the last of her mysteries so it makes me wonder if her earlier stuff was better or as meandering.

Read February 13-26th, 2018.