Helpful Score: 1
#1 St. Just mystery. Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk is a writer of cozy British mysteries, and he's also an absolute beast. Pompous, phony, and cruel to his family, frequently changing his will in favor of whichever of his children has momentarily pleased him (or displeased him the least), he decides to have some real fun by inviting his four children to his wedding. They are aghast of course, seeing a threat to their inheritances, but they all head toward his manor, figuratively attempting to elbow their way into his favor and hopefully talk him out of this marriage to an obvious gold digger. (It takes one to know one!)
Then Sir Adrian drops the bombshell that his marriage is a done deal, that he and Violet are already man and wife and that his will has (yet again) been changed--but he doesn't say how. Shortly thereafter, Sir Adrian's eldest child Ruthven is brutally murdered, and it's not long before he follows his son to the afterlife. Just about everyone has motive to kill one or another of them, so who dunnit?
I admit that I was surprised by the ending, but to be honest, I didn't much care by that point. The book started very slowly, and I nearly gave it up since by the time I hit page 100 (1/3 of the way through the book) there had not yet been a murder, nor had we met DCI St. Just, our intrepid hero. There was just too much set-up, and in reflecting back, the set-up didn't really give many clues to the murderer.
Once St. Just entered the scene, things did improve. I like him, and Sgt. Fear too, and wish that his character had been more developed. There is some wry humor that I found amusing, but the overall package of this book was just mediocre to me. I will likely read the next one, but I've deleted it from my PBS wishlist and just added it to my library list. If St. Just develops further in that book I would say the series has promise.
Then Sir Adrian drops the bombshell that his marriage is a done deal, that he and Violet are already man and wife and that his will has (yet again) been changed--but he doesn't say how. Shortly thereafter, Sir Adrian's eldest child Ruthven is brutally murdered, and it's not long before he follows his son to the afterlife. Just about everyone has motive to kill one or another of them, so who dunnit?
I admit that I was surprised by the ending, but to be honest, I didn't much care by that point. The book started very slowly, and I nearly gave it up since by the time I hit page 100 (1/3 of the way through the book) there had not yet been a murder, nor had we met DCI St. Just, our intrepid hero. There was just too much set-up, and in reflecting back, the set-up didn't really give many clues to the murderer.
Once St. Just entered the scene, things did improve. I like him, and Sgt. Fear too, and wish that his character had been more developed. There is some wry humor that I found amusing, but the overall package of this book was just mediocre to me. I will likely read the next one, but I've deleted it from my PBS wishlist and just added it to my library list. If St. Just develops further in that book I would say the series has promise.
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 1
This is a book which was written with the author's tongue firmly planted in her cheek. G. M. Malliet must have smiled her way through Death of a Cozy Writer. From Sir Adrian hovering spider-like at the center of his web to each of his flies...er...children dancing on the threads, this book is a feast of wit and laughter. When told that the plot of his book, 12:40 from Manchester, was thought of by Dame Agatha Christie first, Sir Adrian replies, "Of course she did. But my book was better." The man has twisted each of his children so that none of them are likable, but their ill-thought plans and venom-laced dialogue are just plain fun to read.
Naturally, what sets this bizarre household to buzzing feverishly is the introduction of a sane man-- Detective Chief Inspector Arthur St. Just. It can be difficult for a rational person to make sense of the completely irrational, and watching St. Just make his way slowly through this house of Bedlam can be a treat. However, I do wish his character had been developed a bit more.
Moreover, an under-developed main character isn't the only problem in this book. The author takes a long time to set up the action. By page 100, there's no murder and we have yet to meet St. Just. It almost makes me wonder if Malliet had a bit too much fun setting her stage. An under-developed main character, thoroughly unlikable suspects, a very long set-up... in most cases these things would be the kiss of death to a book for me. They weren't in the case of Death of a Cozy Writer because I enjoyed the author's wit so much. In case you're wondering if I'm always such a soft touch, I can say honestly that I'm not. There's a lot hinging on the second book in the series. If Malliet can keep the wit, shorten the introductory section, and tell me more about St. Just, I'll consider this a series with which to continue. If not....
Naturally, what sets this bizarre household to buzzing feverishly is the introduction of a sane man-- Detective Chief Inspector Arthur St. Just. It can be difficult for a rational person to make sense of the completely irrational, and watching St. Just make his way slowly through this house of Bedlam can be a treat. However, I do wish his character had been developed a bit more.
Moreover, an under-developed main character isn't the only problem in this book. The author takes a long time to set up the action. By page 100, there's no murder and we have yet to meet St. Just. It almost makes me wonder if Malliet had a bit too much fun setting her stage. An under-developed main character, thoroughly unlikable suspects, a very long set-up... in most cases these things would be the kiss of death to a book for me. They weren't in the case of Death of a Cozy Writer because I enjoyed the author's wit so much. In case you're wondering if I'm always such a soft touch, I can say honestly that I'm not. There's a lot hinging on the second book in the series. If Malliet can keep the wit, shorten the introductory section, and tell me more about St. Just, I'll consider this a series with which to continue. If not....
