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Inspectors Hannasyde & Hemingway #7
Delitto con replica
Su il sipario, va in scena un assassinio. Ecco una comitiva di dame, lord e altri esponenti della migliore società, riuniti una sera per un bridge party. Otto tavolini nel salotto, tre nella biblioteca. Ed ecco che il gioco a un certo punto si interrompe per l'assenza prolungata di un giocatore, chiamato al telefono nel bel mezzo di una mano. Una condotta alquanto scortese, se non fosse che l'uomo è stato strangolato. Giace nel boudoir della casa, raggomitolato sulla sedia accanto al telefono, con il viso distorto in modo orribile e due pezzi di filo metallico che spuntano dietro il collo. Quarantanove persone, cinquantacinque contando la servitù, presenti nell'edificio al momento dell'omicidio: una vera folla di potenziali colpevoli, ma per fortuna degli inquirenti sembra che solo sette di loro abbiano avuto l'opportunità di commetterlo. Non per questo il rebus appare meno intricato all'ispettore capo Hemingway di Scotland Yard, al quale s'impone di risolverlo presto. Perché chi ha ucciso ha tutta l'intenzione di concedere il bis.
250 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1951
About the author
Georgette Heyer
264 books5,108 followersGeorgette Heyer was a prolific historical romance and detective fiction novelist. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brother into the novel The Black Moth.
In 1925 she married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer. Rougier later became a barrister and he often provided basic plot outlines for her thrillers. Beginning in 1932, Heyer released one romance novel and one thriller each year.
Heyer was an intensely private person who remained a best selling author all her life without the aid of publicity. She made no appearances, never gave an interview and only answered fan letters herself if they made an interesting historical point. She wrote one novel using the pseudonym Stella Martin.
Her Georgian and Regencies romances were inspired by Jane Austen. While some critics thought her novels were too detailed, others considered the level of detail to be Heyer's greatest asset.
Heyer remains a popular and much-loved author, known for essentially establishing the historical romance genre and its subgenre Regency romance.
In 1925 she married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer. Rougier later became a barrister and he often provided basic plot outlines for her thrillers. Beginning in 1932, Heyer released one romance novel and one thriller each year.
Heyer was an intensely private person who remained a best selling author all her life without the aid of publicity. She made no appearances, never gave an interview and only answered fan letters herself if they made an interesting historical point. She wrote one novel using the pseudonym Stella Martin.
Her Georgian and Regencies romances were inspired by Jane Austen. While some critics thought her novels were too detailed, others considered the level of detail to be Heyer's greatest asset.
Heyer remains a popular and much-loved author, known for essentially establishing the historical romance genre and its subgenre Regency romance.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 300 reviews
March 5, 2021
4.5★
GH wrote this, one of her her final mysteries, after a break of ten years. I believe she really enjoyed working with her husband on these light, fun novels but the Rougiers lack of understanding of the British taxation system (& the strong minded Heyer's reluctance to take advice from anyone!) meant they were constantly in financial difficulty - & her Regencies paid better.
This one had the welcome return of the Harte family from
& I think I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn't been so long since I had read that book. No one could forget Terrible Timothy, but I was a bit confused by the other relationships. I love GH's mysteries but other than
I don't remember them as well as her romances/historicals.
As well as a most ingenious murder method (& a title that is a play on both the social activity & the number of deaths) & engaging, vivid characters this is interesting as a slice of life in post war Britain, which GH handles without any sentimentality. I'm surprised how well she tackles homosexuality & homophobia this time around (earlier books GH has seemed quite naive) & I am to have a lot of questions for the British members of the Reading the Detectives Group when they catch up to me - due to a complete brain fart, I've read this earlier than the rest of the group. My main question was would it be normal for a Scottish policeman to burst into snatches of Gaelic at every possible opportunity. My word, that was annoying!
The other thing that lost this book half a ★ was
There were some very quotable quotes as well - & I'm going to go through what is left of my copy to try to find a couple to add to Goodreads. I have a first edition
& it is a gorgeous thing - but completely falling apart! A trip down Memory Lane for me as it used to be the property of The London Book Club - a private lending library in Auckland that I remember well!
Second Reread, Completed 2/3/21
So many wonderful quotes & if the opening chapter is a little clumsy - who cares!
Read with Georgette Heyer Fans Group
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
GH wrote this, one of her her final mysteries, after a break of ten years. I believe she really enjoyed working with her husband on these light, fun novels but the Rougiers lack of understanding of the British taxation system (& the strong minded Heyer's reluctance to take advice from anyone!) meant they were constantly in financial difficulty - & her Regencies paid better.
This one had the welcome return of the Harte family from
& I think I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn't been so long since I had read that book. No one could forget Terrible Timothy, but I was a bit confused by the other relationships. I love GH's mysteries but other than
I don't remember them as well as her romances/historicals.As well as a most ingenious murder method (& a title that is a play on both the social activity & the number of deaths) & engaging, vivid characters this is interesting as a slice of life in post war Britain, which GH handles without any sentimentality. I'm surprised how well she tackles homosexuality & homophobia this time around (earlier books GH has seemed quite naive) & I am to have a lot of questions for the British members of the Reading the Detectives Group when they catch up to me - due to a complete brain fart, I've read this earlier than the rest of the group. My main question was would it be normal for a Scottish policeman to burst into snatches of Gaelic at every possible opportunity. My word, that was annoying!
The other thing that lost this book half a ★ was
There were some very quotable quotes as well - & I'm going to go through what is left of my copy to try to find a couple to add to Goodreads. I have a first edition
& it is a gorgeous thing - but completely falling apart! A trip down Memory Lane for me as it used to be the property of The London Book Club - a private lending library in Auckland that I remember well!Second Reread, Completed 2/3/21
"I never believe anything until I get proof," replied Hemingway. "But what I have got is flair!"
"I have heard you say so," meekly responded his subordinate.
So many wonderful quotes & if the opening chapter is a little clumsy - who cares!
Read with Georgette Heyer Fans Group
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
August 5, 2021
This has a great, dramatic plot. I wasn't too fussed about the mystery: characterization was top notch here!
I loved Stephen and Beulah - she had her own secrets to hide, but Stephen was not letting her off the hook: she was his girl. I loved how he believed in her to the bitter end!
I loved Stephen and Beulah - she had her own secrets to hide, but Stephen was not letting her off the hook: she was his girl. I loved how he believed in her to the bitter end!
February 1, 2024
I have read a few of Georgette Heyer’s mysteries and enjoyed them very much. I read this for one of my Goodreads groups, even though I dislike reading books out of order and two characters, Stephen and Timothy Hart, appeared in 'They Found Him Dead,' which I have not read before. However, as there was no time to read the earlier book, I went against my usual reading rules and read this out of order.
“Duplicate Death,” was published in 1951 and is one of her later mysteries. It involves a murder at a bridge party and, although this was published at the start of the 1950’s, this could easily have taken place in an earlier period. Much of this feels like a 1930’s mystery, although there are hints that society is changing. Mrs Haddington, where the party takes place, is new to society and it is unclear how she has managed to insert herself into such a successful position. She is launching her beautiful, but empty headed, daughter, Cynthia, into society and hoping that she will make a good marriage.
Mrs Haddingon is keen for Cynthia to marry Timothy Hart, but it is Mrs Haddington’s secretary, Beulah Birtley, who attracts him to the house. However, Beulah has a secret and she knows that she is viewed with suspicion by Timothy’s family, who imagine her as a gold digger, with no family known to them. Chief Inspector Hemingway has to discover who is guilty of murder and uncovers many different motives among the, mostly unlikeable, cast of suspects.
I listened to this on Audible and the narrator, Ulli Birve, does the worst Scottish accent I have ever heard! This caused some unintentional merriment while listening to this, but I find it hard to believe that nobody commented on it, while this was being recorded…
Update: the narrator on a new Audible edition is Matt Addis. If you have the choice, then I highly recommend Mr Addis over Ulli Birve.
“Duplicate Death,” was published in 1951 and is one of her later mysteries. It involves a murder at a bridge party and, although this was published at the start of the 1950’s, this could easily have taken place in an earlier period. Much of this feels like a 1930’s mystery, although there are hints that society is changing. Mrs Haddington, where the party takes place, is new to society and it is unclear how she has managed to insert herself into such a successful position. She is launching her beautiful, but empty headed, daughter, Cynthia, into society and hoping that she will make a good marriage.
Mrs Haddingon is keen for Cynthia to marry Timothy Hart, but it is Mrs Haddington’s secretary, Beulah Birtley, who attracts him to the house. However, Beulah has a secret and she knows that she is viewed with suspicion by Timothy’s family, who imagine her as a gold digger, with no family known to them. Chief Inspector Hemingway has to discover who is guilty of murder and uncovers many different motives among the, mostly unlikeable, cast of suspects.
I listened to this on Audible and the narrator, Ulli Birve, does the worst Scottish accent I have ever heard! This caused some unintentional merriment while listening to this, but I find it hard to believe that nobody commented on it, while this was being recorded…
Update: the narrator on a new Audible edition is Matt Addis. If you have the choice, then I highly recommend Mr Addis over Ulli Birve.
August 21, 2013
Duplicate Death is an entertaining mystery with a cast of interesting characters, some likable, some not, that involves a murder at a bridge party.
Before you start this book, it's a good idea to first read the author's 1937 mystery They Found Him Dead, in which you'll meet some of the characters 14 years earlier, including Chief Inspector (then Sergeant) Hemingway, my favorite of Georgette Heyer's detectives. Another character who shows up in both books is the very likable Timothy Harte, who is 14 in the earlier book; now he has served as a commando in WWII and has become a barrister, but fortunately he doesn't seem to have changed much!
Before you start this book, it's a good idea to first read the author's 1937 mystery They Found Him Dead, in which you'll meet some of the characters 14 years earlier, including Chief Inspector (then Sergeant) Hemingway, my favorite of Georgette Heyer's detectives. Another character who shows up in both books is the very likable Timothy Harte, who is 14 in the earlier book; now he has served as a commando in WWII and has become a barrister, but fortunately he doesn't seem to have changed much!
August 3, 2024
8/2024: ok, reread twice in one year, for different groups, but I still enjoy the quirky characters, Heyer’s satirical eye on Bright Young Things and those aspiring to post-WWII High Society on London (the loathsome Mrs. Haddington and her stunning but empty headed, spoiled daughter), and the snarky wise-cracking (now) Chief Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard. Just finished a grim nonfiction read, I was in the mood for something witty and lighthearted - and Heyer’s clever GA mysteries almost always deliver!
Matt Addis does a tremendous job narrating- I used to really enjoy the previous female narrator (Ulli Berve), she was perfect at the female characters that play such a large part in this, from the icy tones of Mrs. H to the whiny, grating tones of her spoiled daughter, and everyone in between, but didn’t acquire the Audible before it disappeared, to be replaced by the new guy. I was peeved at first, but he’s really grown on me, his warmth, humor and insouciance really comes through as Hemingway! Entertaining, good fun as a listen.
1/2024: still a very enjoyable and entertaining 4 star GA mystery, loaded with Heyer’s wit and sparkle, read with the Reading the Detectives Group. Treated myself to the Matt Addis Audible, and I’m glad his Scots brogue and Gaelic pronunciation is much better than the original audiobook!
2/2021: Still four stars, audiobook is very entertaining, but the imitation of a Scottish brogue and Celtic speaking for Sgt. Grant is still pretty bad, I think. We have several Brits in our group, and a Scotswoman - have to check out their thoughts!
4/2019: Enjoyed this reread, bumped my rating up to 4 stars. I used an Audible credit to get the audiobook and read along with it, and that made the mystery much more fun this time around! I was able to appreciate Hemingway’s snarky comments and ignore Grant’s Gaelic asides - actually seemed normal when spoken. To read it, with no translation provided, is distracting; the narrator was good, but anytime (like chapter 17) where Grant had prolonged dialogue, her Scottish brogue sounded oddly Russian - otherwise, she did a wonderful job. I always enjoy Heyer’s mysteries - her quirky characters and sparkling humor and dialogue are delightful.
7/2015: I didn't enjoy this mystery as much as I thought I would because I found Chief Inspector Hemingway's constantly snarky, sarcastic comments really annoying, which I haven't noticed in the previous Heyer mysteries he was in which I thoroughly enjoyed. I always knew I liked Inspector Hannasyde better, and Hemingway's smart ass personality was fun when he served as Hannasyde's subordinate; in this book he just got on my nerves, along with Inspector Grant's running Gaelic commentary - that just annoys me, if you're going to have a character constantly using another language, give me a translation or a glossary!
Otherwise this was a great Heyer plot for me - odious, self-absorbed young people with chips on their shoulder and attitude to spare, communists, self-righteous servants, cold-blooded blackmailers and drug dealers ensnaring the twittering upper classes of Post-WWII London and getting their comeuppance - good stuff, and nobody does it better! Also seemed to go on a bit long and then wind up suddenly - but I still find Heyer's weaker efforts more entertaining than most of what passes for mysteries nowadays.
Matt Addis does a tremendous job narrating- I used to really enjoy the previous female narrator (Ulli Berve), she was perfect at the female characters that play such a large part in this, from the icy tones of Mrs. H to the whiny, grating tones of her spoiled daughter, and everyone in between, but didn’t acquire the Audible before it disappeared, to be replaced by the new guy. I was peeved at first, but he’s really grown on me, his warmth, humor and insouciance really comes through as Hemingway! Entertaining, good fun as a listen.
1/2024: still a very enjoyable and entertaining 4 star GA mystery, loaded with Heyer’s wit and sparkle, read with the Reading the Detectives Group. Treated myself to the Matt Addis Audible, and I’m glad his Scots brogue and Gaelic pronunciation is much better than the original audiobook!
2/2021: Still four stars, audiobook is very entertaining, but the imitation of a Scottish brogue and Celtic speaking for Sgt. Grant is still pretty bad, I think. We have several Brits in our group, and a Scotswoman - have to check out their thoughts!
4/2019: Enjoyed this reread, bumped my rating up to 4 stars. I used an Audible credit to get the audiobook and read along with it, and that made the mystery much more fun this time around! I was able to appreciate Hemingway’s snarky comments and ignore Grant’s Gaelic asides - actually seemed normal when spoken. To read it, with no translation provided, is distracting; the narrator was good, but anytime (like chapter 17) where Grant had prolonged dialogue, her Scottish brogue sounded oddly Russian - otherwise, she did a wonderful job. I always enjoy Heyer’s mysteries - her quirky characters and sparkling humor and dialogue are delightful.
7/2015: I didn't enjoy this mystery as much as I thought I would because I found Chief Inspector Hemingway's constantly snarky, sarcastic comments really annoying, which I haven't noticed in the previous Heyer mysteries he was in which I thoroughly enjoyed. I always knew I liked Inspector Hannasyde better, and Hemingway's smart ass personality was fun when he served as Hannasyde's subordinate; in this book he just got on my nerves, along with Inspector Grant's running Gaelic commentary - that just annoys me, if you're going to have a character constantly using another language, give me a translation or a glossary!
Otherwise this was a great Heyer plot for me - odious, self-absorbed young people with chips on their shoulder and attitude to spare, communists, self-righteous servants, cold-blooded blackmailers and drug dealers ensnaring the twittering upper classes of Post-WWII London and getting their comeuppance - good stuff, and nobody does it better! Also seemed to go on a bit long and then wind up suddenly - but I still find Heyer's weaker efforts more entertaining than most of what passes for mysteries nowadays.
February 11, 2019
Like all cozy mysteries this story is slow with lots of suspects. It is my second book and counting.
Thank you Netgalley for this book.
Thank you Netgalley for this book.
December 28, 2014
"...Mrs. Haddington's servants were at one in declaring that murders were not what they were accustomed to, or could put up with."p. 223
There once was this land called England where the upper class knew their role and their servants knew how to keep them in their place. As far as I can tell, if we hadn't had World War II, this England might still exist. The only fly in the ointment is that every so often, folks with money that they made in some vulgar way, come along and knock this world off its axis. This gives the stories conflict and interest. Because this was an interesting place to live, there are lots of authors and readers who enjoy visiting this imaginary place on a regular basis.
I am one of them. I enjoy historical romance and I like reading cosy mysteries set in the Enland of yesteryear. I found this book as I was cleaning my house and the next thing I knew, I was reading another mystery by Heyer. I had said that I would look for one of her romances, but I still have not done so. This novel was entertaining and diverting so I got to postpone my cleaning.
Mrs. Haddington is a force to be reckoned with. Although no one is sure how she has done it, she has gotten one of the high-powered women in London society to sponsor her. Therefore her parties are the place to be and there are many respected guests at her bridge party. This makes the murder of one guest especially hard to take. No one, including Mrs. Haddington's servants want to have anything to do with murder.
Inspector Hemingway has to deal with upper crust guests, flighty young women and even a gentleman he had encountered at another murder as Hemingway conducts his investigation. Solving this murder is complicated by twists, turns and red herrings. All in all this is a satisfying mystery, in my opinion. It is not too gruesome, dark or bloody.
I would recommend this novel to those who enjoy the England of old. Although this is set after World War II, the characters all remember when England's empire was all-encompassing. I suspect that those who enjoy Downton Abbey might like this mystery also.
There once was this land called England where the upper class knew their role and their servants knew how to keep them in their place. As far as I can tell, if we hadn't had World War II, this England might still exist. The only fly in the ointment is that every so often, folks with money that they made in some vulgar way, come along and knock this world off its axis. This gives the stories conflict and interest. Because this was an interesting place to live, there are lots of authors and readers who enjoy visiting this imaginary place on a regular basis.
I am one of them. I enjoy historical romance and I like reading cosy mysteries set in the Enland of yesteryear. I found this book as I was cleaning my house and the next thing I knew, I was reading another mystery by Heyer. I had said that I would look for one of her romances, but I still have not done so. This novel was entertaining and diverting so I got to postpone my cleaning.
Mrs. Haddington is a force to be reckoned with. Although no one is sure how she has done it, she has gotten one of the high-powered women in London society to sponsor her. Therefore her parties are the place to be and there are many respected guests at her bridge party. This makes the murder of one guest especially hard to take. No one, including Mrs. Haddington's servants want to have anything to do with murder.
Inspector Hemingway has to deal with upper crust guests, flighty young women and even a gentleman he had encountered at another murder as Hemingway conducts his investigation. Solving this murder is complicated by twists, turns and red herrings. All in all this is a satisfying mystery, in my opinion. It is not too gruesome, dark or bloody.
I would recommend this novel to those who enjoy the England of old. Although this is set after World War II, the characters all remember when England's empire was all-encompassing. I suspect that those who enjoy Downton Abbey might like this mystery also.
March 18, 2021
It was the best of Heyer's detective novels I have read so far (fifth from eight).
First, I was thrilled that it started with Jim Kane (from They Found Him Dead) and Patricia and their children. Seeing them years (and one war) later was really wonderful. And then appeared Timothy and I was happy and content.
But it wasn't all. A bunch of new characters showed how great Heyer was with creating them, they drove the whole story splendidly. Just naming some of them: Mrs. Haddington, Thrimby, Cynthia, Miss Spennymoor, Guisboroughs (brother and sister), Seaton-Carew, Lady Nest, Miss Pickhill, Inspector Grant, Chief Inspector Hemingway.
I must even admit, that this time I was interested in the mystery. I was even surprised.
Also, like Carol wrote it was an interesting slice of life in post war Britain.
Of course, I winced when they talked about homosexuality, but such were the times.
To summarize, perhaps for a fan of the genre it wasn't the best of, but to me, it was great fun.
First, I was thrilled that it started with Jim Kane (from They Found Him Dead) and Patricia and their children. Seeing them years (and one war) later was really wonderful. And then appeared Timothy and I was happy and content.
But it wasn't all. A bunch of new characters showed how great Heyer was with creating them, they drove the whole story splendidly. Just naming some of them: Mrs. Haddington, Thrimby, Cynthia, Miss Spennymoor, Guisboroughs (brother and sister), Seaton-Carew, Lady Nest, Miss Pickhill, Inspector Grant, Chief Inspector Hemingway.
I must even admit, that this time I was interested in the mystery. I was even surprised.
Also, like Carol wrote it was an interesting slice of life in post war Britain.
Of course, I winced when they talked about homosexuality, but such were the times.
To summarize, perhaps for a fan of the genre it wasn't the best of, but to me, it was great fun.
February 14, 2017
This book just wasn't my cup of tea. First, it's about 100 pages until we get to the crime and the interesting Inspector Hemingway enters the scene. Before that, the only interesting people are the Kanes and Beulah, and we don't see enough of them. Instead, we are treated to 1950s high society: gambling, parties, cursing, jealousies, and bad attitudes.
I got to where I simply couldn't take any more of the very strong language (not shy of the strongest allowed in society in those days, with b* being the least offensive, and repeated variations of profanities), and of the insipid, nasty society people. I skimmed to the end to find out who did the crime and what happened to Beulah and the Kanes, and called it done.
*Content: heavy profanity
I got to where I simply couldn't take any more of the very strong language (not shy of the strongest allowed in society in those days, with b* being the least offensive, and repeated variations of profanities), and of the insipid, nasty society people. I skimmed to the end to find out who did the crime and what happened to Beulah and the Kanes, and called it done.
*Content: heavy profanity
March 20, 2015
This is a slow building mystery. Yes, its Good… Except that I knew who the murderer was before I was half way through. And it was Slow. Did I already say that?
I'd love to tell you which characters I liked, but I don't want to spoil the mystery. I can say that Timothy was very likable, and so was his sweetheart.
Then there was Cynthia. I have not come across such a spoiled rotten brat in a long, long time. In the end I was sorry for her. But it took till the very end. The last chapter I am not even going to pretend I understood. Because frankly, I didn't. The mystery itself was excellent.
After all, a man who nobody likes is killed during a card party, and it all points to three/four people. Isn't that Exciting? Well, yes. But the first half was drawn out. I think for me to fully appreciate this, I would need to reread it. There were too many characters, I was constantly having to look back to remember who had done what in their past. Only a few of the characters were "fleshed" out.
This should have a PG as it involves drugs, some mild language and one character is from what I can tell, gay. The murdered man himself is rather sketchy. But it was a fun read. I guess I was hoping it would be like Why Shoot a Butler? and The Unfinished Clue. Though a main suspect, Beulah, is a lot like Shirley Brown in Why shoot a butler?
I'd love to tell you which characters I liked, but I don't want to spoil the mystery. I can say that Timothy was very likable, and so was his sweetheart.
Then there was Cynthia. I have not come across such a spoiled rotten brat in a long, long time. In the end I was sorry for her. But it took till the very end. The last chapter I am not even going to pretend I understood. Because frankly, I didn't. The mystery itself was excellent.
After all, a man who nobody likes is killed during a card party, and it all points to three/four people. Isn't that Exciting? Well, yes. But the first half was drawn out. I think for me to fully appreciate this, I would need to reread it. There were too many characters, I was constantly having to look back to remember who had done what in their past. Only a few of the characters were "fleshed" out.
This should have a PG as it involves drugs, some mild language and one character is from what I can tell, gay. The murdered man himself is rather sketchy. But it was a fun read. I guess I was hoping it would be like Why Shoot a Butler? and The Unfinished Clue. Though a main suspect, Beulah, is a lot like Shirley Brown in Why shoot a butler?
April 3, 2021
Another good listen on audio. One of my top Heyer mysteries. Unlike the related They Found Him Dead, I did not remember who the killer of the two victims was. It was rather a surprise in both cases, so cleverly done. The clues were there though! Unlike many of her mysteries where the secondary characters provide the humor and the interest and the protagonists are rather boring, in this one the good guys are the most intriguing. Terrible Timothy from They Found Him Dead, makes a fine hero and has grown into a loyal, charming, and thoroughly lovable lead. Jim and Pat make a welcome appearance, and Tim and Jim's redoubtable mother plays a significant off-screen role. However, the main attraction, I found, was Tim's fiance, Beulah (what a name!). She is surely one of the more unusual heroines in any of Heyer's books. Sulky, hostile, rude, even silly, but needing and loving the sunny Timothy as much as he deserves. Somehow, you just love her because of her lack of social grace and charm. I was glad to see Hannasyde's old number 2, Now DCI Hemingway, was so respected and successful, despite his plebeian roots. Pretty unusual for a Heyer. Needless to say, the secondary characters/suspects were very entertaining despite being full-blown stereotypes of their roles.
March 11, 2017
Last read 7th March 2014. I had forgotten how horrible the homophobia is in this mystery - somehow the repellent attitudes in Heyer's regency books are more acceptable because they're set hundreds of years ago, instead of only last century.
I had to keep saying 'she was of her time' under my breath to be able to finish the book - the horrible prejudices of the author's time and class were so repellent. I'm usually fine, once the writing is good, but this time Chief Inspector Hemingway, and many other characters, were so vile about homosexual characters that I found it difficult to stomach. Maybe it just caught me on the raw what with everything that's happening now, and more knowledge of what life was like back then for a gay man, but my usual method of 'holding my nose' as I skip past the sexist, racist, anti-semitic and homophobic writing of Heyer, Christie, Marsh et al failed me this time. Ugh!
I had to keep saying 'she was of her time' under my breath to be able to finish the book - the horrible prejudices of the author's time and class were so repellent. I'm usually fine, once the writing is good, but this time Chief Inspector Hemingway, and many other characters, were so vile about homosexual characters that I found it difficult to stomach. Maybe it just caught me on the raw what with everything that's happening now, and more knowledge of what life was like back then for a gay man, but my usual method of 'holding my nose' as I skip past the sexist, racist, anti-semitic and homophobic writing of Heyer, Christie, Marsh et al failed me this time. Ugh!
November 30, 2022
This may be my favorite Heyer mystery. It is such fun to find Terrible Timothy all grown up. And the cast of characters is varied and fun. Even the unlikeable ones.
June 19, 2020
This detective novel is not one of Heyer's best and I think this is chiefly because of the characters. There is a lot of description of house decor at the beginning to place people in their social and financial milieu which is deadening. Other books of hers have introduced characters by their repartee and interactions and this has established them much more successfully. Strangely she has also chosen to recycle some characters from an earlier novel, though they aren't central to the action here. They are the only honest and bearable characters, which is possibly why they have been reintroduced.
The rest of the characters are not good or interesting people. We are intended to like Beulah but I have no idea why. She is shown as rude, belligerent and hostile to most other characters, and even though her employer, her sponsor and fellow servants are equally unpleasant people, this doesn't excuse her temperamental outbursts and threats. She is initially painted as a gold-digger and Heyer does too good a job of making her a likely suspect. While she is later exonerated for an unrelated crime she did not commit, I still find her a problematic character. I doubt she would have been welcome as a daughter-in-law.
The action is driven by blackmail, which is not stated but is easy to deduce, as nothing the characters initially do would make sense otherwise. The behaviour of several characters tends to invite suspicion and the police must work out how the characters are entwined in order to find a motive. There is a stretch in the novel where Heyer has the police discussing their views of the case using street slang which is dire. She is on much surer ground when letting her Society characters speak, particularly the irritating girl whose speech evokes her as a spoilt and pampered fool better than any description. Another character who is designed to antagonise his boss (presumably to make an otherwise dull character seem more human) manages to be aggravating far too successfully.
The method was ingenious, deliberately used to cast suspicion elsewhere. I guessed the murderer in the final chapters, though the motive attributed by Heyer seemed less compelling than the obvious one. No doubt she wanted to disguise the murderer for as long as possible. A genuinely mysterious crime novel.
The rest of the characters are not good or interesting people. We are intended to like Beulah but I have no idea why. She is shown as rude, belligerent and hostile to most other characters, and even though her employer, her sponsor and fellow servants are equally unpleasant people, this doesn't excuse her temperamental outbursts and threats. She is initially painted as a gold-digger and Heyer does too good a job of making her a likely suspect. While she is later exonerated for an unrelated crime she did not commit, I still find her a problematic character. I doubt she would have been welcome as a daughter-in-law.
The action is driven by blackmail, which is not stated but is easy to deduce, as nothing the characters initially do would make sense otherwise. The behaviour of several characters tends to invite suspicion and the police must work out how the characters are entwined in order to find a motive. There is a stretch in the novel where Heyer has the police discussing their views of the case using street slang which is dire. She is on much surer ground when letting her Society characters speak, particularly the irritating girl whose speech evokes her as a spoilt and pampered fool better than any description. Another character who is designed to antagonise his boss (presumably to make an otherwise dull character seem more human) manages to be aggravating far too successfully.
The method was ingenious, deliberately used to cast suspicion elsewhere. I guessed the murderer in the final chapters, though the motive attributed by Heyer seemed less compelling than the obvious one. No doubt she wanted to disguise the murderer for as long as possible. A genuinely mysterious crime novel.
March 21, 2022
Another lighthearted mystery from Heyer who seems to delight in creating unpleasant characters who we can love to hate. She also has fun with the standard GA tropes from the young lovers to drug fiends and aristocratic would-be communists. The mystery stands up better than in some of her books, but there isn't quite as much wit and sparkle as in Behold, Here's Poison, for example. Still, Hemingway and his Scottish, Gaelic-speaking Inspector add much comedy value. Excellent escapist reading.
February 21, 2016
Murder! At a bridge party, no less! The cast of characters includes a barrister, a Lady, a secretary, a spoiled debutante, a Communist, a businessman, a ballet aficionado, a wealthy widow/parvenu, and a charming gentleman with no visible means of support. When one of them winds up strangled at during an evening of duplicate bridge, it's up to the brusque-but-intelligent Inspector Hemingway (with an assist from his Scottish assistant Grant) to figure out who done it!
Man, I forgot how fun Georgette Heyer books are!
Heyer is best known for her meticulously researched historical romances, and is generally credited (at least according to Wikipedia) with inventing the genre. In addition to her thirty-some historical romances (and historical novels), she also wrote a dozen or so modern mysteries, which, though admittedly less popular than her romances, are still worth checking out--less because of the plots, which are rather run-of-the mill, and more because the characters are full of Heyer's usual wit and humor.
Heyer mysteries have a distinctly Agatha Christie feel, often taking place at a country estate or in an upper-class home (and, in this case, during a bridge game). The list of suspects is limited to a handful of guests, and all of the players are at least moderately genteel. However, the humor and dialogue are reminiscent of Jane Austen. For one thing, she plays up the romantic angle a bit more than Christie usually does. Not the passion, mind you, but the romance--by which I mean the witty repartee between two strong-minded and usually intelligent young people who are, of course, destined for each other. But it's not just the romance that evokes Austen; Heyer's tone is full of affectionate amusement and gentle mockery as she plays up the more ridiculous qualities of her characters. Some are undoubtedly more likable than others, but by and large she writes very genial and good-natured books, in which all but a few true villains are guilty more of foolishness or frivolity than actual malice. The end result is, almost invariably, a very pleasant--and occasionally downright delightful--read.
This particular installment is set some time after the conclusion of World War II, and is chock full of modern scandal: Secret betrothals! Shady pasts! Blackmail! Drug dealers! Embezzlement! Forgery! Ex-Cons! Multiple murders! Who knew high society was so seedy? Fortunately, Inspector Hemingway labors under no misapprehensions regarding the behavior of the upper classes, and he's determined to solve this murder one way or another.
It's not my favorite Heyer mystery (that honor goes to Envious Casca), but it's still a lark, and fans of Christie, Austen, or Heyer herself would do well to check out this fun and frothy mystery.
[A very small nitpick: For some reason, the blurb on the back of the book mentions a character named Timothy Kane, when the name in the book is Timothy Harte. Kane is the surname of his half brother. I realize it's not a huge mistake, but it seemed kind of a weird one to make.]
Man, I forgot how fun Georgette Heyer books are!
Heyer is best known for her meticulously researched historical romances, and is generally credited (at least according to Wikipedia) with inventing the genre. In addition to her thirty-some historical romances (and historical novels), she also wrote a dozen or so modern mysteries, which, though admittedly less popular than her romances, are still worth checking out--less because of the plots, which are rather run-of-the mill, and more because the characters are full of Heyer's usual wit and humor.
Heyer mysteries have a distinctly Agatha Christie feel, often taking place at a country estate or in an upper-class home (and, in this case, during a bridge game). The list of suspects is limited to a handful of guests, and all of the players are at least moderately genteel. However, the humor and dialogue are reminiscent of Jane Austen. For one thing, she plays up the romantic angle a bit more than Christie usually does. Not the passion, mind you, but the romance--by which I mean the witty repartee between two strong-minded and usually intelligent young people who are, of course, destined for each other. But it's not just the romance that evokes Austen; Heyer's tone is full of affectionate amusement and gentle mockery as she plays up the more ridiculous qualities of her characters. Some are undoubtedly more likable than others, but by and large she writes very genial and good-natured books, in which all but a few true villains are guilty more of foolishness or frivolity than actual malice. The end result is, almost invariably, a very pleasant--and occasionally downright delightful--read.
This particular installment is set some time after the conclusion of World War II, and is chock full of modern scandal: Secret betrothals! Shady pasts! Blackmail! Drug dealers! Embezzlement! Forgery! Ex-Cons! Multiple murders! Who knew high society was so seedy? Fortunately, Inspector Hemingway labors under no misapprehensions regarding the behavior of the upper classes, and he's determined to solve this murder one way or another.
It's not my favorite Heyer mystery (that honor goes to Envious Casca), but it's still a lark, and fans of Christie, Austen, or Heyer herself would do well to check out this fun and frothy mystery.
[A very small nitpick: For some reason, the blurb on the back of the book mentions a character named Timothy Kane, when the name in the book is Timothy Harte. Kane is the surname of his half brother. I realize it's not a huge mistake, but it seemed kind of a weird one to make.]
March 3, 2018
A bridge party, a guest is murdered, and the Kane family are about to learn their Timothy's love interests' secrets the hard way.
Chief Inspector Hemingway has a nice puzzler on his hands. Six people at the party could have done in the smarmy man who was the victim, but the motive is obscure. As Hemingway sifts through the lives of the people involved a few dark secrets pop out as well as potential motives. Then, there is another murder.
I love these post-WWII era mysteries featuring the colorful and just a little eccentric Hemingway and his stolid Highland Scot assistant, Inspector Graham. The historical backdrop and the way the characters were immersed in this historical setting was marvelous. The dialogue is the most sparkling gem of an element in each of the author's works.
The usual large cast of quirky, dodgy, and amusing characters whom I either love for their wit and sparkle or because I love to loath them. I admit to finding it humorous that I was shocked at who was murdered first because I really thought it would be another repellent individual. Apparent villainry was thick on the ground.
I haven't read the earlier story when the Kane's were involved in murder, but it was amusing to know that this one ties to They Found Him Dead when Hemingway was a Sergeant and Timothy Kane was a beastly cheeky teenage boy. I enjoyed Timothy's character and I eventually warmed to his lady love when she lost her crusty attitude, though, to be fair, she had reason.
I didn't cotton to the full answer until nearly the point of the reveal, but I got it half right so I'm satisfied. This was entertaining, smooth, and all around engaging old-style British police detective story set in the golden era of the classic detective story.
Chief Inspector Hemingway has a nice puzzler on his hands. Six people at the party could have done in the smarmy man who was the victim, but the motive is obscure. As Hemingway sifts through the lives of the people involved a few dark secrets pop out as well as potential motives. Then, there is another murder.
I love these post-WWII era mysteries featuring the colorful and just a little eccentric Hemingway and his stolid Highland Scot assistant, Inspector Graham. The historical backdrop and the way the characters were immersed in this historical setting was marvelous. The dialogue is the most sparkling gem of an element in each of the author's works.
The usual large cast of quirky, dodgy, and amusing characters whom I either love for their wit and sparkle or because I love to loath them. I admit to finding it humorous that I was shocked at who was murdered first because I really thought it would be another repellent individual. Apparent villainry was thick on the ground.
I haven't read the earlier story when the Kane's were involved in murder, but it was amusing to know that this one ties to They Found Him Dead when Hemingway was a Sergeant and Timothy Kane was a beastly cheeky teenage boy. I enjoyed Timothy's character and I eventually warmed to his lady love when she lost her crusty attitude, though, to be fair, she had reason.
I didn't cotton to the full answer until nearly the point of the reveal, but I got it half right so I'm satisfied. This was entertaining, smooth, and all around engaging old-style British police detective story set in the golden era of the classic detective story.
August 17, 2021
I hadn't read this Georgette Heyer detective novel for ages but whizzed through it yesterday. It's sort of a sequel to her 1937 novel, The Found Him Dead, as it picks up the story of Timothy Harte - "Terrible Timothy" in the earlier book - and drops him into the new story thriteen years later. Timothy is now 27 and quite grown up. His half-brother, Jim Kane, who featured in the first novel has a lovely role in the opening chapter and we catch up on his life with Patricia, who was the romantic lead in They Found Him Dead. I love finding out what happened to characters in books I've enjoyed and Heyer doesn't disappoint. Of course, the main thrust of the book is the murder mystery which is actually rather clever. Two murders, very similar, and the first one takes place during a bridge party. Duplicate bridge is the card game and so the title is also a play on words because the second murder is really a duplicate of the first. This one had me tricked for quite a while. I solved the first murder pretty quickly but the second murder... An enjoyable read and very much a cosy, English upper class setting with some delightfully unlikeable characters. There's some very funny dialogue and I'm always entertained when Heyer's police detective - now Chief-Inspector - Hemingway comes on stage. I don't re-read her detective novels as often as I re-read her historicals, but when I do read them, I'm always gad I did.
May 23, 2015
The story itself, the mystery, is nothing too special. I found the ending sort of a let down with no big build-up to the reveal. Although the process is interesting.
What I absolutely enjoyed about this book was how campy it was. This is my first Georgette Heyer book, so I'm not familiar with her style or if her writing is meant to be serious or spoofy. But this mystery that included lives of the idle rich in England during the 1930's was written almost as if making fun of them and that life. It's definitely full of negative stereotypes. Maybe reading it in this time period makes it feel so ridiculous and over the top.
Also, and I'm pretty sure this had a lot to do with why I loved this book, narrator Ulli Birvé did an AMAZING job. In fact, I'm almost thinking about joining Audible just so I can listen to her read more of Heyer's books. She's narrated many of them
What I absolutely enjoyed about this book was how campy it was. This is my first Georgette Heyer book, so I'm not familiar with her style or if her writing is meant to be serious or spoofy. But this mystery that included lives of the idle rich in England during the 1930's was written almost as if making fun of them and that life. It's definitely full of negative stereotypes. Maybe reading it in this time period makes it feel so ridiculous and over the top.
Also, and I'm pretty sure this had a lot to do with why I loved this book, narrator Ulli Birvé did an AMAZING job. In fact, I'm almost thinking about joining Audible just so I can listen to her read more of Heyer's books. She's narrated many of them
March 17, 2021
Jim Kane gets an urgent message from his mother to talk some sense into his younger half-brother, Timothy Harte, who has entangled him with a female person who is CLEARLY an adventuress. Jim doesn't think it's worth the fuss as Tim falls in and out of love quickly but he agrees to go appease his mother. He never expected to find his brother involved in such a mess as he finds-again. Tim's beloved is a secretary/slave to a Mrs. Haddington, a social climber in London Society who is hosting a select Bridge party for her nearest and dearest acquaintances, including Tim. During the party, Mrs. Haddington's friend Dan Seton-Carrew is murdered. Former Sergeant, now Chief Inspector Hemmingway is on the case, reuniting with Terrible Timothy, who in this instance is the fiancé of one of the suspects. Hemmingway has his work cut out trying to untangle the knots and add up 2+2 to get murder. Then, a duplicate murder occurs and causes even more problems for Hemmingway. Was it the same man? What was the motive to kill two people?
This story was not to my liking. It started off slow, meandered a lot and finally got to the clue that led to the arrest very quickly. I wasn't satisfied with the resolution and being told what happened after the fact. The murder scene description is way too graphic and I wasn't a fan of the motive for the first murder. The novel feels dated being infused with homophoblic slurs, anti-Italian slights, class consciousness and lots of smoking, drinking and some drugs.
The characters are all so unpleasant! Pat and Jim are whiny rich people lucky to live in a mansion and afford a nanny for their horrid children and a cook. Terrible Timothy reminds me of a P.G. Wodehouse character with his blithe spirit and innocence. He's now a lawyer so he must have some intelligence. His loyalty is admirable but I fear unfounded. It doesn't look good for Beulah. She is a weird woman. Tim calls her "cold blooded." She puts up with too much abuse from her employer and she's very high strung. I'm not a fan of men falling on their swords and being noble for the women they love and it's not any better when women do it. Beulah has a dark secret and is afraid to tell Tim. I suppose that means she cares about him but she doesn't really act like it. Even though I don't like her, I feel bad for her because she's basically a slave to Mrs. Haddington and she was ill-used in her past. All the clues seem to point to her as the murderer.
Mrs. Haddington is ghastly. She's abusive to her employers and then wonders why they quit. She's the type to think good help is hard to find. She isn't a lot better to her daughter. Cynthia, a beautiful, but nit-witted 19-year old is spoiled rotten. Mrs. Haddington appears to be a social climber who is using Cynthia to climb to the top. Only the very best and most select suitors will do; only certain parties are allowed and mourning customs must be obeyed. Cynthia likes to party all night with a faster crowd than her mother's stuffy old friends. The girl is massively spoiled and selfish. When she doesn't get her own way she throws a tantrum and is made to go lie down like a child. She has no compassion for the loss of human life, only how the murders affect HER. I think Cynthia is sharper than most people give her credit for though.
Cynthia's suitors are varied. Dan Seton-Carew is old enough to be her father, or closer to that age than her own. His name has been linked with her mother's but nothing proven of course. It sure seems like he's intimately familiar with the house and has free run in the family's private rooms. No one knows who he is or where he came from. I get a strong whiff of blackmailer from him. He is a nasty dude. Lancelot, Lord Guisborough, is Cynthia's choice for a husband. He's young, handsome, rich and titled. He's also a Communist. Or so he says. The funniest parts of the book are when Lance and his sister Trixie are spouting nonsense they believe to be Communist beliefs. The two are so silly and ridiculous. I'm sure Heyer was mocking a certain type of young person at the time. Their rivalry with the very proper Kenelm Guisboroughs is funny too.
The suspects are just as varied. I feel sorry for young Mr. Butterwick, who is not Cynthia's suitor. To be someone's last choice dinner guest and only invited to make up the numbers has to sting. To be different, possibly to be arrested and imprisoned just for being who you are had to be extraordinary difficult and heartbreaking. To watch the one you love, if Butterwick is indeed in love with Seaton-Carew, flirting with a girl you know he can't love as she ought to be loved, is enough to make anyone snap. Lady Nest-Poulton, VERY well-known in Society circles, is a liar. She's nervous about something and not telling the police. Could she have murdered someone? Her husband is a more likely suspect as he has a strong motive and no alibi. He seems edgy and very stuffy, like he's trying to cover up for something. Dr. Westruther is also under suspicion for covering up the secrets of his patients. They must pay him VERY well. He isn't about to tell the police what he knows or give himself away if he's a murderer.
My sympathies go to the servants and Miss Spennymoor, the seamstress. At least the servants don't feel loyalty to Mrs. Haddington and feel free to quit when they aren't treated fairly. The poor, overlooked spinster who loves to hear about celebrities. She made me think of Miss Bates in Emma- the same elderly, talkative, looks up to her "betters" type person. She's meant to be funny but I feel sorry for her. She's poor and long past fashionable and everyone overlooks her or dismisses her as insignificant and stupid. I also like Miss Pickhill, Mrs. H's spinster sister. Miss P is supposed to be an awful person and someone to roll your eyes at and laugh at because she's so uptight and moral but I find her a breath of fresh air. She's the voice of reason who tells it like it is. She knows her sister's choices were bad and her lifestyle is going to get her into trouble. If she left her dearly departed father and God out of things, people might take her more seriously.
I'm not amused by the homophobic slurs Hemmingway tosses around. He used to be fun and witty. He's been a cop too long. I like Grant, even if he's a prude. He's funny at least. Hemingway has been a cop too long and now he's jaded and cynical. He's lost his playfulness and wit.
This was a group read with Georgette Heyer Fans or I probably would have skipped ahead to the end right away and not bothered reading the rest.
Content warnings:
Language
graphic depiction of murder
homophobic slurs
Anti-Italian prejudice
drug use
This story was not to my liking. It started off slow, meandered a lot and finally got to the clue that led to the arrest very quickly. I wasn't satisfied with the resolution and being told what happened after the fact. The murder scene description is way too graphic and I wasn't a fan of the motive for the first murder. The novel feels dated being infused with homophoblic slurs, anti-Italian slights, class consciousness and lots of smoking, drinking and some drugs.
The characters are all so unpleasant! Pat and Jim are whiny rich people lucky to live in a mansion and afford a nanny for their horrid children and a cook. Terrible Timothy reminds me of a P.G. Wodehouse character with his blithe spirit and innocence. He's now a lawyer so he must have some intelligence. His loyalty is admirable but I fear unfounded. It doesn't look good for Beulah. She is a weird woman. Tim calls her "cold blooded." She puts up with too much abuse from her employer and she's very high strung. I'm not a fan of men falling on their swords and being noble for the women they love and it's not any better when women do it. Beulah has a dark secret and is afraid to tell Tim. I suppose that means she cares about him but she doesn't really act like it. Even though I don't like her, I feel bad for her because she's basically a slave to Mrs. Haddington and she was ill-used in her past. All the clues seem to point to her as the murderer.
Mrs. Haddington is ghastly. She's abusive to her employers and then wonders why they quit. She's the type to think good help is hard to find. She isn't a lot better to her daughter. Cynthia, a beautiful, but nit-witted 19-year old is spoiled rotten. Mrs. Haddington appears to be a social climber who is using Cynthia to climb to the top. Only the very best and most select suitors will do; only certain parties are allowed and mourning customs must be obeyed. Cynthia likes to party all night with a faster crowd than her mother's stuffy old friends. The girl is massively spoiled and selfish. When she doesn't get her own way she throws a tantrum and is made to go lie down like a child. She has no compassion for the loss of human life, only how the murders affect HER. I think Cynthia is sharper than most people give her credit for though.
Cynthia's suitors are varied. Dan Seton-Carew is old enough to be her father, or closer to that age than her own. His name has been linked with her mother's but nothing proven of course. It sure seems like he's intimately familiar with the house and has free run in the family's private rooms. No one knows who he is or where he came from. I get a strong whiff of blackmailer from him. He is a nasty dude. Lancelot, Lord Guisborough, is Cynthia's choice for a husband. He's young, handsome, rich and titled. He's also a Communist. Or so he says. The funniest parts of the book are when Lance and his sister Trixie are spouting nonsense they believe to be Communist beliefs. The two are so silly and ridiculous. I'm sure Heyer was mocking a certain type of young person at the time. Their rivalry with the very proper Kenelm Guisboroughs is funny too.
The suspects are just as varied. I feel sorry for young Mr. Butterwick, who is not Cynthia's suitor. To be someone's last choice dinner guest and only invited to make up the numbers has to sting. To be different, possibly to be arrested and imprisoned just for being who you are had to be extraordinary difficult and heartbreaking. To watch the one you love, if Butterwick is indeed in love with Seaton-Carew, flirting with a girl you know he can't love as she ought to be loved, is enough to make anyone snap. Lady Nest-Poulton, VERY well-known in Society circles, is a liar. She's nervous about something and not telling the police. Could she have murdered someone? Her husband is a more likely suspect as he has a strong motive and no alibi. He seems edgy and very stuffy, like he's trying to cover up for something. Dr. Westruther is also under suspicion for covering up the secrets of his patients. They must pay him VERY well. He isn't about to tell the police what he knows or give himself away if he's a murderer.
My sympathies go to the servants and Miss Spennymoor, the seamstress. At least the servants don't feel loyalty to Mrs. Haddington and feel free to quit when they aren't treated fairly. The poor, overlooked spinster who loves to hear about celebrities. She made me think of Miss Bates in Emma- the same elderly, talkative, looks up to her "betters" type person. She's meant to be funny but I feel sorry for her. She's poor and long past fashionable and everyone overlooks her or dismisses her as insignificant and stupid. I also like Miss Pickhill, Mrs. H's spinster sister. Miss P is supposed to be an awful person and someone to roll your eyes at and laugh at because she's so uptight and moral but I find her a breath of fresh air. She's the voice of reason who tells it like it is. She knows her sister's choices were bad and her lifestyle is going to get her into trouble. If she left her dearly departed father and God out of things, people might take her more seriously.
I'm not amused by the homophobic slurs Hemmingway tosses around. He used to be fun and witty. He's been a cop too long. I like Grant, even if he's a prude. He's funny at least. Hemingway has been a cop too long and now he's jaded and cynical. He's lost his playfulness and wit.
This was a group read with Georgette Heyer Fans or I probably would have skipped ahead to the end right away and not bothered reading the rest.
Content warnings:
Language
graphic depiction of murder
homophobic slurs
Anti-Italian prejudice
drug use
September 26, 2021
This was just ok. I was looking forward to seeing Terrible Timothy all grown up but we didn’t get much of him. When a murder happens at a bridge party, Hemingway has his work cut out for him. When another murder happens a couple days later, the stakes become higher. The mystery was ok but I really didn’t like the characters, especially Cynthia! What a brat she was! Like I said, everything about this was just ok. I do like Hemingway, though.
January 19, 2011
Another nice foray into Georgette Heyer's mystery collection. I enjoyed the return of two characters from one of Heyer's earlier books: Jim Kane and "Terrible Timothy" Harte. Timothy, an impish 14 year old in They Found Him Dead, is now all grown up, has seen action in WWII, and is now a young up and coming attorney in love with what his family believes is "the wrong sort of girl". Her name is Beulah (
BEULAH!!
) Birtley, and she's the personal assistant/secretary to the waspish socialite Mrs. Haddington. When Timothy is invited to Mrs. Haddington's home for a duplicate bridge party, his most pressing desire is to be near Beulah. However, the strangulation murder of one of the guests puts Timothy and Beulah in the spotlight of Scotland Yard's Inspector Hemingway, who remembers Timothy from 12 years previously.
The murder investigation takes Hemingway to some bleak places: cocaine smuggling, drug abuse, blackmail, illicit affairs, and hidden family secrets. I felt in places that she added too many characters with not enough background to differentiate them to the reader. Too often I had to refer back to earlier chapters to figure out who was who in the scheme of things.
Duplicate Death is certainly not Heyer's worst mystery, but I did miss the punches of light frivolity that her pre-War mysteries had.
The murder investigation takes Hemingway to some bleak places: cocaine smuggling, drug abuse, blackmail, illicit affairs, and hidden family secrets. I felt in places that she added too many characters with not enough background to differentiate them to the reader. Too often I had to refer back to earlier chapters to figure out who was who in the scheme of things.
Duplicate Death is certainly not Heyer's worst mystery, but I did miss the punches of light frivolity that her pre-War mysteries had.
March 5, 2021
Just re-read with the Georgette Heyer fans group. I'm adding half a star for the clever writing--so 3.5 stars now.
I first read this many(!!) years ago and remembered nothing of the mystery, though I did remember two small bits from the first chapter. Strange the way one's mind works..
Anyway, the highlight was GH's witty way with the characters. She was so very good at turning them into real people. The mystery was clever and had me guessing.
I'm glad I re-read it.
I first read this many(!!) years ago and remembered nothing of the mystery, though I did remember two small bits from the first chapter. Strange the way one's mind works..
Anyway, the highlight was GH's witty way with the characters. She was so very good at turning them into real people. The mystery was clever and had me guessing.
I'm glad I re-read it.
May 15, 2016
This book is set in post-WW2 England, unlike most of her mysteries and involves blackmail, society, scandal and drug-dealing.
While this is one of my least favorite stories when it comes to plot, I adore the book because we revisit old friends from They Found Him Dead, namely Jim Kane and his now wife of 13 years, Patricia, and Jim's half-brother, Timothy Harte, aka Terrible Timothy, who is one-half of the obligatory romantic couple.
While this is one of my least favorite stories when it comes to plot, I adore the book because we revisit old friends from They Found Him Dead, namely Jim Kane and his now wife of 13 years, Patricia, and Jim's half-brother, Timothy Harte, aka Terrible Timothy, who is one-half of the obligatory romantic couple.
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May 31, 2019
So many things to love about this book. The biggest is that this book features 'Terrible' Timothy Harte from a previous instalment in the series: no longer a talkative, dramatic 15-year-old but a talkative, dramatic 29-year-old who was a Commando in WWII. His romance with Beulah was adorable, especially since Beulah is - for once - a 'rude' heroine. Heyer wrote a lot of rude heroes but few rude heroines, and it was great to see the tables turned briefly.
The other interesting thing is that this is the raciest Heyer book I've read so far (and I've read a lot). There are drugs and homosexuals, two things I'd never have believed she'd include (especially the latter). Yes, the attitude of policemen to gay men in the 1950s isn't ideal, but I'm honestly stunned they're included at all.
This is also the sharpest Heyer book I've read so far. She's always been the sort to skewer characters with her words, but for the first time I'm sensing a real underlying dislike. Mostly for the taxmen. I know Heyer was perpetually in the black because she had no idea how to navigate HRMC, and there are SO MANY bitter references in this book to how evil the taxmen are (by a number of characters). Her right-wing bias also shows, since she mocks a young Communist aristocrat (who does sound very mockable) but Tory characters seem immune from her pen. All I can say is, it's obvious Heyer found 1950s life intolerable compared to the glam 20s or even 30s.
The mystery, the mystery... it was alright. But you want to read this book for its incredible portrait of life 70 years ago.
[Blog] - [Bookstagram]
The other interesting thing is that this is the raciest Heyer book I've read so far (and I've read a lot). There are drugs and homosexuals, two things I'd never have believed she'd include (especially the latter). Yes, the attitude of policemen to gay men in the 1950s isn't ideal, but I'm honestly stunned they're included at all.
This is also the sharpest Heyer book I've read so far. She's always been the sort to skewer characters with her words, but for the first time I'm sensing a real underlying dislike. Mostly for the taxmen. I know Heyer was perpetually in the black because she had no idea how to navigate HRMC, and there are SO MANY bitter references in this book to how evil the taxmen are (by a number of characters). Her right-wing bias also shows, since she mocks a young Communist aristocrat (who does sound very mockable) but Tory characters seem immune from her pen. All I can say is, it's obvious Heyer found 1950s life intolerable compared to the glam 20s or even 30s.
The mystery, the mystery... it was alright. But you want to read this book for its incredible portrait of life 70 years ago.
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April 26, 2019
First sentence: There were several promising-looking letters in the pile laid on Mrs. James Kane's virgin breakfast-plate on Monday morning, but, having sorted all the envelopes with the air of one expectant of discovering treasure-trove, she extracted two addressed to her in hands indicative either of illiteracy or of extreme youth.
Premise/plot: Duplicate Death should never, ever, ever be read before They Found Him Dead. Trust me--please. The novel opens and closes with the stars of They Found Him Dead now happily married and the parents of four children. (Patricia Allison and James "Jim" Kane). Why the novel opens and closes with them remains a mystery to me.
Timothy HARTE is madly in love with a young woman, Miss Beulah Birtley. Miss Birtley is working for a difficult woman, Mrs. Haddington; Mrs. Haddington has a beautiful daughter, Cynthia. If it was up to Mrs. Haddington--which it isn't--Cynthia and Timothy would make a match of it. Both young people are at a bridge party at the Haddington house--though I don't quite remember if Miss Birtley is a "guest" or "staff" at the time--when a murder occurs. The investigators from the case are Hannasyde and Hemingway. Both remember Timothy Harte from their previous acquaintance. Both are listed among the suspects, though neither tops the list of SUSPECTS. A second murder throws the investigation off--for a while.
My thoughts: It annoys me that the jacket copy is INACCURATE for this one. Is it really so terribly hard to get a name right? Timothy KANE is not a character in the book. He doesn't exist. Not existing, he doesn't have a fiancee who's a prime suspect. However, Timothy HARTE does exist and does have a fiancee, though she's not really a prime suspect. Also the book stresses the friendship between Timothy KANE and the inspectors; I would say that is misleading as well. Fourteen years--give or take--have gone by without them speaking to each other or "hanging out." I doubt that the Inspectors were thinking of or missing Timothy in all those years. And probably the same could be said for Timothy. They were acquaintances that were on friendly terms--nothing more, nothing less.
All that being said, I liked this one well enough.
'Look here, I--the thing is--there are things in my life you don't know anything about!'
'Good God, I should hope there were!' retorted Timothy. "I've only known you a month!'
'And some of them you wouldn't like!'
'I daresay. Come to think of it, I can tell you of one thing in your young life I don't like right now, and that's Mr. Daniel Seaton-Carew.'
'I have no wish to appear boastful,' returned young Mr. Harte, 'but from my earliest days it has been said of me by all who know me best that I talk enough for two, or even more.'
'Seaton-Carew is considered to be rather an attractive type.'
'What does he attract? Pond-life?'
'Wireless programmes are neither primarily or secondarily intended for cultured persons,' replied Timothy, quite unruffled. 'Too often they appear to be intended either for the entirely witless, or for those desirous of acquiring without effort a little easy knowledge. I remember that someone once gave a fifteen minute talk on the Battle of Waterloo. A sobering thought.'
The Chief Inspector groaned. 'Any line on it at all?'
'Might be, might not. Doesn't sound like a cinch, from the first report. There were forty-nine people in the house at the time--'
'What?'
'Fifty-five, counting the servants,' said the Superintendent.
'What you [Pershore] want to do is to hire a hall, and give a series of lectures on police work,' interposed Hemingway. 'You'll probably make a lot of money: people will pay to listen to anything! I wouldn't, of course, but that's because I have to listen to you, and even the Department wouldn't expect me to pay for doing what I can't help. Now you stop trying to annoy me, and tell me what's been happening here without any trimmings!'
'Good God!' said Mr. Harte, staring at him between narrowed eyelids. 'You're the Sergeant!'
'Well, I was once, but I've been promoted,' he replied. 'Did you happen to know me when I was a Sergeant, sir?'
'Of course I did!' said Timothy, rising, and going towards him, with his hand held out. 'You probably don't remember me, but don't you remember the Kane case?'
'Perhaps you are confusing popularity with usefulness. Unattached men, Chief Inspector, are greatly in demand amongst hostesses.'
If you were to have given Mr. Godfrey Poulton the choice between having a sewer-rat loose in his house or the late Seaton-Carew, it's my belief he'd have chosen the rat.
The only thing that would surprise me about his case would be if I was able to get a real lead.
Ever add two and two together and get five for an answer? No, you wouldn't because you've got no imagination, but it's what I can see myself doing. All the same, taking your bit of dirt with what I gathered from Lady Nest's way of carrying on, I think this'll bear looking into.
'Look here, I don't mind you making two and two five, but when you start making it six, your'e going too far, Sandy!' expostulated Hemingway.
Premise/plot: Duplicate Death should never, ever, ever be read before They Found Him Dead. Trust me--please. The novel opens and closes with the stars of They Found Him Dead now happily married and the parents of four children. (Patricia Allison and James "Jim" Kane). Why the novel opens and closes with them remains a mystery to me.
Timothy HARTE is madly in love with a young woman, Miss Beulah Birtley. Miss Birtley is working for a difficult woman, Mrs. Haddington; Mrs. Haddington has a beautiful daughter, Cynthia. If it was up to Mrs. Haddington--which it isn't--Cynthia and Timothy would make a match of it. Both young people are at a bridge party at the Haddington house--though I don't quite remember if Miss Birtley is a "guest" or "staff" at the time--when a murder occurs. The investigators from the case are Hannasyde and Hemingway. Both remember Timothy Harte from their previous acquaintance. Both are listed among the suspects, though neither tops the list of SUSPECTS. A second murder throws the investigation off--for a while.
My thoughts: It annoys me that the jacket copy is INACCURATE for this one. Is it really so terribly hard to get a name right? Timothy KANE is not a character in the book. He doesn't exist. Not existing, he doesn't have a fiancee who's a prime suspect. However, Timothy HARTE does exist and does have a fiancee, though she's not really a prime suspect. Also the book stresses the friendship between Timothy KANE and the inspectors; I would say that is misleading as well. Fourteen years--give or take--have gone by without them speaking to each other or "hanging out." I doubt that the Inspectors were thinking of or missing Timothy in all those years. And probably the same could be said for Timothy. They were acquaintances that were on friendly terms--nothing more, nothing less.
All that being said, I liked this one well enough.
'Look here, I--the thing is--there are things in my life you don't know anything about!'
'Good God, I should hope there were!' retorted Timothy. "I've only known you a month!'
'And some of them you wouldn't like!'
'I daresay. Come to think of it, I can tell you of one thing in your young life I don't like right now, and that's Mr. Daniel Seaton-Carew.'
'I have no wish to appear boastful,' returned young Mr. Harte, 'but from my earliest days it has been said of me by all who know me best that I talk enough for two, or even more.'
'Seaton-Carew is considered to be rather an attractive type.'
'What does he attract? Pond-life?'
'Wireless programmes are neither primarily or secondarily intended for cultured persons,' replied Timothy, quite unruffled. 'Too often they appear to be intended either for the entirely witless, or for those desirous of acquiring without effort a little easy knowledge. I remember that someone once gave a fifteen minute talk on the Battle of Waterloo. A sobering thought.'
The Chief Inspector groaned. 'Any line on it at all?'
'Might be, might not. Doesn't sound like a cinch, from the first report. There were forty-nine people in the house at the time--'
'What?'
'Fifty-five, counting the servants,' said the Superintendent.
'What you [Pershore] want to do is to hire a hall, and give a series of lectures on police work,' interposed Hemingway. 'You'll probably make a lot of money: people will pay to listen to anything! I wouldn't, of course, but that's because I have to listen to you, and even the Department wouldn't expect me to pay for doing what I can't help. Now you stop trying to annoy me, and tell me what's been happening here without any trimmings!'
'Good God!' said Mr. Harte, staring at him between narrowed eyelids. 'You're the Sergeant!'
'Well, I was once, but I've been promoted,' he replied. 'Did you happen to know me when I was a Sergeant, sir?'
'Of course I did!' said Timothy, rising, and going towards him, with his hand held out. 'You probably don't remember me, but don't you remember the Kane case?'
'Perhaps you are confusing popularity with usefulness. Unattached men, Chief Inspector, are greatly in demand amongst hostesses.'
If you were to have given Mr. Godfrey Poulton the choice between having a sewer-rat loose in his house or the late Seaton-Carew, it's my belief he'd have chosen the rat.
The only thing that would surprise me about his case would be if I was able to get a real lead.
Ever add two and two together and get five for an answer? No, you wouldn't because you've got no imagination, but it's what I can see myself doing. All the same, taking your bit of dirt with what I gathered from Lady Nest's way of carrying on, I think this'll bear looking into.
'Look here, I don't mind you making two and two five, but when you start making it six, your'e going too far, Sandy!' expostulated Hemingway.
February 11, 2017
Torneo di bridge con delitto
Georgette Heyer è stata più volte definita la Jane Austen della detective story. È proprio vero che con lei il poliziesco diventa più interessante ed avvincente. Dame e lord, esponenti dell'alta società, diventano probabili sospettati, ma, prima che ciò accada, uno di loro deve essere la vittima.
Durante quella che doveva essere un'allegra serata, dedicata al bridge, va in scena un assassinio. Il gioco a carte, a un certo punto subisce un'interruzione a causa dell’assenza prolungata di uno dei giocatori. Si è allontanato per rispondere al telefono nel bel mezzo di una mano.
Tutti giudicano la sua prolungata assenza come una condotta alquanto scortese. Ma l'uomo in questione ha una giustificazione di tutto rispetto. Infatti, è assente perché è stato strangolato.
Alla riunione sono presenti 49 persone. 53 contando la servitù. Uno tra i presenti nell’edificio al momento dell’omicidio è sicuramente il colpevole. Ancora una volta, Georgette Heyer deve dipanare la sua narrazione, passando in rassegna una vera folla di potenziali colpevoli, i quali, fortunatamente, si riducono a 7 per la reale opportunità di commettere il crimine.
Però, questo non risolve facilmente l'indagine che si rivela comunque un rebus molto intricato.
A condurre l'indagine è l’ispettore capo Hemingway di Scotland Yard.
Il tempo per risolvere il caso è, come al solito, molto ristretto, poiché chi ha ucciso una volta potrebbe avere tutta l’intenzione di concedersi un bis, come annuncia clamorosamente il titolo di questo avvincente poliziesco, DELITTO CON REPLICA.
May 20, 2016
Much as I hesitate to give any Georgette Heyer work a two-star rating, I just can't go any higher on this mystery. It was much too paint-by-numbers to rate anything higher than "it was OK." For one thing, the murders are telegraphed in the most blatant way. Any time two characters had a bitter argument in which one used vaguely threatening language, I knew the other character was toast. And always set up in the most heavy-handed way--multiple people who had opportunity to commit the crime, all witnessed by others in compromising ways. Really rather boring. And since I didn't care about the characters or find their situations believable or compelling, I didn't really care who committed the murders. The trademark Heyer light touch was also notable by its absence. The only "humor" was provided by Inspector Hemingway's sidekick who insisted on speaking Gaelic despite his superior's dislike of it. It got old quickly. Back in the days when I used to read and re-read Heyer's romances, I never had any use for the mysteries. Reading them now, I'm starting to think I had the right idea before.
October 13, 2017
Another smashing Georgette Heyer whodunnit, from 1951. Not as good as the earlier, more action-orientated ones, but a good mystery, with a lovely topping and tailing. Witty and well-written.
The GR blurb:
'An elegant card party turns deadly...
Inspector Hemingway has his work cut out for him when a seemingly civilized game of Duplicate Bridge leads to a double murder. The crimes seem identical, but were they carried out by the same hand? Things become even more complicated when the fiancée of the inspector's young friend Timothy Kane becomes Hemingway's prime suspect. Kane is determined to prove the lady's innocence-but when he begins digging into her past, he finds it's more than a little bit shady.'
The GR blurb:
'An elegant card party turns deadly...
Inspector Hemingway has his work cut out for him when a seemingly civilized game of Duplicate Bridge leads to a double murder. The crimes seem identical, but were they carried out by the same hand? Things become even more complicated when the fiancée of the inspector's young friend Timothy Kane becomes Hemingway's prime suspect. Kane is determined to prove the lady's innocence-but when he begins digging into her past, he finds it's more than a little bit shady.'
April 24, 2010
Along with The Unfinished Clue, this is one of my favorite Heyer mysteries. This is a sequel of sorts to They Found Him Dead, with Jim Kane and Timothy Harte returning along with then Sergeant (now Chief Inspector) Hemingway. I never developed much of an appreciation for Inspector Hannasyde, who appeared in many of Heyer's mysteries including They Found Him Dead. I almost always preferred the stories with other detectives. Hemingway is a more personable Inspector than Hannasyde - you get to see more of his deliberation as well - and Timothy is simply one of those great Heyer characters you'd be happy to see show up in any of her books.
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