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Love Lies Bleeding (Gervase Fen #5)
Small disturbances have surprising ramifications at the Castrevenford School, in another taut and clever Crispin novel. Gervase Fen, the Oxford Professor who has been invited to give a speech at the school, is soon in the thick of a mystery that grows deadlier as it becomes more inexplicable. What, if anything, is worth the risk of committing murder?
Paperback, 244 pages
Published
November 1st 2007
by Felony & Mayhem
(first published 1948)
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May 04, 2008
rabbitprincess
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of British mysteries, fans of Golden Age detective fiction
Recommended to rabbitprincess by:
English prof
A nicely written story with a thoroughly idiosyncratic hero. Gervase Fen, language and literature professor, is called upon to perform some discreet detective work at Castrevonford School: two people have been murdered the night before the school's Speech Day, and the headmaster wants the case solved quietly. Fen calls upon his knowledge as a professor to solve the case, which eventually involves a lost Shakespeare manuscript as well as a missing schoolgirl and the aforementioned murder victims....more
Very enjoyable entry in the Gervase Fen series. I like books in school settings, and this one doesn't disappoint! Fen (and Crispin) are in fine form, the humor is present and the solution, while clear once Fen expostulates, was a surprise to me.
Originally published on my blog here& in August 2000.
We used to have Speech Days at the school which I attended, days on which prizes were given out and the boys and parents had to endure some of the most boring speeches imaginable. (The one in my final year, which I did not attend because of university entrance interviews, was easily the most lively: the headmaster unexpectedly declared that with government interference it was no longer possible for the school to offer a good education, and...more
We used to have Speech Days at the school which I attended, days on which prizes were given out and the boys and parents had to endure some of the most boring speeches imaginable. (The one in my final year, which I did not attend because of university entrance interviews, was easily the most lively: the headmaster unexpectedly declared that with government interference it was no longer possible for the school to offer a good education, and...more
I LOVED this. It starts a little slow - the setting (a school) is really interesting for it offers a lot of different locations and characters to work with. The plot is excellent and the motive is incredible - I hadn't read anything about the book prior to my reading and I would absolutely discourage anyone from reading the summary. The motive needs to be the revelation it is in the novel as I think it's very innovative. I also really appreciated the carefully laid out conclusion and recap of th...more
Crispin's the writer who slipped more polysyllables into the whodunnit genre than any other. He occasionally runs so beautifully away with the language that it feels as though either he'd really rather not be writing crime novels, or he's forgotten that he is. For those who care, he delivers slippier & more satisfying plots than you've a right to demand, and for those who don't, he leaves you feeling you've had the kind of wonderful conversation you were worried you'd never have.
6 likes · like · see review
Gervase Fen, professor of English at Oxford University, is my favorite fictional detective. Hence, Edmund Crispin is my favorite writer of detective stories.
Apparently this view is not widely shared, because these books are difficult to find. I got this one from the Ramsey County Library via interlibrary loan. (Thank you, Tamara and Patrick, for cluing me in to interlibrary loan.)
I like Crispin's stories for their convoluted plots, their bizarre chase scenes, their characters who truly are chara...more
Apparently this view is not widely shared, because these books are difficult to find. I got this one from the Ramsey County Library via interlibrary loan. (Thank you, Tamara and Patrick, for cluing me in to interlibrary loan.)
I like Crispin's stories for their convoluted plots, their bizarre chase scenes, their characters who truly are chara...more
Love Lies Bleeding was a little bit of a disappointment for an Edmund Crispin book. It follows the same pattern as The Moving Toyshop and Holy Disorders, but Professor Fen is missing a hapless poet or composer to act as straight man. As a result, the humour falls a little flat.
The action takes place at a boys’ boarding school, which provides some in-jokes about parent-teacher-student relationships. Still, the underlying plot is a little weak, there are more bodies than in a Shakespeare tragedy,...more
The action takes place at a boys’ boarding school, which provides some in-jokes about parent-teacher-student relationships. Still, the underlying plot is a little weak, there are more bodies than in a Shakespeare tragedy,...more
Ah yes, the joy of memories of the school Shakespeare play. This wonderful book brings it all back. Except that in my own experience I don’t (thankfully) recall any murder; even though I’m sure that our teachers must have felt like it at times.
Fen does well and truly belong in the world of a Russell group university; so there’s definitely a frisson of excitement about his translation to a younger, more hormonal, educational year in the public (private) school sector. Crispin’s exquisite descrip...more
Fen does well and truly belong in the world of a Russell group university; so there’s definitely a frisson of excitement about his translation to a younger, more hormonal, educational year in the public (private) school sector. Crispin’s exquisite descrip...more
Edmund Crispin's books, while being great golden age detective stories, are also remarkably literary. I even had to reach for the dictionary for some enlightenment on one particular word I'd never heard of in this book. Crispin's detective, Gervase Fen, is an enormously likeable individual - a scholarly Oxford don who is perfectly suited to unpicking the intricacies of this particular puzzler which centres around the unexpected discovery of a long lost Shakespeare manuscript. Set in a private bo...more
1 like · like · see review
This is a literate British cozy that takes place in a school setting. The mystery begins with a missing schoolgirl, the murders of two faculty members, and a theft from the chemistry lab.
Eccentric characters include the amateur detective, Oxford English professor Gervase Fen; a rustic innkeeper; a ponderously Johnsonian carpenter/lay preacher and his obsequious assistant; and an elderly bloodhound mix, Mr. Merrythought, an unlikely hero who saves the day.
Well-written, with a light touch, Love Li...more
Eccentric characters include the amateur detective, Oxford English professor Gervase Fen; a rustic innkeeper; a ponderously Johnsonian carpenter/lay preacher and his obsequious assistant; and an elderly bloodhound mix, Mr. Merrythought, an unlikely hero who saves the day.
Well-written, with a light touch, Love Li...more
Gervase Fen is called in to investigate a mishap at a school. But it all leads to kidnapping and murder so the local constabulary are also required.
However, it is Fen who works it all out and solves the mysteries, in his usual literary and artistic way. The constabulary are, of course, eternally grateful!
However, it is Fen who works it all out and solves the mysteries, in his usual literary and artistic way. The constabulary are, of course, eternally grateful!
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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1 like · like · see review
This book was only my second foray into the mystery writings of Edmund Crispin. Although not quite as good a mystery as was The Moving Toy Shop, I enjoyed the unfolding of the story and the interesting characters that the author presents. There are a few chuckles to be had at the subliminal literary references. I'd recommend this to readers who like British cozy mysteries.
Another wonderful story where Fen shows a little bit more heart than usual, and we get to see the life of public schooling.
It's easy to see why Crispin is so popular. This book spends more time letting the reader in on Fen's ability to deduce the solution.
It's easy to see why Crispin is so popular. This book spends more time letting the reader in on Fen's ability to deduce the solution.
I'm being generous with three stars. Two and a half is closer to the mark.
Gervase Fen is less annoying than in previous books, but he still solves the mystery before he could possibly have had enough data to do so.
Crispin, like Conan Doyle, likes to hide his evidence from the reader. With Holmes, however, when the reader is finally made privy to his facts and evidence, the solution seems plausible. The "solution" to Fen's mystery hangs on a ludicrously far-fetched clue, and the more he explains...more
Gervase Fen is less annoying than in previous books, but he still solves the mystery before he could possibly have had enough data to do so.
Crispin, like Conan Doyle, likes to hide his evidence from the reader. With Holmes, however, when the reader is finally made privy to his facts and evidence, the solution seems plausible. The "solution" to Fen's mystery hangs on a ludicrously far-fetched clue, and the more he explains...more
Gervase Fen visits a school for a lecture and finds 3 murders and a kidnapping in less than 24 hours! Though not as wild as some of his earlier works, there's lots of fun to be had and I laughed out loud several times while reading it. Highly recommended it.
In spite of the convoluted solution, I enjoyed this book. I like the relationships and conversations. It is great title, by the way.
An lost manuscript that turns out to be something other than it was thought to be; smart, tough schoolgirls; and laugh-out-loud lines. The only thing not to love is a laborious explanation of why and how and who dunnit that slows up the last twenty page.
The next best Crispin after Toyshop.
Edmund Crispin’s 1948 novel Love Lies Bleeding sees Gervase Fen, Oxford don and amateur sleuth, investigating a series of murders at a school. The fantastically intricate plot involves, among other things, Shakespeare’s lost play Love’s Labour’s Won. This is very much a classic English detective story, with a complicated puzzle to solve. I love Crispin’s style, which is both ornate and urbane. Gervase Fen himself is fun. All very entertaining.
Sep 15, 2007
Cindy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
vintage mystery fans
Shelves:
mysteries
Features Gervase Fen. This one takes him away from Oxford, his normal haunt, to the Castrevenford School for Boys. Very funny.
I found Crispin's writting style hard to read..antiquated. So, probably won't try more of these.
Apr 08, 2012
Autumn
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
detective-novels,
early-20th-cent-british
Features a long-lost Shakespeare play! Booknerd heaven.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| English Mysteries...: May 2013 - Love Lies Bleeding | 39 | 91 | 3 hours, 13 min ago |
Edmund Crispin was the pseudonym of (Robert) Bruce Montgomery (1921-1978). His first crime novel and musical composition were both accepted for publication while he was still an undergraduate at Oxford. After a brief spell of teaching, he became a full-time writer and composer (particularly of film music. He wrote the music for six of the Carry On films. But he was also well known for his concert...more
More about Edmund Crispin...
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May 12, 2013 06:37am