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The Yellow Room Conspiracy
An upper-class British family. An ugly, yet magnificent country house. A weekend of affairs and arguments. And a murder that is as deceptive as a magician's illusion, far different from what it at first appears to be. These elements lie at the center of Peter Dickinson's extraordinary new novel, the richest we have from the mystery writer acknowledged as the master of the...more
Mass Market Paperback, 248 pages
Published
June 1st 1995
by Warner Books
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Peter Dickinson is one of Britain's most celebrated mystery authors, and it shows. In "The Yellow Room Conspiracy" we find a tale as complex and confusing as anything Agatha Christie or Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle ever wrote.
This mystery is written in the form of a memoir written by two of the main characters in the mystery. Through their notes about the events we learn that Paul and Lucy are now elderly. Lucy is rapidly succumbing to a disease that sounds a lot like Parkinson's, although it's neve...more
This mystery is written in the form of a memoir written by two of the main characters in the mystery. Through their notes about the events we learn that Paul and Lucy are now elderly. Lucy is rapidly succumbing to a disease that sounds a lot like Parkinson's, although it's neve...more
Once upon a time I read a book by Peter Dickinson. I don't know what it was, except that it was a mystery. I don't have the title logged. The only thing I have noted by Peter Dickinson's name is "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" One might wonder then why I decided to read The Yellow Room Conspiracy by Dickinson when I found that I needed one more book with word beginning with "Y" for my Monthly Mix-up Mania Challenge book list. After all, there must be lots of other books with a "Y...more
I'd read this before, and completely forgot how it ended, since I have an excellent ability for forgetting murder mysteries. It's a good story, but it's rather annoyingly told, in a back-and-forth manner that relies on diary-memories of two of the people implicated in what is, essentially, a spy-murder-mystery. It's like a John Le Carré told rather sloppily by the protagonists, rather than by the omniscient narrator. I say 'sloppily' because that's how people remember; they aren't going to tell...more
This was my first Peter Dickinson book. I thought it was well worth the read and something very different in terms of a mystery novel. The male characters were well drawn, but I was not as certain about the female ones. The family of girls seem to lack the depth that his main male character is given. I am not sure if that is just who these people are or if it is a trait of the author. It would be necessary to read more of his books to find out. I thought that telling the story from two vantage p...more
Jun 21, 2008
Nancy Oakes
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
uk-crime-fiction-and-mystery
"The Yellow Room Conspiracy" begins in 1992, after a radio program has a quiz show that features what was known as "The Seddon Affair" in 1956. Paul Ackerley hears the show while working in his garden and promptly breaks the radio. Lucy (Vereker) Seddon, his companion is suffering from a terminal disease, and asks Paul to marry her. She also asks him to tell her how he managed to kill Gerry Grantworth years ago, considering that the door to the room he was in was locked, at which point he tells...more
This one started really slowly, the blow by blow of two cricket matches made it hard to get into. Once the war started it got better. I liked the style of writing and how the two points of view traded off. I really liked how everything got explained in the end. Other than the cricket, there were a lot of little things that left me feeling like I wasn't British enough for this book.
This book was very compelling although I'm not sure why I liked it so much. I liked that the viewpoints alternated between Lucy and Paul (I rather liked Lucy's chapters). The ending I have more of a beef with. I'm not sure what this book was meant to be: mystery? character study? a sports review of cricket (which I didn't much follow AT ALL)? It seems like it was meant to show one man's struggle with staying true to himself and why was it such a mystery about the murder? DUH.
Anyway, good book bu...more
Anyway, good book bu...more
The character development of the two main characters is excellent, and the interplay of personalities. Made me want to learn more about cricket.
Yo! This book is insanely smart and scary and weird and ordinary. Dickinson is a total master. So much smarter than me. The characters! Whew. I don't know how he does it. If you are into mystery, this is a game-changer.
The first Dickinson book that completely worked for me; it was interesting and suspenseful and the dual-time frame he seems to use in every novel heightened the suspense instead of sapping it.
I found this book utterly boring.
You need a program to keep track of the characters!
a classic.
I thought the book a good read and most of the characters well developed - some not so much.
An excellent work that quickly turns from an ordinary mystery story to a thoughtful, fascinating study in character development. Highly recommended.
Well crafted mystery for someone like me.
May 08, 2013
Mary catherine
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Peter Malcolm de Brissac Dickinson OBE FRSL (born 16 December 1927) is a prolific English author and poet, best known for children's books and detective stories.
Peter Dickinson lives in Hampshire with his second wife, author Robin McKinley. He has written more than fifty novels for adults and young readers. He has won both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Award twice, and his novel...more
More about Peter Dickinson...
Peter Dickinson lives in Hampshire with his second wife, author Robin McKinley. He has written more than fifty novels for adults and young readers. He has won both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Award twice, and his novel...more
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