Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
250th out of 571 books
—
511 voters
Envious Casca (Inspectors Hannasyde & Hemingway #6)
A holiday party takes on a sinister aspect when the colorful assortment of guests discovers there is a killer in their midst. The owner of the substantial estate, that old Scrooge Nathaniel Herriard, is found stabbed in the back. While the delicate matter of inheritance could be the key to this crime, the real conundrum is how any of the suspects could have entered a locke...more
Paperback, 396 pages
Published
May 1st 2010
by Sourcebooks Landmark
(first published 1941)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,164)
The second last in my 2011 project of reading all of Georgette Heyer's mysteries, this was a fun read. It's an old-fashioned mystery of the locked room kind, complete with an old house, cantankerous victim, eccentric suspects and plenty of red herrings.
Heyer is not, in my view, the most talented of British Golden Age mystery writers. To my mind, that accolade goes to Dorothy L. Sayers, although a number of other writers of the period also deserve high praise. That said, a Heyer mystery has its...more
Rating Clarification: 3.5 Stars
My final Heyer mystery, and while not a personal favorite like Why Shoot a Butler?, it was certainly up to par with almost all other Heyer whodunnits. This is a true "locked room" murder in every sense of the word, and while I figured out the "who" of the crime pretty early on, I never did figure out the "how" until the final reveal.
As usual with Heyer's stories, her cast of characters fulfill every "ic" I can think of: eccentric, acerbic, and sarcastic, and if her...more
My final Heyer mystery, and while not a personal favorite like Why Shoot a Butler?, it was certainly up to par with almost all other Heyer whodunnits. This is a true "locked room" murder in every sense of the word, and while I figured out the "who" of the crime pretty early on, I never did figure out the "how" until the final reveal.
As usual with Heyer's stories, her cast of characters fulfill every "ic" I can think of: eccentric, acerbic, and sarcastic, and if her...more
Feb 27, 2009
Laura
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery,
light-and-fun
Murder at Christmas — hasn’t it crossed everyone’s mind? There may be even more motives in this family gathering than in your own, though. At the estate of crabby old Uncle Nathaniel, a disparate assortment of relatives and their even more bizarre significant others assemble to spend an awkward Christmas, made even more awkward by the unflagging cheerfulness of Uncle Matthew, who wants to put up tacky decorations and play parlor games. Naturally someone is murdered...but murdered without a weapo...more
Georgette Heyer is best known, of course, for her Regency Romances. But she also wrote about 10 delightful murder mysteries, including Envious Casca.
The story takes place at a country house where the Herriard family have gathered for Christmas, much against the will of Nathanial, whose house it is and whose money is the motive when he turns up dead in his locked bedroom. Windows and doors securely locked, no secret passageways, no sign the key was turned from the outside. Don’t you love a locke...more
The story takes place at a country house where the Herriard family have gathered for Christmas, much against the will of Nathanial, whose house it is and whose money is the motive when he turns up dead in his locked bedroom. Windows and doors securely locked, no secret passageways, no sign the key was turned from the outside. Don’t you love a locke...more
Basically a perfectly good mystery that was slightly ruined by annoying characters. Like with Footsteps in the Dark I feel that Heyer mocks the crime-genre slightly (in a rather nice way) and most of the characters seem like carricatures of stock 'House party with lots of people who can't stand each other and a murder'-characters: the incredibly wealthy and incredibly vicious uncle, his good-natured and well-meaning brother, the nephew and sole heir with his pretty and stupid fiance, the niece a...more
I do love how the Brits murder.
I love how they maintain their manners, respect class differences and contain their emotions. I love the work they put into it ...the utter cleverness. No, simple shoot and runs or hack and slashes. No, instead an instinct for detail, planning and patience always resulting in a cracking good puzzle.
I love how they involve the whole community. The constables and inspectors, the clergymen, all the suspects and the domestics, the butlers, maids, chauffeurs, cooks an...more
I love how they maintain their manners, respect class differences and contain their emotions. I love the work they put into it ...the utter cleverness. No, simple shoot and runs or hack and slashes. No, instead an instinct for detail, planning and patience always resulting in a cracking good puzzle.
I love how they involve the whole community. The constables and inspectors, the clergymen, all the suspects and the domestics, the butlers, maids, chauffeurs, cooks an...more
Possibly the most nonsensical murder plot anyone could ever devise, based as it is on a reaction expremely unlikely to happen, and which if it went wrong (which was hugely probable) would immediately betray the perpetrator. But there are some very amusing characters in this country house drama, including Uncle Joseph,the irritant factor of whose jocular pleadings for everyone else is superbly drawn; his wife, drifting disengaged through the world; the gold-digging Valerie and her truly appalling...more
Aug 06, 2007
Lorena
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
desert_island,
mystery
The first of Georgette Heyer's mystery books I read, and the one that convinced me that she was one of the quintessential masters (along with Dorothy L. Sayers) of the 1920s/30s British mystery genre. Compared with Agatha Christie's novels, which are sort of the benchmark when comparing anything in this line, the characters (even the heroes) are much more flawed, interesting, and funny. The mysteries themselves are exciting and rewarding.
This was a recommendation from my co-worker who is a Georgette Heyer regular. Okay, not this book specifically but she suggested to read anything from the Ms. Heyer collection, and I’m happy she did. I knew I was going to enjoy the book when early on I read this little blurb between Stephen, the nephew of the master of Lexham Manor (who is also set to inherit the family fortune…or so it is believed) and his new fiancé Valerie. They are conversing about a cousin who is also invited to attend the...more
The rich Nathniel Herriard is found knifed to death in his locked bedroom (with no knife in evidence) during a Christmas house party at his home, Lexham Manor. Those in attendance at the party include Nat's brother Joseph (arranger of the party), Joseph's wife Maud, nephew Stephen and fiance Valerie, niece Paula and playwright Willoughby Roydon (in whose play Paula wants her uncle to invest), Nat's business partner Mottisfont, and distant cousin Mathilda Clare. Nat is a contankerous old man, and...more
Well , disappointing read. I knew who had done it, the moment murder happens. So no point of calling it a "whodunnit". After that, I was just reading the book to see how the Inspector goes on :( and when would he catch up. Ah! If only JKR existed before, she would have given a tip or two about how to carefully construct plots, and throwing clues in proper places so that "mystery" SURVIVES till the end of the book. From now on, I plan to read only Heyer's regency novels. The character sketches we...more
I wasn't planning on reading another Georgette Heyer so soon since I had a bad experience this past weekend with These Old Shades. But when I went to the library yesterday I didn't have a lot of time to browse and the only author I could think of to look for was... Georgette Heyer. So, I decided to see if they had any of her mysteries and, well, they did! They had quite a lot of them, actually.
Anyhow, I did enjoy Envious Casca. Perhaps it was a bit on the long side and certainly not an on-the-e...more
Anyhow, I did enjoy Envious Casca. Perhaps it was a bit on the long side and certainly not an on-the-e...more
Nov 26, 2010
Karen
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
georgette-heyer,
mystery
A family Christmas party goes wrong when the host (and head of the family) Nathaniel Herriard is found stabbed to death in his bedroom. All the windows and doors were locked and the stab wound was in his back so he could not have killed himself. The problem facing Inspector Hemingway is not just who committed the crime but how it happened in the first place. This is Georgette Heyer's successful attempt at a locked room mystery. And I find it one of the best of her mysteries I have read so far.
He...more
He...more
Nathan Herriard is an old man. Quite a curmudgeon. Even his own family dislikes him. Well. Disliked. 'Cause he's dead. Murdered, in his own locked bedroom. In a houseful of family members who stand to benefit well from Nathan's death. What a time for his brother Joseph to invite the nephew (and heir apparent), Stephen, his sister, Paula, Stephen's fiancee (hated by Nathan), Paula and her playwright (who's looking for backing from a more than reluctant Nate), and Joseph's own wife who is more int...more
A Georgette Heyer mystery makes a quick, enjoyable read. However, after having previously read three of her mysteries I was able to quickly identify which man was going to be portrayed as the "bad guy" and which girl he would fall in love with. Unfortunately I also quickly figured out who committed the murder and how. Still, the characters were interesting and the ending was satisfying. This mystery doesn't stand out as one of my favorites--I am not sure I like Inspector Hemingway--but the focus...more
Usually this is the perfect setup for me--English mansion at Christmas in the 1930s, and a locked room murder--but this one didn't quite do it for me, maybe because I'd read it before and knew who the murderer was. I did love some of the characters, though, particularly Maud with her endless search for her lost book about the Empress of Austria. Many of the other characters weren't at all likeable, unfortunately, which is unusual for Heyer. I totally didn't buy the romance that came out of nowhe...more
Although I consider myself a Georgette Heyer fan the truth is that, till now, I had only read some of her Regencies and Georgian novels. This was my first mystery by her and presents a totally different style. It's a contemporary (it was first published in 1941) whodunit!
Several members of the Herriard family and their friends meet at an english country house to celebrate Christmas. While they all attend, no one seems particularly fond of the others or happy to be spending time in their company....more
Several members of the Herriard family and their friends meet at an english country house to celebrate Christmas. While they all attend, no one seems particularly fond of the others or happy to be spending time in their company....more
There's no place like home for the holidays. And no place for a murder, either. Especially in Georgette Heyer's period mystery, Envious Casca. Uncle Joseph has convinced his curmudgeonly brother Nat Herriad to allow all the family and their guests to come home to Lexham Manor for a good, old-fashioned English Christmas. Nevermind that none of the relatives really get on with each other and that Nat would rather quarrel than raise a glass of good cheer. It's going to be jolly--at least until some...more
Jul 05, 2008
Nicole
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery,
historic-novel
Deviously deceiving characters depicted with acerbic wit. The tittle is perfect because it must be taken from Shakespeare's play Julius Cæsar. Mark Antony, in Act 3, scene 2, says "See what a rent the envious Casca made: Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd; And as he pluck'd his cursed steel away, Mark how the blood of Caesar follow'd it"
A locked door mystery with excellent clues. This is the first book I've read by Heyer with a woman of character. Heyer often projects her characters on...more
A locked door mystery with excellent clues. This is the first book I've read by Heyer with a woman of character. Heyer often projects her characters on...more
I may be getting to the point where I've read too many murder mysteries. I'm not usually the kind of person that analyses all the clues and then tries to determine the murderer, but with this book I knew the murder's identity as soon as the murder happened. If you've read The Clocks, by Agatha Christie recently you'll have no trouble identifying the murderer.
All that aside, I really enjoyed this book. The cozy English country house murder mystery is like delicious chocolate cake for my brain.
All that aside, I really enjoyed this book. The cozy English country house murder mystery is like delicious chocolate cake for my brain.
This was by far the longest of the Heyer mysteries I've read and it was sometimes hard staying awake through the first 300 pages. Having read other mysteries by her, however, I felt that I would be rewarded for hanging in to the end. Sure enough, I enjoyed the last 100 pages as much as I've enjoyed any of her mysteries, although the identity of the murderer wasn't difficult to guess by then. Those looking for the dose of romance often found in her mysteries have to wait a long time too.
All in a...more
All in a...more
密室殺人! 2 stars for the actual mystery bits but 4 stars for the general heyer wit and charm. probably the cleverest thing about this book is the title. if you don't know what it refers to (i didn't), don't google it until you've finished the book; it'll be a small post-mystery treat.
best line from this book, a tongue-in-cheek opinion on hemingway's detection methods: "an unholy predilection for all the more turgid aspects of psychology." zing!
best line from this book, a tongue-in-cheek opinion on hemingway's detection methods: "an unholy predilection for all the more turgid aspects of psychology." zing!
The best of the Heyer mysteries I've read, although still suffering from Obviousness. (view spoiler) Heyer's mystery characters are always so unpleasant and even the ones you are meant to sympathize with aren't real friends, that I just don't enjoy these much.
I've always been a huge fan of Georgette Heyer's Regency romances, and haven't read as many of her mystery stories, but really enjoyed this one. It was a traditional "locked room" murder, taking place at a house party at Christmas, with warring relatives and the curmudgeonly wealthy victim.
There were strong elements of Agatha Christie, so if you are a fan of Christie, then you'll probably enjoy these as well.
There were strong elements of Agatha Christie, so if you are a fan of Christie, then you'll probably enjoy these as well.
Another awful book. I guessed the murderer pretty much immediately. Of course I knew who was going to marry whom, because Heyer telegraphs that, as does any good romance writer. There was no one I found inviting, and it was terrible as a series book. I liked one character though very much. Heyer is capable of creating wonderfully interesting characters, but she seems to be unable to produce more than one per book. I am now living in the hell of Heyer's Penhallow. Oh well.
Georgette Heyer's mysteries are always lively, always refined, always full of great characters, and always keep you guessing until the very end. If you like mysteries and you like period pieces, she is a must. I cannot recommend her mysteries enough. Her romances may be great as well, but that's not my kind of book so, if you're interested, give them a try and tell me what you think.
Georgette Heyer is the mistress of all things regency romance. She is less so in all things 20's era mystery but not bad. She creates the usual fun cast of characters and her cleverly witty banter is apparent. I kind of just kept wishing it was set back in the regency era but I likely would have felt different if I hadn't just finished reading ~20 of her regency romances.
When the Herriard family retires to their estate for an old-fashioned family Christmas, somebody has more than a festive ham dinner on their mind.
Patriarch Nathaniel Herriard ends up murdered and nearly everyone in the house has a motive.
Funny, original characters and clever Heyer dialogue make this murder mystery in a beautiful old country house a holiday season delight!
Patriarch Nathaniel Herriard ends up murdered and nearly everyone in the house has a motive.
Funny, original characters and clever Heyer dialogue make this murder mystery in a beautiful old country house a holiday season delight!
I checked this out accidentally thinking it was a Regency Romance. This murder mystery was better than the other one I read. The characters were all obnoxious and I didn't care about any of them. But I was curious to see how the murder happened. I figured out the murderer but not how he did it. It was a good puzzle. Lots of swearing - very annoying!
It is pretty obvious early on who the murderer is, but that is actually okay because the murder was so well done that you still didn't know how they managed. And the scene in the drawing room where the whole unhappy family party are gathered to listen to a reading of the "improper" play is hilarious (and almost reminds me of Saki stories).
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodreads Librari...: ISBN 0586012656 | 2 | 154 | Sep 23, 2012 07:07am |
Georgette Heyer was an amazingly prolific writer who created the Regency England genre of romance novels.
Georgette Heyer was an intensely private person. A best-seller 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. Heyer wrote very well-researched historical fiction, fu...more
More about Georgette Heyer...
Georgette Heyer was an intensely private person. A best-seller 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. Heyer wrote very well-researched historical fiction, fu...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
I'm glad to hear that! I plan to read all of Heyer, eventually, but have been distinctly underwhelmed...more
Dec 18, 2011 08:55am
Dec 19, 2011 01:15am