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74th out of 205 books
—
33 voters
A Blunt Instrument (Inspectors Hannasyde & Hemingway #4)
When Ernest Fletcher is found bludgeoned to death in his study, everyone is shocked and mystified: Ernest was well liked and respected, so who would have a motive for killing him?
ebook, 320 pages
Published
March 1st 2010
by Sourcebooks Landmark
(first published 1938)
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1,349)
Nov 27, 2010
Hannah
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2010-reads,
mysteries
** SPOILER ALERT **
What a lark! A Blunt Instrument has to be one of the most droll and entertaining of Heyer's mysteries. I loved it from beginning to end, and figured out whodunnit almost immediately. Ordinarily, this would make me think less of Heyer's writing abilities, but in this case, her "hiding" the murderer "in plain sight" actually causes the reader to second guess themselves throughout the 309 hilarious pages.
Entertaining, funny and filled with period charm and cant-speak, A Blunt Ins...more
What a lark! A Blunt Instrument has to be one of the most droll and entertaining of Heyer's mysteries. I loved it from beginning to end, and figured out whodunnit almost immediately. Ordinarily, this would make me think less of Heyer's writing abilities, but in this case, her "hiding" the murderer "in plain sight" actually causes the reader to second guess themselves throughout the 309 hilarious pages.
Entertaining, funny and filled with period charm and cant-speak, A Blunt Ins...more
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Jun 27, 2008
Nicole
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery,
historic-novel
Neville Fletcher is a great version of the highly intellectual types seen in Albert Campion and Lord Peter. His humor is languid, wry and subtle so makes the perfect counterpoint to the heavy treading PC Glass. Other miss matched pairs are the two sisters, Ms. Sally Drew and Mrs. Helen North. Sally is keenly observant and a published crime author while her sister is a married wife estranged from her husband through foolishness and lack of communication. Mr North is intelligent but so proper his...more
1 like · like · see review
"A Blunt Instrument" is a joy to read from start to finish!
Filled to the brim with hilarious dialogue and delightfully eccentric characters, this Heyer mystery will have readers trying to unravel the conflicting testimony of the suspects and eyewitnesses until the very end.
Thankfully, the superbly analytical Inspector Hemingway and Superintendent Hannasyde of Scotland Yard are on hand to lead readers in the right direction.
Neville Fletcher, a penniless, effeminate young gentleman with a propen...more
Filled to the brim with hilarious dialogue and delightfully eccentric characters, this Heyer mystery will have readers trying to unravel the conflicting testimony of the suspects and eyewitnesses until the very end.
Thankfully, the superbly analytical Inspector Hemingway and Superintendent Hannasyde of Scotland Yard are on hand to lead readers in the right direction.
Neville Fletcher, a penniless, effeminate young gentleman with a propen...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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When Ernest Fletcher is found bludgeoned to death in his study, everyone is shocked and mystified. Ernest was well-liked and respected, so who would have a motive for killing him?
Enter Superintendent Hannasyde who begins to uncover the complexities of Fletcher's life. It seems the real Fletcher was far from the gentleman he pretended to be. There is, in fact, no shortage of people who wanted him dead.
Then, a second murder is committed, with striking similarities to the first, giving a twist to a...more
Enter Superintendent Hannasyde who begins to uncover the complexities of Fletcher's life. It seems the real Fletcher was far from the gentleman he pretended to be. There is, in fact, no shortage of people who wanted him dead.
Then, a second murder is committed, with striking similarities to the first, giving a twist to a...more
The 4rth Superintendent Hannasyde. Sargent Hemmingway also has a prominent role.
Somehow I skipped the 3rd Hannasyde, but I've got it ordered. This is another story where an eccentric family finds itself in the midst of a murder investigation. This one involving the said blunt instrument (they don't know what was used, it was taken away from the murder scene.). There is another highly intelligent young man, whom everyone thinks could have done it, but can't prove it. This seems to be a trend i...more
Somehow I skipped the 3rd Hannasyde, but I've got it ordered. This is another story where an eccentric family finds itself in the midst of a murder investigation. This one involving the said blunt instrument (they don't know what was used, it was taken away from the murder scene.). There is another highly intelligent young man, whom everyone thinks could have done it, but can't prove it. This seems to be a trend i...more
When Ernie Fletcher is found dead in his library, all his friends are astonished. Everybody liked the charming, wealthy Ernie. As Inspector Hannaside and Sergeant Hemingway investigate, hindered rather than helped by a local, Bible-quoting constable, they learn that not everybody liked Ernie, including a neighboring couple who are at odds over Helen North's friendship with him. A bigger problem with the investigation is the disappearance of the murder weapon. As more facts accumulate, it seems t...more
I love Georgette Heyer. Her Regency romances set the standard that every other author falls short of and her mysteries are absorbing and entertaining. A Blunt Instrument didn't quite measure up to other Heyer mysteries I've read, though. It has a light and frothy feel--as airy as a 1930s drawing-room comedy from MGM at times--and some truly comical moments. But for me, an improbable romance and the strange solution to the mystery detracted from the overall effect. I still enjoyed it--and even me...more
I didn't like this book at all. I like some story behind the story, and this was almost all dialogue (with some long, rambling monologues thrown in). I didn't like any of the characters, and the bible-quoting constable got very old after about two pages (God help us, there are 300 pages of this guy!).
The "who" of the whodunnit was pretty obvious fairly quickly; that didn't help me when I was trying to find some incentive to get through this. As much as I love British mysteries from the 30's, the...more
The "who" of the whodunnit was pretty obvious fairly quickly; that didn't help me when I was trying to find some incentive to get through this. As much as I love British mysteries from the 30's, the...more
The fourth Superintendent Hannasyde book. Earnest Fletcher is found dead in his study, with a large dent in his head from a blunt instrument. On the surface he's a well-liked and respected man, but it soon becomes apparent that his nephew and heir is not the only one with a possible motive for killing him. Unfortunately for Hannasyde, some of the people with motives are also his best witnesses, and some of them also have good reason to try to protect some of the other people with motives. He has...more
Inspector Hannasyde returns again when a man is found in his study, his head bashed in by some sort of blunt instrument. There are many suspects including the man's neighbor, his nephew, and a man the police call X.
Ernest Fletcher was not a nice man. He was holding his neighbor, Helen North's, IOUs over her head. He has a rotating stable of women. Other than that, he seems to have been at least respected.
There are some great characters including Helen's mysterious husband, her mystery writer sis...more
Ernest Fletcher was not a nice man. He was holding his neighbor, Helen North's, IOUs over her head. He has a rotating stable of women. Other than that, he seems to have been at least respected.
There are some great characters including Helen's mysterious husband, her mystery writer sis...more
Jul 27, 2012
Bev Hankins
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
vintage-mystery,
mystery
A Blunt Instrument is another delightful vintage 1930s mystery. Heyer is a master of witty and interesting characters. In this outing Neville Fletcher, the victim's nephew and one of the primary suspects, leads the cast in charming backchat and succinct bon mots. Although it initially looks like no one could possibly have a motive to bash Ernest Fletcher, the "perfect gentleman," over the head, Superintendent Hannasyde begins uncovering dirty little secrets right and left. Soon it becomes appare...more
A Blunt Instrument is the fourth Georgette Heyer book I have read. I find myself already recognizing her conventions; early into the book I had identified the murderer and the couple who would fall in love. Normally this isn't a problem for me because I enjoy the suspense before the resolution. However, in this book none of the characters won my heart. In the future I plan to stick to Heyer's stories that have been recommended to me; the one's I have tried on a whim just haven't been as pleasing...more
This was kind of a dumb book. A rich gentleman is murdered in his library. A policeman saw someone leaving by the back gate and found the body. The murdered man had loan documents from a female neighbor, whose footprints were found in the garden. She had gambling debts she wished to hide from her husband. They both try to protect each other. The wife's sister writes mystery stories and becomes involved. The timing of the witnesses to comings and goings at the house make the murder seem impossibl...more
Golden Age mystery. A policeman on his beat finds Ernest Fletcher bludgeoned to death in his own office. There are plenty of suspects, starting with the owner of the women's shoes whose imprints are found in the garden. But Helen North couldn't have killed Ernest - her hardboiled, crime-writing sister Sally is sure of it. Now she needs to convince the indolently ingenious Neville - Ernest's nephew and the only one who knew Helen was there - of that fact, along with the detectives investigating t...more
Usually I enjoy a Georgette Heyer mystery. They aren't hard to crack, but the characters and story usually charm. Rather like Agatha Christie "lite." Well, here Ms Heyer relies on a trick that is totally obvious from the get-go. Literally, the page the body is found, I knew who had done it and how. I didn't know why, so I kept reading for a while, but the story was so slapdash and the characters so unpleasant or boring, and all very stereotyped, that 40% of the way through I checked the end, rea...more
Jul 30, 2011
Joella www.cinjoella.com
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery
I love all of Georgette Heyer's romantic books (a Jane Austen-type romance) so I thought I would try one of her mysteries. It was pretty good. I did not figure out who "did it" until about 10 pages from the end. I had a million suspicions, and not one of them was correct. I love it when the mystery is so well crafted that I am guessing. I think I might have to try another mystery again...although it might have to wait until I finish the rest of the library books I currently have checked out...
My favorite Heyer mystery so far. I would actually give this one a 3.5 if that pesky 1/2 star was available. Superintendent Hannesyde returns with Sergeant Hemingway, fun characters, tiniest bit of romance - less than the others. I did not figure this one out (granted, my figuring out a mystery does not rank high in any expectation) and the murderer turned out to be one of the characters I rather enjoyed...an odd turn out for Ms. Heyer. She usually makes the murderer someone you never cared for...more
For most of the way through, I was going to set this book down as my least favorite mystery by Georgette Heyer. Sergeant Glass had a really annoying habit of quoting Bible verses every time he opened his mouth (not real Christianity by far). Though it's still not my favorite now, the ending was a surprise and left me with a better feeling about the book. 2.5 to 3 stars.
Ernest Fletcher is found bludgeoned to death in his study, apparently not quite as well-liked and respected as he appeared to be. I suspected the identity of the murderer a little too early...I prefer not to know until the very end! An interesting twist that didn't quite work out, this is still a good read, though her other books have been better.
A Blunt Instrument has everything I love in a book: witty dialog that made me laugh out loud, amazingly eccentric characters, murder, and a love story mixed in. The writing was classic and so very smart. Every page...what fun to read! The entire plot was revealed through Heyer's gifted dialog, so enjoyable and rare.
A Blunt Instrument is another Hannasyde and Hemingway English country house whodunit by Georgette Heyer. I liked the characters, particularly the two detectives. I found the culprit to be the least convincing character...that is, until it turned out that...well, now that would be telling, wouldn't it?
Feb 28, 2011
BJ Rose
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery-murder,
challenge-winter
I love Georgette Heyer! I read and reread her regencies, but this is the first of her mysteries that I've read, and I admit to being taken aback when, on the first page, PC Glass picks up the telephone! Once I got my mind set in the proper decade, I was drawn right into the time and the story, and thoroughly enjoyed watching Inspector Hannasyde figure out the clues and apprehend the murderer. As usual, I love Heyer's witty dialogue and the variety she puts in her characters. Now I have to find t...more
I used to be more tolerant of books that bored me...
Those days are now over.
I read the first 100 pages of A Blunt Instrument, skimmed the next 100, and then discarded the book, leaving the last 100 or so pages unread. In fact, I didn't even bother to find out who the murderer was; that's how much I cared.
A while ago (a week, even) I would have forged my way through to the end. But lately I've realized that I've chewed my way through enough dry books and I'm weary of it. Life is too short! Undou...more
Those days are now over.
I read the first 100 pages of A Blunt Instrument, skimmed the next 100, and then discarded the book, leaving the last 100 or so pages unread. In fact, I didn't even bother to find out who the murderer was; that's how much I cared.
A while ago (a week, even) I would have forged my way through to the end. But lately I've realized that I've chewed my way through enough dry books and I'm weary of it. Life is too short! Undou...more
Very good, and ending was definitely a surprise. But there was an awful lot of repetition of stuff we already knew, and I don't think it advanced the story much. But the author is definitely Agatha Christie-esque!
On the downside, I knew in the first chapter who the murderer was, although I kept hoping I was wrong.
On the upside, this is the first Heyer mystery I remember reading that cracked me up repeatedly.
On the upside, this is the first Heyer mystery I remember reading that cracked me up repeatedly.
It may be that I gave this 4 stars because I am such a Heyer fan. After all, the mystery wasn't that engaging and I guessed the culprit very early in the piece. But Neville's wicked tongue made up for other weaknesses. A fun read.
The best part of the book is the cop who finds the body and constantly quotes the Bible. There is some very funny dialogue when one of the suspects starts quoting the Bible back to him.
Not my favorite. I found it slow going, and figured out the murderer, the method, and the motive well before the end (which is rare for me, and not the way I enjoy reading these).
These books are really not as exciting when you know half way through who did it. For that reason it drug along - but I have to give props to Heyer, again, for her fun - crazy - characters.
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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
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