Blood From a Stone

Jack Haldean Murder Mystery #7

by Gordon-Smith

When Mrs Paxton, related to the aristocratic Leigh family of Sussex, is found poisoned in her bedroom one morning, fingers point towards her artist nephew Terence Napier, seen leaving the house earlier that previous evening after a row over her will. Months later and Napier has never been found, but curiously a dead body is discovered in a train compartment, and scattered at the dead man’s feet are the famous Leigh sapphires – a necklace owned by Mrs Paxton, but destined to go back to the Leighs in the event of her death.
Scotland Yard once again call upon the services of author Jack Haldean to help solve this most complicated of cases. Soon there are links to a serial thief and murderer, known as the The Vicar, and it seems there is more to this case than a family feud over inheritance.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Mystery, Historical, Fiction, Historical Fiction, British Literature

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the 1920s, and the village of Topfordham in southern England is scandalized when, first, rich old Mrs Paxton goes off to Paris with her ne'er-do-well nephew Terry and then, soon after their return, is murdered; since Terry has vanished with the priceless family sapphires, he's the obvious suspect. A couple of months later, the journey of a local train in to London is rudely interrupted by the discovery of a gruesome murder; near to the body are found those missing sapphires. Author cum amateur sleuth Jack Haldean and his chums are drawn into an intrigue that involves family greeds and feuds, the temple of an ancient pagan god, misunderstood identities, a seance, and more murder . . .

This is primarily a cozy mystery, and I found it really quite entertaining without its ever jolting me into active participation, as it were. No -- that's not quite fair: there's a protracted action sequence late on in the tale that's very well done and had me turning the pages in a flurry. Otherwise, though, this was an amiable affair that served just fine for passing a few hours.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've liked all of the Jack Haldean mysteries, and this is a really excellent addition to the series. You'll have to be alert and keep your eye on the ball, though--not only don't we know who the murderer is (par for the course, really), but we also don't know who the victim is. And there are several characters who are not who or what they seem. The body on the train was clearly murdered--the knife between the ribs gives it away--but what about elderly Mrs. Paxton, who died after a quarrel with her long-lost nephew? And where do the sapphires, which belong to the Leigh family, really, fit into the plot? Mrs. Paxton left them to Frank Leigh's second wife, but people keep stealing them. And there are the sinister Roman caves and ruins on Leigh's estate--they play a part, too. Maybe this rates a fifth star.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1920s pastiche mystery is very close to Dorothy L Sayers in tone. The Golden Age-style plot involves stolen sapphires, a country house, ancient caves, family secrets and a seance for good measure. After reading all the previous entries in the series, I'm a fan of Gordon-Smith's hero Jack Haldean, a WW1 veteran and writer who is continually tempted into helping his pals at Scotland Yard. In this book he once again joins forces with his cousin, Isabelle, and the witty dialogue between them is highly enjoyable.

Unfortunately, the book does have a major flaw, though. The plot is so unbelievable that it's ludicrous, and I was disappointed by the endless pages of explanation at the end. I did guess the killer, but that was more luck than judgement. My rating is really 3 1/2 because of this aspect, but I still enjoyed the book a lot overall.

Far too many characters turn out to be someone else in disguise - at least four by my count. Costume hire shops must have been kept busy! There are also some revelations which come out of the blue without any advance clues. And the family portrait revealing a character's ancestry is straight out of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've now read every book in the series. This one was my least favorite. It was a wildly implausible plot, requiring many people to be impersonating other people. All of the novels do the classic age "explanation in the drawing room" after the arrest. In this book, the explanation was about half the book, which shows how convoluted the plot was. Also the background or setting of a Celtic temple wasn't believable. The deity was made up, the rites totally out of character with any known Celtic cult. Jack had do such feats of derring do that also seemed implausible. I realize he's an action hero like Indiana Jones, but he also has a lame leg. In previous books when he does something physical allowances or mention is made of that. I hope the next one is far better than this one.

[Cece · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to agree that this is not one of the best in the series. The characters are stock and the development of character, setting and mystery are all sketchy and awkward. I don't expect all three to be highly developed in a cozy mystery, but at least one of them should be to make it worth my while to read--preferably the mystery.

[SuedePuzzler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, likeable characters and the mystery kept my interest, though the solution was a slight let down.

There is a temple for a made-up ancient Brittish god referenced, so I guess one can't give it full marks for historical accuracy, but it captures the style of a Golden age detective novel well.


Assuming that all romantic complications will be resolved optimally will get you a long way towards guessing the solution. Also one of the villains is pretty much the only possible suspect for one of the murders, I spotted him pretty quickly, but I did not guess the entire plot.

There is a locked room mystery that turns to nothing, and one character has the safest alibi ever, he was on a different continent, but chooses not to reveal it.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I thought I hadn't read this, but then the story kept vaguely coming back to me, though it is so convoluted, that it still kept me guessing. Set in England between the wars, Jack Haldean is a mystery writer himself, who somehow keeps getting involved in solving crimes. An interesting cast of characters, an inventive plot, and a dose of British humour combine to create a very unique and enjoyable mystery. Recommended.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Mrs. Paxton died of poisoning, everyone assumed it was the nephew who had recently come to stay with her. They had just returned from a vacation to Paris in an attempt to find her son. He had deserted from the World War and she was hoping to bring him home since many deserters were being offered amnesty. They appeared to have no luck and returned, fought, and then Mrs. Paxton ended up dead.

[Mary Hollifield]

I have never met a Jack Haldean mystery that I didn't love. I think they are well written, he is very likeable, this is my favorite era for mysteries, all the good things. Thank you Dolores Gordon-Smith.

[Lorna Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best in the series, a little thin on plot, but still a good way to pass the time.

[Michael Dunn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorest quality book of the series. Mystery totally uninteresting. Country house dynamics not at all a good setting. If you skip this book, you won't miss anything.

[Loz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and solid entry. Perhaps a little cavalier with the number of secret identities.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good entry in this series taking place in post World War I England.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's really too bad -- I guess you can't get a hit with every offering.
I won't go into the problems with the plot and characters -- there are already so many reviews doing that. I usually don't dissect a mystery story to the nth degree unless the writing itself interferes with telling of the story. In this case, this is one of the biggest muddles I have read in a while.

I really love this series and I was looking forward to reading this book, especially once I saw that Isabelle was once again part of the story. She is Jack's cousin and her presence in a story often lightens the mood and allows a "Nick and Nora" dynamic to occur. I admire the way that Gordon-Smith is able to capture the spirit of the classic Brit mystery novel; but from the beginning, the story just did not flow and the language and characters were flat.

I was trying to decide between 1 and 2 stars, but I think this at least deserves a reading. I hope the next Jack Haldean story is more in keeping with the rest of the series.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mrs. Paxton, a wealthy widow in Topfordham decides to visit Paris with her nephew Terence Paxton. When she returns, she is poisoned and her nephew disappears leaving a forged will to his benefit. Jack Haldean is called in to clear Paxton's name. This leads to murder on a train, disappearance of servants, jewel theft and a myriad of other events. This was a good book but got a little draggy in places. The plot was good and the characters were pretty well written.

[Haven · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of the worst mysteries I've read in a while. The premise and ending are unbelievable, the book doesn't flow and I didn't connect with any of the characters. The author is trying too hard to capture the Golden Era of Mystery and fails miserably.

[Val Sanford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dashing and daring, but oh, so unbelievable. I'm getting bored with our hero and his sharp sleuthing skills. This is a pretty good story but stretches the belief barrier almost to the breaking point.

[Homerun2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Solid series, enjoyable if not memorable.

[Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, maybe just my mood but I drifted away from it. Good writing though

[Carol Collins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good grief. Too many characters, too much back story, like a bad Victorian melodrama.

[Kathy Moberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one gets rather convoluted, but I still enjoyed it.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the plot was rather convoluted--when towards the end you just give up trying to track it and skim, it's a pretty good sign.