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Nigel Strangeways #2
Thou Shell of Death
Nigel Strangeways is off to a Christmas houseparty hosted by Fergus O’Brien, a legendary World War I flying ace now retired from private life, who has received a series of mocking letters predicting that he will be murdered on Boxing Day.
His guest list includes everyone who could even remotely be suspected of making the threats, including several people who stand to profit from O’Brien’s death, as well as Nigel, who is invited in his capacity as a criminal investigator.
Despite Nigel’s presence, the murder takes place as predicted, and he’s left to aid the local police in interviewing the suspects. One of them is Georgia Cavendish, a brave and colorful explorer who has been romantically linked with O’Brien and with whom Nigel falls in love.
Convinced that the case will never be solved unless the mystery of O’Brien’s past is cleared up, Nigel heads for Ireland to learn what he can about the victim’s origins. Originally published in 1936, it’s the second mystery by Blake (really C. Day-Lewis, the late Poet Laureate of England) and without a doubt one of his best, with its dazzlingly complex plot, arresting characters, and shocking but inevitable solution.
His guest list includes everyone who could even remotely be suspected of making the threats, including several people who stand to profit from O’Brien’s death, as well as Nigel, who is invited in his capacity as a criminal investigator.
Despite Nigel’s presence, the murder takes place as predicted, and he’s left to aid the local police in interviewing the suspects. One of them is Georgia Cavendish, a brave and colorful explorer who has been romantically linked with O’Brien and with whom Nigel falls in love.
Convinced that the case will never be solved unless the mystery of O’Brien’s past is cleared up, Nigel heads for Ireland to learn what he can about the victim’s origins. Originally published in 1936, it’s the second mystery by Blake (really C. Day-Lewis, the late Poet Laureate of England) and without a doubt one of his best, with its dazzlingly complex plot, arresting characters, and shocking but inevitable solution.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1936
76 people are currently reading
442 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Blake
85 books71 followersNicholas Blake is the pseudonym of poet Cecil Day-Lewis C. Day Lewis, who was born in Ireland in 1904. He was the son of the Reverend Frank Cecil Day-Lewis and his wife Kathleen (nee Squires). His mother died in 1906, and he and his father moved to London, where he was brought up by his father with the help of an aunt.
He spent his holidays in Wexford and regarded himself very much as Anglo-Irish, although when the Republic of Ireland was declared in 1948 he chose British citizenship.
He was married twice, to Mary King in 1928 and to Jill Balcon in 1951, and during the 1940s he had a long love affair with novelist Rosamond Lehmann. He had four children from his two marriages, with actor Daniel Day-Lewis, documentary filmmaker and television chef Tamasin Day-Lewis and TV critic and writer Sean Day-Lewis being three of his children.
He began work as a schoolmaster, and during World War II he worked as a publications editor in the Ministry of Information. After the war he joined Chatto & Windus as a senior editor and director, and then in 1946 he began lecturing at Cambridge University. He later taught poetry at Oxford University, where he was Professor of Poetry from 1951-1956, and from 1962-1963 he was the Norton Professor at Harvard University.
But he was by then earning his living mainly from his writings, having had some poetry published in the late 1920s and early 1930s, and then in 1935 beginning his career as a thriller writer under the pseudonym of Nicholas Blake with 'A Question of Proof', which featured his amateur sleuth Nigel Strangeways, reputedly modelled on W H Auden. He continued the Strangeways series, which finally totalled 16 novels, ending with 'The Morning After Death' in 1966. He also wrote four detective novels which did not feature Strangeways.
He continued to write poetry and became Poet Laureate in 1968, a post he held until his death in 1972. He was also awarded the CBE.
He died from pancreatic cancer on 22 May 1972 at the Hertfordshire home of Kingsley Amis and Elizabeth Jane Howard, where he and his wife were staying. He is buried in Stinsford churchyard, close to the grave of one of his heroes, Thomas Hardy, something that he had arranged before his death.
He spent his holidays in Wexford and regarded himself very much as Anglo-Irish, although when the Republic of Ireland was declared in 1948 he chose British citizenship.
He was married twice, to Mary King in 1928 and to Jill Balcon in 1951, and during the 1940s he had a long love affair with novelist Rosamond Lehmann. He had four children from his two marriages, with actor Daniel Day-Lewis, documentary filmmaker and television chef Tamasin Day-Lewis and TV critic and writer Sean Day-Lewis being three of his children.
He began work as a schoolmaster, and during World War II he worked as a publications editor in the Ministry of Information. After the war he joined Chatto & Windus as a senior editor and director, and then in 1946 he began lecturing at Cambridge University. He later taught poetry at Oxford University, where he was Professor of Poetry from 1951-1956, and from 1962-1963 he was the Norton Professor at Harvard University.
But he was by then earning his living mainly from his writings, having had some poetry published in the late 1920s and early 1930s, and then in 1935 beginning his career as a thriller writer under the pseudonym of Nicholas Blake with 'A Question of Proof', which featured his amateur sleuth Nigel Strangeways, reputedly modelled on W H Auden. He continued the Strangeways series, which finally totalled 16 novels, ending with 'The Morning After Death' in 1966. He also wrote four detective novels which did not feature Strangeways.
He continued to write poetry and became Poet Laureate in 1968, a post he held until his death in 1972. He was also awarded the CBE.
He died from pancreatic cancer on 22 May 1972 at the Hertfordshire home of Kingsley Amis and Elizabeth Jane Howard, where he and his wife were staying. He is buried in Stinsford churchyard, close to the grave of one of his heroes, Thomas Hardy, something that he had arranged before his death.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
March 2, 2019
I occasionally read authors who belong to the Golden Age of mystery murders, most of whom are unknown to me. And this was the case with Nicholas Blake, or rather Cecil Day-Lewis. Thou Shell of Death is Book 2 with Nigel Strangeways, a man of means and lots of time on his hands, who becomes an amateur sleuth, and a good one, too! Thanks to the family connections in Scotland Yard, he is allowed to investigate when a complicated problem appears. In Book 2, Nigel is asked by a famous WW1 flying ace, Fergus O'Brien, to look after him as he's received some threats to his life. Unfortunately, he fails to fulfill this task, but the he's determined to find the culprit. The novel is charming in its own way since it's more about the solving the mystery and logical thinking, which is good old school,rather than vivid descriptions of murders as such. Language of the novel was an extra bonus for me, as some phrases are not used in modern English any more and it was fun for me to read some dialogues or idioms.
*Many thanks to Agora Books and Netgally for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
*Many thanks to Agora Books and Netgally for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
December 4, 2016
Nicholas Blake (the pen name of Cecil Day-Lewis) introduced his fictional detective Nigel Strangeways in A Question of Proof, set in a boys prep school. This second mystery takes place in a more traditional setting, a house party, albeit with a twist. Nigel Strangeways is asked by his uncle, luckily the Assistant Commissioner of Police, to take on a new case. Fergus O'Brien, famous flying ace from WWI and intrepid hero, is staying at the Dower House in Strangeways aunt's estate. He has been receiving a number of malicious letters and the last says he will be killed on Boxing Day. However, rather than staying in seclusion, O'Brien has invited what he considers to be the most likely suspects to a Christmas house party and he wants Strangeways to come down and keep an eye on things.
This is, in many ways, a glorious example of Golden Age Detective Fiction. There are a whole host of delightful characters, including an explorer and her brother, a don at All Saints, an actress, the owner of a club and a cook with religious mania. O'Brien is a delightful victim, cool and calm under pressure, in the manner of the hero he is. Strangeways, of course, is allowed full access to the police case and solves the crimes with thoughtful deduction. Blake is one of my favourite authors from this era and Nigel Strangeways is a wonderful addition to fictional amateur sleuths. There are many books featuring Nigel Strangeways and I am thrilled he has now been released on kindle so new people can discover him - the next in the series is There's Trouble Brewing.
This is, in many ways, a glorious example of Golden Age Detective Fiction. There are a whole host of delightful characters, including an explorer and her brother, a don at All Saints, an actress, the owner of a club and a cook with religious mania. O'Brien is a delightful victim, cool and calm under pressure, in the manner of the hero he is. Strangeways, of course, is allowed full access to the police case and solves the crimes with thoughtful deduction. Blake is one of my favourite authors from this era and Nigel Strangeways is a wonderful addition to fictional amateur sleuths. There are many books featuring Nigel Strangeways and I am thrilled he has now been released on kindle so new people can discover him - the next in the series is There's Trouble Brewing.
December 22, 2020
A complex mystery from the goldern age of crime that will keep readers guessing over the festive period.
The classic country house is the setting for former World War 1 flying ace Fergus O’Brien's Christmas party, amongst the attendees is amateur detective Nigel Strangeways who'd been invited along by the host after received death threats in the post that he will meet his demise the following day.
Despite Nigel's presence the former pilot is found dead on Boxing Day as predicted.
Strangeways knows that one of the guests must be the culprit, but who and why?
Like all great mysteries of this era Blake (pen name of poet Cecil Day-Lewis) brilliantly sets up all the clues perfectly, it's not until the shock reveal that the solution was so obvious from the start.
The classic country house is the setting for former World War 1 flying ace Fergus O’Brien's Christmas party, amongst the attendees is amateur detective Nigel Strangeways who'd been invited along by the host after received death threats in the post that he will meet his demise the following day.
Despite Nigel's presence the former pilot is found dead on Boxing Day as predicted.
Strangeways knows that one of the guests must be the culprit, but who and why?
Like all great mysteries of this era Blake (pen name of poet Cecil Day-Lewis) brilliantly sets up all the clues perfectly, it's not until the shock reveal that the solution was so obvious from the start.
March 1, 2020
I enjoyed the second novel in the Nigel Strangeways series much better than the first. In the debut A Question of Proof, author Nicholas Blake makes amateur sleuth Strangeways such a colorful eccentric that Strangeways emerged as a few degrees away from being a buffoon. Here Blake tamps down his attempts to exoticize Nigel Strangeways, and the result is much better.
Here Strangeways is sent to ensure that an enemy doesn’t do in a decorated World War I pilot. Unfortunately, Strangeways fails in his task. Readers will find the novel’s ending shocking, and I look forward to this newer, more normal Strangeways in the next novel.
Here Strangeways is sent to ensure that an enemy doesn’t do in a decorated World War I pilot. Unfortunately, Strangeways fails in his task. Readers will find the novel’s ending shocking, and I look forward to this newer, more normal Strangeways in the next novel.
January 28, 2023
Jedes Jahr freue ich mich darauf, rund um Weihnachten ein paar weihnachtliche Krimis zu lesen und ganz besonders liebe ich englische Klassiker, die in Herrenhäusern spielen.
Leider war dieser Krimi eigentlich gar nicht weihnachtlich, was oft das Problem dieser Romane ist. Anfangs wird erwähnt, dass sich die Geschichte an den Weihnachtsfeiertagen abspielt, für die Handlung selbst hat Weihnachten aber quasi keine Bedeutung. Es gibt auch keine Erwähnungen weihnachtlicher Traditionen oder sonst etwas, das die Stimmung festlicher machen würde, was ich schade finde.
Abgesehen davon ist es ein durchschnittlich guter "Locked room" Krimi, denn das Zimmer, in dem der Mord begangen wird, ist zwar nicht von innen verschlossen, aber es liegt rund um die Hütte eine erhebliche Menge Schnee und es führen nur die Fußspuren des Opfers zur Hütte.
Ich bin froh, den Roman beendet zu haben und mich einem neuen Buch zuwenden zu können.
Leider war dieser Krimi eigentlich gar nicht weihnachtlich, was oft das Problem dieser Romane ist. Anfangs wird erwähnt, dass sich die Geschichte an den Weihnachtsfeiertagen abspielt, für die Handlung selbst hat Weihnachten aber quasi keine Bedeutung. Es gibt auch keine Erwähnungen weihnachtlicher Traditionen oder sonst etwas, das die Stimmung festlicher machen würde, was ich schade finde.
Abgesehen davon ist es ein durchschnittlich guter "Locked room" Krimi, denn das Zimmer, in dem der Mord begangen wird, ist zwar nicht von innen verschlossen, aber es liegt rund um die Hütte eine erhebliche Menge Schnee und es führen nur die Fußspuren des Opfers zur Hütte.
Ich bin froh, den Roman beendet zu haben und mich einem neuen Buch zuwenden zu können.
January 4, 2021
This is an amusing, colourful, slightly quirky, solve-the-puzzle novel that dresses itself rather self-deprecatingly in all the trappings of a Golden Age Mystery: a death at a country house at Christmas, the puzzle of a dead body in a building with only a single set of footprints leading to it and none leading away, an eccentric but insightful detective and a set of larger than life guests drawn from across, and sometimes slightly beyond, the range of socially acceptable dinner companions.
From the beginning it sets a peer to peer relationship with the reader, the implied contract being that 'We're all educated chaps here. I know you'll follow my often humorous classical references and parodies of verse, that you'll forgive any necessary indelicacies and that, like me, you'll focus on the finer points of the puzzle in front us'.
And it is an intriguing little puzzle that the author let me figure out just in time to feel smug and not so early as to feel bored.
The mechanics of the killings and the methods of the investigation are both displayed with a deft economy of mental effort, leaving plenty of headspace for the reader to breathe in the atmosphere of the time and savour the array of flamboyant people presented as suspects and or victims.
Published in 1936, the book takes for granted that the middle-aged men in its pages will have had their personalities formed by their experiences in The War. It makes allowances for a wide boy who runs a 'roadhouse' (think brothel, not Patrick Swayze) because he was a Brass Hat in the RAF. It builds in both a respect for rank and class and awareness that that respect is a little frayed around the edges. It offers a beautiful woman who no one is particularly shocked to find is a professional mistress and another, less good-looking but much more engaging woman, who sets off across the deserts of North Africa in search of a lost Oasis. It visits an Ireland that is not yet a Republic but has it War of Independence and its Civil War behind it and is different enough from England for our English detective to feel himself very much the foreigner there. Best of all, perhaps it offers is Fergus O'Brien, World War I RAF Ace turned wealthy adventurer. He's an Irish Airman who foresees his own death, invites Nigel Strangeways to come and investigate it and then leaves him a copy of Yeats' 'The Tower' in his bedroom (alongside the latest Dorothy Sayers) in case he missed the reference.
Although quickly drawn, these were fun people to meet. Combining them with a puzzle that seemed most like a kaleidoscope with clues frequently shifting to form new patterns and you get a book that is far from dull and which also never quite takes itself seriously.
October 11, 2024
Özel Dedektif Nigel Strangeways, Londra Emniyet Müdürü tarafından efsanevi pilot Ferguson O'Brien'ı korumakla görevlendiriliyor. Ancak Noel gecesi pilotun öldürülmesine mani olamayınca polisle birlikte cinayeti soruşturuyor. Şüpheliler pilotun Noel yemeğine davet ettiği konuklar. Hepsinin cinayet için gerekçesi ve fırsatı var. Evde işlenen ikinci cinayet durumu daha da karıştırıyor. Nigel'ın cinayeti çözmek için pilotun gizemli geçmişini de aydınlatması gerekiyor.
Ölüm Tehdidi'nde geleneksel polisiyelerde aradığımız her şey var; karmaşık cinayetler, akla gelmeyecek cinayet yöntemleri, olağan şüpheliler, şantaj, entrika, bol bol akıl yürütme ve çifte sürprizli son...
Nicholas Blake, şair olması hasebiyle yine bol bol Shakespeare göndermesi yapmış. Serinin ikinci kitabında Nigel Strangeways'in sivri yanlarını törpüleyerek daha gerçekçi bir karaktere dönüştürmüş. Has polisiye sevenlere hararetle tavsiye ederim.
Ölüm Tehdidi'nde geleneksel polisiyelerde aradığımız her şey var; karmaşık cinayetler, akla gelmeyecek cinayet yöntemleri, olağan şüpheliler, şantaj, entrika, bol bol akıl yürütme ve çifte sürprizli son...
Nicholas Blake, şair olması hasebiyle yine bol bol Shakespeare göndermesi yapmış. Serinin ikinci kitabında Nigel Strangeways'in sivri yanlarını törpüleyerek daha gerçekçi bir karaktere dönüştürmüş. Has polisiye sevenlere hararetle tavsiye ederim.
May 8, 2022
The books in the Nigel Strangeways series are a delight in storytelling. The author, writing as Nicholas Blake, was Poet Laureate C. Day Lewis, who obviously knew how to put words together to evoke images, emotions and more.
Nigel Strangeways is an agent of private inquiry in the era following World War I, from a family of means and a former Oxford student. He finds himself working alongside Scotland Yard detectives to solve some of the more intricately plotted murders of that writing period.
These are character-driven novels that can be read as standalones, if so desired.
Nigel Strangeways is an agent of private inquiry in the era following World War I, from a family of means and a former Oxford student. He finds himself working alongside Scotland Yard detectives to solve some of the more intricately plotted murders of that writing period.
These are character-driven novels that can be read as standalones, if so desired.
December 19, 2020
Ich habe auf netgalley.de ein Rezensionsexemplar erhalten. Dafür bin ich sehr dankbar, allerdings muss ich leider zugeben, dass mir das Buch überhaupt nicht gefallen hat.
Es hat nicht einmal 300 Seiten und trotzdem habe ich fast einen Monat gebraucht, um es zu beenden.
Ich hatte zu spät entdeckt, dass es sich um die Neuauflage eines Romans aus 1936 handelt, sonst hätte ich es wohl nicht angefragt. Es ist halt sehr altmodisch, was mir persönlich nicht zusagt.
Ich könnte mir allerdings vorstellen, dass der Krimi für Agatha Christie Fans geeignet sein könnte, da mich das Werk von Nicholas Blake immer wieder daran erinnert hat. Ich kann, wie gesagt, mit beiden Autoren nicht viel anfangen..
Schade.
Es hat nicht einmal 300 Seiten und trotzdem habe ich fast einen Monat gebraucht, um es zu beenden.
Ich hatte zu spät entdeckt, dass es sich um die Neuauflage eines Romans aus 1936 handelt, sonst hätte ich es wohl nicht angefragt. Es ist halt sehr altmodisch, was mir persönlich nicht zusagt.
Ich könnte mir allerdings vorstellen, dass der Krimi für Agatha Christie Fans geeignet sein könnte, da mich das Werk von Nicholas Blake immer wieder daran erinnert hat. Ich kann, wie gesagt, mit beiden Autoren nicht viel anfangen..
Schade.
December 4, 2020
Snow, Death threats, A group of people enjoying a boozy get together, a country house! Come on what else do you need?
Well let me tell you, you need to read about one of the most delightful detectives I have read!
Wonderfully written, brilliant characters and a great plot (it just meanders a bit hence the 4 stars)
Enjoyed EVERY word!
Well let me tell you, you need to read about one of the most delightful detectives I have read!
Wonderfully written, brilliant characters and a great plot (it just meanders a bit hence the 4 stars)
Enjoyed EVERY word!
April 5, 2008
Nicholas Blake, who wrote about twenty detective novels starting in the mid-1930s, was actually the poet Cecil Day Lewis. A fairly distinguished poet too, who was made Poet Laureate in 1968. Thou Shell of Death, written in 1936, is in some ways a typical English detective novel of the period – all country houses and Oxford dons and cigars and port and that sort of thing. His detective, Nigel Strangeways, is an aristocrat and an Oxford graduate, and a strictly amateur sleuth. As you might expect there are plenty of literary allusions and the novel is actually based loosely on a 1607 play, The Revenger's Tragedy, by Cyril Tourneur. The style of the book is witty and entertaining, and the characters are vivid and in many cases flamboyant and highly amusing. And what of the murder? I have to say that the murder at the heart of this novel is extremely ingenious, very complicated, and tremendously satisfying. Thou Shell of Death is tremendous fun.
February 20, 2018
From pages 34-35 - Lucilla Thrale certainly lived up to O'Brien's description of "professional peach"; she stepped from the car with the air of Cleopatra disembarking from her "burnished throne": even the bleak Somerset wind grew love-sick with her perfume. She was tall for a woman, blonde as a Nazi's dream, full-figured. "O, rare for Antony," murmured Nigel, as she undulated towards the front door.
Philip Starling overheard him. "Nonsense," he said. "Pick 'em up like that two a penny at Brighton any week-end. Won't wear well. No features."
"You must admit she has a presence, a magnificent carriage, Philip."
"Gah! Walks like a jaguar with the gripes," replied the little don with unexpected venom: "you have such old-fashioned tastes, Nigel."
Philip Starling overheard him. "Nonsense," he said. "Pick 'em up like that two a penny at Brighton any week-end. Won't wear well. No features."
"You must admit she has a presence, a magnificent carriage, Philip."
"Gah! Walks like a jaguar with the gripes," replied the little don with unexpected venom: "you have such old-fashioned tastes, Nigel."
October 23, 2018
This is one of the early Nigel Strangeways mysteries and, in lots of ways, one of the most traditional - albeit with Blake's own twist on the Golden Age genre. Set during a house-party at Christmas we have a wonderfully eccentric cast of characters (including Georgia who we meet for the first time), poison pen letters, red herrings galore and lots of confusion! Nigel sifts through the clues and chaos... Huge fun, an ingenious plot, and superbly witty writing.
December 31, 2018
Reading mysteries of a bygone age is not my usual taste in book fare, but I was rooting around NetGalley and came across an anthology of titles and, on a whim, picked it up. Most entertaining and very well crafted with an intricate plot and a interesting narrative, things that contemporary authors sometimes lack.
Nigel Strangeways, a gentleman private detective, has been contacted by Fergus O’Brien, a legendary World War I flying ace, now living a secluded life in the Dower House on the estate of Nigel's aunt and uncle. Fergus has received several threatening letters and fears for his life, Nigel joins a Christmas house party to attempt to protect Fergus and find out who is threatening him.
No one on the guest list appears to be an overt threat, but there are some who would profit from Fergus' death. In spite of Nigel's presence, Fergus dies, but, apparently by suicide, not murder. Nigel isn't so sure and convinces the police that it was, indeed, a very cleverly designed murder.
Nigel Strangeways, a gentleman private detective, has been contacted by Fergus O’Brien, a legendary World War I flying ace, now living a secluded life in the Dower House on the estate of Nigel's aunt and uncle. Fergus has received several threatening letters and fears for his life, Nigel joins a Christmas house party to attempt to protect Fergus and find out who is threatening him.
No one on the guest list appears to be an overt threat, but there are some who would profit from Fergus' death. In spite of Nigel's presence, Fergus dies, but, apparently by suicide, not murder. Nigel isn't so sure and convinces the police that it was, indeed, a very cleverly designed murder.
December 22, 2020
Fergusson O’Brien bekommt Morddrohungen, will aber keinen Polizeischutz. Daher wird der Neffe des Superintendents Londons, Nigel Strangeways, der als Privatdetektiv arbeitet, gebeten, doch ein Auge auf die Weihnachtsgesellschaft zu haben. Doch trotzdem wird der Gastgeber, wie in den Drohungen beschrieben, am zweiten Weihnachtstag tot aufgefunden. Nun ist es an Nigel, den Mörder ausfindig zu machen.
Was dem Leser in diesem Buch geboten wird, ist ein englischer Krimi erster Klasse. Das Setting lässt doch sehr an Agatha Christie denken. So treffen wir auf eine geschlossene Gesellschaft und einen Privatdetektiv, der anhand weniger Anhaltspunkte herausfinden muss, was denn nun geschehen ist und vor allem warum.
Das Buch lies sich gut lesen, allerdings merkt man doch recht schnell, dass die Gesellschaft zur Upper Class Englands gehört. Da wird mit Anspielungen auf klassische, englische Literatur nicht gespart und sowohl lateinische als auch französische Redewendungen genutzt. Allerdings werden diese am Ende auch noch in einem Glossar erklärt. Alles in allem merkt man die klassische Borniertheit des englischen Landadels und derer, die sich ihnen ebenbürtig fühlen.
Die Handlung war durchaus verwirrend, als Leser folgt man Nigels Schlussfolgerungen, der diese aber gerne immer mal wieder über den Haufen wirft. Man muss der Handlung schon sehr aufmerksam folgen, um am Ende die ganze Geschichte zu verstehen. Von daher ist es nichts zum eben mal nebenher konsumieren.
Wer also Spaß an klassischen, englischen Whodunits hat wird an diesem Buch sicher sein Vergnügen haben.
Was dem Leser in diesem Buch geboten wird, ist ein englischer Krimi erster Klasse. Das Setting lässt doch sehr an Agatha Christie denken. So treffen wir auf eine geschlossene Gesellschaft und einen Privatdetektiv, der anhand weniger Anhaltspunkte herausfinden muss, was denn nun geschehen ist und vor allem warum.
Das Buch lies sich gut lesen, allerdings merkt man doch recht schnell, dass die Gesellschaft zur Upper Class Englands gehört. Da wird mit Anspielungen auf klassische, englische Literatur nicht gespart und sowohl lateinische als auch französische Redewendungen genutzt. Allerdings werden diese am Ende auch noch in einem Glossar erklärt. Alles in allem merkt man die klassische Borniertheit des englischen Landadels und derer, die sich ihnen ebenbürtig fühlen.
Die Handlung war durchaus verwirrend, als Leser folgt man Nigels Schlussfolgerungen, der diese aber gerne immer mal wieder über den Haufen wirft. Man muss der Handlung schon sehr aufmerksam folgen, um am Ende die ganze Geschichte zu verstehen. Von daher ist es nichts zum eben mal nebenher konsumieren.
Wer also Spaß an klassischen, englischen Whodunits hat wird an diesem Buch sicher sein Vergnügen haben.
October 6, 2020
Was mir gefiel:
Ein herrschaftliches Landhaus, tiefer Schnee und ein Haufen Exzentriker, dazu Mord, Tee und der Charme einer vergangenen Zeit. Ich mochte diesen psychologischen Krimi sehr gerne, da ich die Personen interessant fand. Nigel ist ein Detektiv, der nicht wie Superman wirkt und gut mit der Polizei zusammenarbeitet. Es gibt geschickt gelegte falsche Fährten, die mich an der Nase herumgeführt haben. Im Glossar finden sich, die im Buch benutzten Zitate in französischer, lateinischer und italienischer Übersetzung wieder.
Was mir nicht gefallen hat:
Zum Ende des Buches gehen die beiden Inspektoren und Nigel den Fall noch einmal in Einzelheiten durch, was für einen Geschmack gerne etwas kürzer hätte ausfallen können.
Fazit: Ein schöner winterlicher Krimi, der mich gut unterhalten hat.
Das Buch wurde mir als Rezensionsexemplar kostenlos zur Verfügung gestellt
Ein herrschaftliches Landhaus, tiefer Schnee und ein Haufen Exzentriker, dazu Mord, Tee und der Charme einer vergangenen Zeit. Ich mochte diesen psychologischen Krimi sehr gerne, da ich die Personen interessant fand. Nigel ist ein Detektiv, der nicht wie Superman wirkt und gut mit der Polizei zusammenarbeitet. Es gibt geschickt gelegte falsche Fährten, die mich an der Nase herumgeführt haben. Im Glossar finden sich, die im Buch benutzten Zitate in französischer, lateinischer und italienischer Übersetzung wieder.
Was mir nicht gefallen hat:
Zum Ende des Buches gehen die beiden Inspektoren und Nigel den Fall noch einmal in Einzelheiten durch, was für einen Geschmack gerne etwas kürzer hätte ausfallen können.
Fazit: Ein schöner winterlicher Krimi, der mich gut unterhalten hat.
Das Buch wurde mir als Rezensionsexemplar kostenlos zur Verfügung gestellt
January 1, 2023
I've read some other Nicholas Blake mysteries later in the series so it's interesting to come across an early one and it has many endearing qualities. A younger man, making his way in the world of detecting. This takes place over the Christmas holidays, which is why I chose it for the time of year to read. It's got a lot of elements to the story and you basically trust no one but little by little you have to figure out what you can trust. Sadly if I say anything about the plot it will be giving away information that you - dear reader- should come upon in your own way. Satisfying end. And of course, leads to people who will be involved in other books as well.
Nice to see family members of Nigel Strangeways- it gives you some real feel of his background for future stories.
Nice to see family members of Nigel Strangeways- it gives you some real feel of his background for future stories.
February 6, 2020
Nigel Strangeways is invited to a house party at a country house. The host of the party Fergus O'Brien has received a series of death threats and Nigel is there to try and work out which of the guests wishes to kill Fergus and also to prevent them from carrying out their deadly plan. Both the guests and the staff at the house are a motley set of individuals and as you read you think that almost any one of them may have a motive for wanting to kill Fergus. Nigel does his best to stop the inevitable and when he fails he carries out an investigation into the death of Fergus that takes him all the way to Ireland.
This is an old fashioned 'who-done-it' in the vein of Agatha Christie and even though it was written in 1036 it has passed the test of time and is still a good story.
This is an old fashioned 'who-done-it' in the vein of Agatha Christie and even though it was written in 1036 it has passed the test of time and is still a good story.
November 16, 2018
I generally enjoyed Thou Shell Of Death, but it has its weaknesses.
This is classic Golden Age stuff: a famous War Hero who is now a virtual recluse receives some threatening letters. Naturally, he throws a Country House party for all the people he thinks may possibly be responsible and asks Nigel Strangeways, the private detective, to join the party to try to work out what is going on. Well, of course he does – who wouldn’t?
The whole set-up was like a very laboured Agatha Christie, but with more pretension and condescension toward anyone who is not connected to the nobility and living in an expensive part of London. I found it very wearing. However, after 80 pages or so, there is a death, the plot begins to move and a little wit started to show, too. The development was well done and kept me reading; it is tightly, if not wholly plausibly, plotted and it’s an enjoyable read. I found the dénouement rather a trial as the long slog through repeated convoluted explanations became a bit of a chore.
Overall, this is an enjoyable Golden Age detective novel. Its posh, well-connected detective puts it in a similar sort of genre as Dorothy L. Sayers or Margery Allingham; for me it’s nothing like as good, but much of it makes a diverting read if you can wade through the turgid opening. 3.5 stars, rounded up.
(My thanks to Vintage for an ARC via NetGalley.)
This is classic Golden Age stuff: a famous War Hero who is now a virtual recluse receives some threatening letters. Naturally, he throws a Country House party for all the people he thinks may possibly be responsible and asks Nigel Strangeways, the private detective, to join the party to try to work out what is going on. Well, of course he does – who wouldn’t?
The whole set-up was like a very laboured Agatha Christie, but with more pretension and condescension toward anyone who is not connected to the nobility and living in an expensive part of London. I found it very wearing. However, after 80 pages or so, there is a death, the plot begins to move and a little wit started to show, too. The development was well done and kept me reading; it is tightly, if not wholly plausibly, plotted and it’s an enjoyable read. I found the dénouement rather a trial as the long slog through repeated convoluted explanations became a bit of a chore.
Overall, this is an enjoyable Golden Age detective novel. Its posh, well-connected detective puts it in a similar sort of genre as Dorothy L. Sayers or Margery Allingham; for me it’s nothing like as good, but much of it makes a diverting read if you can wade through the turgid opening. 3.5 stars, rounded up.
(My thanks to Vintage for an ARC via NetGalley.)
July 19, 2018
Private detective Nigel Strangeways travels to Somerset to protect a war hero, Fergus O'Brien, who has received threatening letters. O'Brien is throwing a Christmas party and has invited everyone he suspects of having a grudge against him. Despite Strangeways' precautions, Fergus is found dead and a murder investigation is soon underway.
Great Golden Age mystery with the setting of the remote Dower House in the depths of a snowy winter, with a variety of suspects gathered together, and an ingenious plot with plenty of twists and turns. Strangeways is a likeable detective whose approach relies more on his understanding of human psychology than on looking for hidden clues and working out timetables, and whose attraction to one of the suspects, explorer Georgia Cavendish, adds further depth to his character.
Nicholas Blake is a pen name of the academic Cecil Day Lewis, and his style is definitely erudite, scattered with classical and literary references and wonderful phrases such as "no fog, Nigel was thinking....could hope to compete with the utter caliginous inspissated fog in his own mind." However, Blake's books are also great fun, with plenty of comical moments and a spirit of adventure.
This is a series which is rapidly becoming one of my favourites, and I am looking forward to picking up Nigel Strangeways' next adventure.
Great Golden Age mystery with the setting of the remote Dower House in the depths of a snowy winter, with a variety of suspects gathered together, and an ingenious plot with plenty of twists and turns. Strangeways is a likeable detective whose approach relies more on his understanding of human psychology than on looking for hidden clues and working out timetables, and whose attraction to one of the suspects, explorer Georgia Cavendish, adds further depth to his character.
Nicholas Blake is a pen name of the academic Cecil Day Lewis, and his style is definitely erudite, scattered with classical and literary references and wonderful phrases such as "no fog, Nigel was thinking....could hope to compete with the utter caliginous inspissated fog in his own mind." However, Blake's books are also great fun, with plenty of comical moments and a spirit of adventure.
This is a series which is rapidly becoming one of my favourites, and I am looking forward to picking up Nigel Strangeways' next adventure.
May 13, 2018
A very classic mystery: Nigel Strangeways is sent to monitor a country house party held by a former WWI flying ace who's been receiving threatening letters. The guests are an Oxford don, a sexy starlet, a sleazy club owner, an adventuress, and a staid banker. Of course the guy gets killed and Strangeways must find the murderer among this group. In addition to turning out a solid mystery with a good twist ending, Blake is also a charming prose stylist. He captures both the small details of English life (people in this book really love eating toast) and an idealistic vision of a world where heroism and honor have real meaning.
March 14, 2022
Eine sich müde dahinschleppende Geschichte voller blasser Figuren. Dafür weist das Buch aber dermaßen viele schreibtechnische Fehler auf, dass es gut als schlechtes Beispiel für Anfänger-Autoren fungieren könnte. Dazu noch ein fettes Bündel an Vorurteilen gegen Frauen (entweder geldgeil oder mannstoll oder naiv bis zur Blödheit), Iren (alles ungebildete, primitive Bauern), Irland ganz allgemein (schöne Landschaft, nur die Iren stören), Stabsoffiziere (alles Trottel) und wer weiß was noch. Man merkt deutlich, dass der Herr Hofdichter der britischen Königin gezwungen war, etwas verkaufbares zu produzieren, um sein zwar königliches, aber eben mageres Salär aufzubessern, aber keine echte Lust dazu hatte. Er hätte es lassen sollen.
January 21, 2020
B-: I admire the sentiment behind this mystery rather more than the puzzle at the centre of it. You can certainly tell that this is written by a poet. There's a clear reverence for the medium, and a real sense of poetic justice to the book's finale. Still, it is stretching the bounds of logic a little to expect that the instigator's plans all come off to such a successful extent, and there are few characters I found interesting.
December 10, 2021
A festive, country-house murder mystery. I really enjoyed this - it’s light and playful and really masterfully plotted. For my taste it verges on a little meandering at times, with lots of reflecting and inner monologue, but that doesn’t at all take away from how enjoyable the book is.
December 21, 2021
Traditional golden age whodunnit written by none other than poet laureate Cecil D. Lewis. A Christmas gathering, all guests are suspect, the manor owner gets killed on the Feast of St Stephen. Elaborate and clever plot.
November 19, 2012
Nigel Strangeways, private investigator, is invited to spend Christmas with flying ace, Fergus O’Brian, who has rented the Dower House from his aunt and uncle. Fergus’s life appears to be under threat from an anonymous letter writer. Nigel finds himself part of a Christmas house party with a selection of people who might or might not be the letter writer.
When Fergus is found shot dead with his own revolver on Boxing Day morning in circumstances which indicate it may have been suicide Nigel is faced with a complex case to unravel. But first he has to convince the local police that it isn’t suicide. I really enjoyed this well plotted and well written crime story which recreates a bygone age as it was first published in the nineteen thirties. The characters are interesting and believable as is the motivation for the murder when it is finally uncovered.
Nicholas Blake was the pseudonym of Cecil Day Lewis, academic and poet laureate and quality of the writing reflects this. Latin quotations are not translated for the reader, though the gist is clear from the context. Even if you consider yourself well read you may find yourself resorting to a dictionary while reading. It served to remind me of the much higher standard of education expected of crime story readers in the nineteen thirties though it did not spoil my enjoyment of the story. If you enjoy Ngaio Marsh and Agatha Christie then try Nicholas Blake.
When Fergus is found shot dead with his own revolver on Boxing Day morning in circumstances which indicate it may have been suicide Nigel is faced with a complex case to unravel. But first he has to convince the local police that it isn’t suicide. I really enjoyed this well plotted and well written crime story which recreates a bygone age as it was first published in the nineteen thirties. The characters are interesting and believable as is the motivation for the murder when it is finally uncovered.
Nicholas Blake was the pseudonym of Cecil Day Lewis, academic and poet laureate and quality of the writing reflects this. Latin quotations are not translated for the reader, though the gist is clear from the context. Even if you consider yourself well read you may find yourself resorting to a dictionary while reading. It served to remind me of the much higher standard of education expected of crime story readers in the nineteen thirties though it did not spoil my enjoyment of the story. If you enjoy Ngaio Marsh and Agatha Christie then try Nicholas Blake.
February 24, 2009
My friend Nancy has been reading some Nicholas Blake and after reading her review, I decided to see what my library has of his books. I found an anthology with three books: Thou Shell of Death, The Beast Must Die, and The Corpse in the Snowman.
The first one, Thou Shell of Death, features regular Blake sleuth and private investigator Nigel Strangeways. A famous aviator has been receiving death threats and wants a detective on hand to try to catch the killer during a Christmas dinner party. But come the 26th, Nigel finds the aviator dead in a shed, with only a single set of footprints leading to the building. Suicide? Or murder?
Blake throws in plenty of clues and red herrings, giving the reader a fair chance to figure it out, but I have to admit I got it wrong until last quarter of the book, and even then, there were several twists I didn't anticipate. Overall, a very fun read that has me looking forward to other two books in this collection.
The first one, Thou Shell of Death, features regular Blake sleuth and private investigator Nigel Strangeways. A famous aviator has been receiving death threats and wants a detective on hand to try to catch the killer during a Christmas dinner party. But come the 26th, Nigel finds the aviator dead in a shed, with only a single set of footprints leading to the building. Suicide? Or murder?
Blake throws in plenty of clues and red herrings, giving the reader a fair chance to figure it out, but I have to admit I got it wrong until last quarter of the book, and even then, there were several twists I didn't anticipate. Overall, a very fun read that has me looking forward to other two books in this collection.
January 5, 2017
Too many uninteresting suspects. Nowhere near the dry fun of the first book of the series.
October 5, 2020
Rezension
Buchname: Das Geheimnis um Dower House: Kriminalroman
Autor: Nicholas Blake
Seiten: 336 (Print)
Fromat: als Print und Ebook erhältlich
Verlag: Klett-Cotta; 1. Aufl. 2020 Auflage (19. September 2020)
Sterne: 4
Cover:
Das Cover ist richtig schön gestaltet worden. Der Buchtitel steht in hellen bzw weißen Buchstaben im oberen Bereich. Man sieht ein eingeschneites Haus auf dem Cover. .. Auf dem ersten Blick ist das schon mal sehr ansprechend.
Klappentext: (aus Amazon übernommen)
Das legendäre Fliegerass Ferguson O’Brien bekommt seit einiger Zeit Morddrohungen frei Haus. Und O’Brien wäre kein so draufgängerischer Abenteurer, wenn er nicht die Gelegenheit nutzen würde, um zusammen mit dem Detektiv Nigel Strangeways nach dem mysteriösen Briefeschreiber zu suchen, der sich unter seinen Weihnachtsgästen befinden muss. Ferguson O’Brien, hochdekorierter Pilot und Abenteurer, erhält seit einiger Zeit eine Reihe von äußerst eloquenten Morddrohungen, in denen ihm angekündigt wird, den zweiten Weihnachtsfeiertag nicht zu überleben. Doch von so etwas lässt sich jemand wie O’Brien nicht verunsichern, stattdessen schmiedet der alte Haudegen einen Plan, um seinen Mörder zu entlarven. Zur Unterstützung lässt er zudem den charismatischen Detektiv Nigel Strangeways nach Dower House kommen, der sich so in einer bunten Weihnachtsgesellschaft voll undurchsichtiger Motive wiederfindet. Und während Strangeways noch versucht, aus den Gästen schlau zu werden, wird O’Brien pünktlich nach dem zweiten Weihnachtsfeiertag tot aufgefunden – doch dem einen Toten folgen noch weitere …
Schreibstil:
Der Schreibstil des Autors ist total flüssig, liest sich super und ist sehr leicht verständlich.
Charaktere:
Der Hauptprotagonisten sind Ferguson O’Brien und Nigel Strangeways
Ich fande alle Charaktere von Anfang an total sympathisch und liebenswert. Des weiteren gibt es noch ein paar andere Charaktere. . Meiner Meinung nach sind alle Charakter sehr gelungen und haben einen sehr guten Platz im Buch bekommen.
Meinung:
!!!! Achtung !!! Könnte Spoiler erhalten!!!
Mir hat das Buch „ Das Geheimnis um Dower House“ richtig gut gefallen. Der Pilot Ferguson O’Brien bekommt seit einiger Zeit Morddrohungen. Aber O´Brien ist ein richtiger Abenteurer und zusammen mit dem Detektiv Nigel Strangeways macht er sich auf die Suche nach dem Briefeschrieber. Richtig unterhaltsam fande ich wie Ferguson O’Brien einen Plan schmiedet indem er selbst seinen Mörder entlarven will. Wirklich sehr amüsant und unterhaltsam zu lesen. Nigel Strangeways ist genau das Gegenteil zu O´Brien. Und beide Hauptprotagonisten zusammen waren echt nur ein Traum. Mir hat das Buch richtig gut gefallen. Es war mal eine ganz andere Art und Weise von einer Weihnachtsgeschichte. Es war sehr spannend und absolut fesselnd zu lesen, denn ich als Leser wollte auch unbedingt wissen, wer hinter den Morddrohungen steckt. Mich hat das Buch von der ersten Seite in ihren Bann gezogen. Und habe es nur sehr schwer aus der Hand legen können. Deshalb bekommt „ Das Geheimnis um Dower House“ von mir auch sehr verdiente 4 Sterne und eine klare Leseempfehlung.
Buchname: Das Geheimnis um Dower House: Kriminalroman
Autor: Nicholas Blake
Seiten: 336 (Print)
Fromat: als Print und Ebook erhältlich
Verlag: Klett-Cotta; 1. Aufl. 2020 Auflage (19. September 2020)
Sterne: 4
Cover:
Das Cover ist richtig schön gestaltet worden. Der Buchtitel steht in hellen bzw weißen Buchstaben im oberen Bereich. Man sieht ein eingeschneites Haus auf dem Cover. .. Auf dem ersten Blick ist das schon mal sehr ansprechend.
Klappentext: (aus Amazon übernommen)
Das legendäre Fliegerass Ferguson O’Brien bekommt seit einiger Zeit Morddrohungen frei Haus. Und O’Brien wäre kein so draufgängerischer Abenteurer, wenn er nicht die Gelegenheit nutzen würde, um zusammen mit dem Detektiv Nigel Strangeways nach dem mysteriösen Briefeschreiber zu suchen, der sich unter seinen Weihnachtsgästen befinden muss. Ferguson O’Brien, hochdekorierter Pilot und Abenteurer, erhält seit einiger Zeit eine Reihe von äußerst eloquenten Morddrohungen, in denen ihm angekündigt wird, den zweiten Weihnachtsfeiertag nicht zu überleben. Doch von so etwas lässt sich jemand wie O’Brien nicht verunsichern, stattdessen schmiedet der alte Haudegen einen Plan, um seinen Mörder zu entlarven. Zur Unterstützung lässt er zudem den charismatischen Detektiv Nigel Strangeways nach Dower House kommen, der sich so in einer bunten Weihnachtsgesellschaft voll undurchsichtiger Motive wiederfindet. Und während Strangeways noch versucht, aus den Gästen schlau zu werden, wird O’Brien pünktlich nach dem zweiten Weihnachtsfeiertag tot aufgefunden – doch dem einen Toten folgen noch weitere …
Schreibstil:
Der Schreibstil des Autors ist total flüssig, liest sich super und ist sehr leicht verständlich.
Charaktere:
Der Hauptprotagonisten sind Ferguson O’Brien und Nigel Strangeways
Ich fande alle Charaktere von Anfang an total sympathisch und liebenswert. Des weiteren gibt es noch ein paar andere Charaktere. . Meiner Meinung nach sind alle Charakter sehr gelungen und haben einen sehr guten Platz im Buch bekommen.
Meinung:
!!!! Achtung !!! Könnte Spoiler erhalten!!!
Mir hat das Buch „ Das Geheimnis um Dower House“ richtig gut gefallen. Der Pilot Ferguson O’Brien bekommt seit einiger Zeit Morddrohungen. Aber O´Brien ist ein richtiger Abenteurer und zusammen mit dem Detektiv Nigel Strangeways macht er sich auf die Suche nach dem Briefeschrieber. Richtig unterhaltsam fande ich wie Ferguson O’Brien einen Plan schmiedet indem er selbst seinen Mörder entlarven will. Wirklich sehr amüsant und unterhaltsam zu lesen. Nigel Strangeways ist genau das Gegenteil zu O´Brien. Und beide Hauptprotagonisten zusammen waren echt nur ein Traum. Mir hat das Buch richtig gut gefallen. Es war mal eine ganz andere Art und Weise von einer Weihnachtsgeschichte. Es war sehr spannend und absolut fesselnd zu lesen, denn ich als Leser wollte auch unbedingt wissen, wer hinter den Morddrohungen steckt. Mich hat das Buch von der ersten Seite in ihren Bann gezogen. Und habe es nur sehr schwer aus der Hand legen können. Deshalb bekommt „ Das Geheimnis um Dower House“ von mir auch sehr verdiente 4 Sterne und eine klare Leseempfehlung.
June 22, 2019
I enjoy holiday themed murder mysteries and "Thou Shell of Death". which is set during the Christmas holiday season at a British manor in the countryside is a delightful and intriguing novel. One can compare it to a typical British manor with the normal cast of characters and suspects, but Nicholas Blake adds a little spice to the story, along with a murder mystery plot, which soon develops into a plausible and complicated plot with the complexities of the characters themselves.
Nigel Strangeways is the lead character, a criminal investigator and the main protagonist for several of Nicholas Blake's novels. This is Blake's second novel involving Nigel and it's also where he meets his future wife, Georgia who is among the guests.
Nigel is spending the holidays with his aunt and uncle, Lord and Lady Marlinworth, when he is given a task by his Uncle Sir John Strangeways, Assistant Commissioner of Police, who himself arrives at the manor. Apparently, a WWI fighter ace, The Great Fergus O'Brien is staying at the Dower House on the Malworth estate and has received three death threat letters indicating he'll be killed after Christmas. It's Nigels' assignment to find the murder(s) and thwart the plot to kill him. Nigel and Fergus develop a good relationship with one another, as Nigel is trying to find about as much information about Fergus and at the same time a mutual respect for one another is established also
This where the author's writing begins to excel by establishing the characters, the interactions and traits of the characters, as he tries to discover who the alleged murderer(s) are. Nigel goes about meeting the guests and is finding it difficult who would want to have Fergus murdered. He's a WWI hero and the guests appear to be pleasant individuals, but we also have the staff and many servants, which the guest have brought, like Fergus, who brought his cook.
The following morning, the day after Christmas, Fergus is found dead at the kitchen table with a gun next to his hand. Is it murder or suicide? The police at hand are indicating suicide, but not Nigel. There a few things, which Nigel finds difficult to believe it's suicide, but more like murder.
At this point in the novel, we start see numerous twists and turns in the story, with a few clues coming to the surface, the deeper Nigel investigate and than another guest is found murdered. This further compounds the investigation, which adds another twist to it.
A fascinating and well paced novel with several key elements, which shows the complexity of the story. The novel continues along an intriguing and often difficult path, leaving us surprised and conflicted quickly as Nigel follows one path and then a critical turn of events alters Nigel's direction of the investigation more than once. Nigel is steadfast and determined to solve this investigation, which he does in the end, with yet another surprising twist.
Nigel Strangeways is the lead character, a criminal investigator and the main protagonist for several of Nicholas Blake's novels. This is Blake's second novel involving Nigel and it's also where he meets his future wife, Georgia who is among the guests.
Nigel is spending the holidays with his aunt and uncle, Lord and Lady Marlinworth, when he is given a task by his Uncle Sir John Strangeways, Assistant Commissioner of Police, who himself arrives at the manor. Apparently, a WWI fighter ace, The Great Fergus O'Brien is staying at the Dower House on the Malworth estate and has received three death threat letters indicating he'll be killed after Christmas. It's Nigels' assignment to find the murder(s) and thwart the plot to kill him. Nigel and Fergus develop a good relationship with one another, as Nigel is trying to find about as much information about Fergus and at the same time a mutual respect for one another is established also
This where the author's writing begins to excel by establishing the characters, the interactions and traits of the characters, as he tries to discover who the alleged murderer(s) are. Nigel goes about meeting the guests and is finding it difficult who would want to have Fergus murdered. He's a WWI hero and the guests appear to be pleasant individuals, but we also have the staff and many servants, which the guest have brought, like Fergus, who brought his cook.
The following morning, the day after Christmas, Fergus is found dead at the kitchen table with a gun next to his hand. Is it murder or suicide? The police at hand are indicating suicide, but not Nigel. There a few things, which Nigel finds difficult to believe it's suicide, but more like murder.
At this point in the novel, we start see numerous twists and turns in the story, with a few clues coming to the surface, the deeper Nigel investigate and than another guest is found murdered. This further compounds the investigation, which adds another twist to it.
A fascinating and well paced novel with several key elements, which shows the complexity of the story. The novel continues along an intriguing and often difficult path, leaving us surprised and conflicted quickly as Nigel follows one path and then a critical turn of events alters Nigel's direction of the investigation more than once. Nigel is steadfast and determined to solve this investigation, which he does in the end, with yet another surprising twist.
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