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Kate Theobald #3
Death by Hoax
Dial "B" for Bomb. A prankster calls out the fire brigade, empties a theater, and stops a train with his phony phone calls. Then comes a bomb scare that proves to be in very dead earnest...
Unflappable London reporter Kate Theobald and her barrister husband Henry lay bare a nest of shifting sex, bitter blackmail and mounting murder--all leading to an explosive secret from a long-simmering past.
Unflappable London reporter Kate Theobald and her barrister husband Henry lay bare a nest of shifting sex, bitter blackmail and mounting murder--all leading to an explosive secret from a long-simmering past.
- GenresMystery
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 26, 2016
Death by Hoax (1974) by Lionel Black is the third out of six books in the series featuring Kate Theobald and her husband Henry. Kate is the Post's star reporter. She has a knack for finding herself in the middle of high crimes and murderous plots when sent on the most innocuous assignments. This time, Butch, her boss, sends her, in the middle of what he calls "the silly season," to Loxham Bay to try and squeeze a story out of a string of hoaxes that have occurred. Their man on the spot, a stringer by the name of Geoff Hayward, isn't such a dab hand at turning out an exciting story and Butch knows that Kate will be able to make something out of the practical jokes that have included fire false alarms, bogus bomb threats, mysterious men on train lines, and an accident that never happened.
True to form, the first thing that happens as soon as Kate shows up in town is that a new bomb scare proves to be deadly serious and Carl Grossman, the owner of a local electronics factory, winds up dead from a bomb hidden in his desk and set to explode when unlocked and opened. Henry comes flying to play side-kick to his inquisitive wife and before they know it they have uncovered everything from affairs on the side to blackmail, bigamy to missing wills, and possible fraud to hidden secrets from Grossman's past. Lots of people would seem to have a reason to want Grossman dead whether because of business or to get their hands on his money or because of personal relationships.
Also true to form, Kate finds herself in danger at the end and heroics on the part of Hayward and her husband manage to save the day....and save Kate to write the eye-popping, headline-making story that will scoop her fellow reporters once again.
This particular installment of the Theobald mysteries is a bit more gruesome than those I've previously read. It includes death by explosion, death by a good bashing on the head with a spanner (or tire iron, we're not quite sure which), and ends on a somewhat brutal note as well. The mystery itself is a good one and Black gives the plot several twists to make things interesting. Kate and Henry are as delightful as ever and I still like that Kate's job gives her good reason to get mixed up in these sort of things. I did deduct a bit for the slightly more brutal nature of this cozy mystery, making it a flat ★★★ instead of the usual three and a half to four stars for the others in the series.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
True to form, the first thing that happens as soon as Kate shows up in town is that a new bomb scare proves to be deadly serious and Carl Grossman, the owner of a local electronics factory, winds up dead from a bomb hidden in his desk and set to explode when unlocked and opened. Henry comes flying to play side-kick to his inquisitive wife and before they know it they have uncovered everything from affairs on the side to blackmail, bigamy to missing wills, and possible fraud to hidden secrets from Grossman's past. Lots of people would seem to have a reason to want Grossman dead whether because of business or to get their hands on his money or because of personal relationships.
Also true to form, Kate finds herself in danger at the end and heroics on the part of Hayward and her husband manage to save the day....and save Kate to write the eye-popping, headline-making story that will scoop her fellow reporters once again.
This particular installment of the Theobald mysteries is a bit more gruesome than those I've previously read. It includes death by explosion, death by a good bashing on the head with a spanner (or tire iron, we're not quite sure which), and ends on a somewhat brutal note as well. The mystery itself is a good one and Black gives the plot several twists to make things interesting. Kate and Henry are as delightful as ever and I still like that Kate's job gives her good reason to get mixed up in these sort of things. I did deduct a bit for the slightly more brutal nature of this cozy mystery, making it a flat ★★★ instead of the usual three and a half to four stars for the others in the series.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
September 1, 2024
Though I haven't read the rest of the series yet I didn't get lost on anything so points for that. It's a really solid murder mystery and quite short too, finished it in less than a week.
I think the author knew that these kinds of books are really predictable so, after what's in the synopsis happens, another incident takes place and complicates the whole thing, and that's the part I believe to be the most entertaining. The plot is elaborated enough to leave you thinking, but not to the point where you're clueless. The protagonist is likeable and a good guide throughout the whole thing. The rest of the characters follow the classic archetypes but aren't really cartoony at all in their depiction.
Knowing it had been written in 1974, I praise the active decision to have Kate as the lead, of course nothing revolutionary, but nontheless appreciated. Her eager attitude toward doing her job is incorporated into the rhythm of the narration, leaving no dead beat in the story (also pairs well with the brevity of the book). Her and her co-lead/husband make a nice pair and their back and forths are always interesting to read. Going back to how it holds up nowadays, do expect a bit of period typical conceptions (homosexuality, roles of women) but nothing too bad IMO.
Overall, good to get out of a slump and easy to follow, kinda fomulaic but it works. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up the rest of the series if I ever found them physically (I got mine basically for free). Also suitable for anyone, really.
sorry 4 bad english :p
I think the author knew that these kinds of books are really predictable so, after what's in the synopsis happens, another incident takes place and complicates the whole thing, and that's the part I believe to be the most entertaining. The plot is elaborated enough to leave you thinking, but not to the point where you're clueless. The protagonist is likeable and a good guide throughout the whole thing. The rest of the characters follow the classic archetypes but aren't really cartoony at all in their depiction.
Knowing it had been written in 1974, I praise the active decision to have Kate as the lead, of course nothing revolutionary, but nontheless appreciated. Her eager attitude toward doing her job is incorporated into the rhythm of the narration, leaving no dead beat in the story (also pairs well with the brevity of the book). Her and her co-lead/husband make a nice pair and their back and forths are always interesting to read. Going back to how it holds up nowadays, do expect a bit of period typical conceptions (homosexuality, roles of women) but nothing too bad IMO.
Overall, good to get out of a slump and easy to follow, kinda fomulaic but it works. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up the rest of the series if I ever found them physically (I got mine basically for free). Also suitable for anyone, really.
sorry 4 bad english :p
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews