Smoke Without Fire

Andrew Basnett #6

by E.X. Ferrars

Andrew Basnett, a retired professor of botany, finds his Christmas getting complicated when he is caught up in the eventful aftermath of the death of Sir Lucas Dearden, who is killed by a mysterious bomb.

Genres: Mystery, Christmas, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Holiday

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Aka Elizabeth Ferrars

Elizabeth Ferrars is a pseudonym of Morna Doris MacTaggart Brown. She was born in Rangoon, Burma.

Reviews

[Lisa Kucharski]

Really intriguing mystery!!! Takes place as Andrew Barnett arrives at to spend the holidays with friends when death occurs. It is sudden and shocking. Immediately after this shock the two families involved begin to talk and the sliding back and forth of each person trying to figure out who and how begins. The victim is someone that was universally unliked and the holder of funds that would be dispersed upon death. The searching and unravelling made you trust and distrust everyone except Andrew who was truly the only neutral person.

Even at the end, when Andrew finds the final link of information needed to realize the guilty one- the remaining people begin unravelling as they come to terms with the events. The end while sad in many ways felt very poignant and well grounded. A solid mystery!

[Kat]

I enjoyed the first 3/4s of the book. But the solution is baffling and the story just gets grim, especially after the second murder.

It felt like as i kept reading, the score kept dropping. Up to the second murder, 4 , up to the solution 3.5. Then down to 3.

[Kate]

For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...

[Susan]

Retired professor Andrew Basnett is spending a quiet Christmas with his long-time friends Colin and Dorothea Cahill, when a bomb--the last thing you'd expect in a cozy--explodes in the road outside, killing a neighbor. But was the victim the intended victim? He was returning home from London, where he had planned to spend the week. The person who was expected to drive down the road was the Cahills' son Jonathan.

[Bob]

You'd have to wonder at this point why anyone would invite Andrew Basnett to their house, let alone for Christmas. Installment 6 of this series sees our protagonist once again attempting a quiet holiday with some old friends until, y'know, car bomb. I found this one a bit... sadder... than usual, but gripping nonetheless. The model is of course largely the same, a fairly intimate set of characters with varying relationships and allegiances whose motivations are quite rarely exactly how they seem. And only Andrew Basnett is the only one, or at least the first one, to cut through the murk, even though he wishes it were otherwise: "Andrew felt the shrinking sensation that usually assailed him if anyone accused him of being wise." Ferrars predominating themes continue to tiptoe to the fore as the series draws nearer to a close. When speaking of humans, how much of a gift is it to be able to perceive the truth about them? Basnett is increasingly conflicted about it in his twilight years. He observes of one suspect, "She suffered from her knowledge of herself." All in all, this is one of the better ones for me, with some nice attention to the cinema of it all.

[Brian Williams]

I liked it: it's a readable well-plotted murder mystery of the traditional British style. The story-telling moves at a leisurely pace with an increasing suspense level about "whodunnit". The narrator Andrew Basnett is an attractive character and the others are well-defined without turning the story into a character study. I hope the others books in this series are as good as this one. Recommended.

[Vintagebooklvr]

1 3/4 stars. It was fair. I actually think that ok is a better rating than fair. Ok to me is about average.

I thought that it lacked some spark. I didn't connect with the characters and the ending couldn't be deduced by the information given to the readers. Sure, you could guess and I had a feeling who it was but the proof wasn't there.

[Sydney]

Okay, I figured out the murder(s) easily, and it's possible I have read this before, but I am finding that I really enjoy the character of Andrew Basnett. He's old — like me! So, he doesn't go chasing around, but thinks through the crime and its situation. 3 for the mystery, but 3.5 for other aspects of the novel.

[Beth]

Interesting characters introduced smoothly - the pace at first is laid back sort of - then a murder & it does really get your attention! The story is so well written & discovering additional details kept me turning the pages to discover how it all plays out! Recommend for sure!!!

[Tina Billings]

Was a slow start but had a surprise ending. Glad I stuck with it.

[We Are All Mad Here]

'Sedate' is a good word to describe this series, which might sound suspiciously close to 'sedated,' but I am finding this series very pleasant at the moment.

[Sandy]

Good Christmas read with our quiet, reserved amateur detective. The resolution was less satisfactory than others in the series.

[DonHSr]

good series. The main character is well written and interesting. Only drawback is that the stories are too short.

[Joy]

4.5 stars. Really a rock-solid cozy.

[Grey853]

This is one of those books where there's a lot of talk, not much action, and more talk, often repeating the clues and conversations.

The mystery itself was a bit twisty, but overall I got a little bored.

[Cece]

A nice steady mystery series that does not require too much heavy lifting. Enjoyable, the characters have some flesh, and the mystery isn't too transparent. Pleasant.

[Elizabeth]

An excellent mystery taking place during the Christmas season.