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Melbourne Trilogy #2
Madame Midas
Fergusson Wright Hume, known as Fergus Hume (1859- 1932) was an English novelist. Shortly after graduation he left for Melbourne. He began writing plays, but found it impossible to persuade the managers of the Melbourne theatres to accept or even read them. Finding that the novels of Emile Gaboriau were then very popular in Melbourne, he obtained and read a set of them and determined to write a novel of a similar kind. The result was the self-published novel The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886), which became a great success. After the success of his first novel and the publication of another he returned to England in 1888. He resided in the Essex countryside for thirty years, eventually producing over 100 novels and short stories. He was a capable writer of mystery stories, and may be looked upon as one of the precursors of the many writers of detective stories whose work was so popular in the twentieth century. His other works include Madame Midas (1888), The Silent House (1899), The Bishop's Secret (1900), Secret Passage (1905), The Green Mummy (1908), and Red Money (1912).
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1888
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87 people want to read
About the author
Fergus Hume
861 books51 followersFergusson Wright Hume (1859–1932), New Zealand lawyer and prolific author particularly renowned for his debut novel, the international best-seller The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886).
Hume was born at Powick, Worcestershire, England, son of Glaswegian Dr. James Collin Hume, a steward at the Worcestershire Pauper Lunatic Asylum and his wife Mary Ferguson.
While Fergus was a very young child, in 1863 the Humes emigrated to New Zealand where James founded the first private mental hospital and Dunedin College. Young Fergus attended the Otago Boys' High School then went on to study law at Otago University. He followed up with articling in the attorney-general's office, called to the New Zealand bar in 1885.
In 1885 Hume moved to Melbourne. While he worked as a solicitors clerk he was bent on becoming a dramatist; but having only written a few short stories he was a virtual unknown. So as to gain the attentions of the theatre directors he asked a local bookseller what style of book he sold most. Emile Gaboriau's detective works were very popular and so Hume bought them all and studied them intently, thus turning his pen to writing his own style of crime novel and mystery.
Hume spent much time in Little Bourke Street to gather material and his first effort was The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886), a worthy contibution to the genre. It is full of literary references and quotations; finely crafted complex characters and their sometimes ambiguous seeming interrelationships with the other suspects, deepening the whodunit angle. It is somewhat of an exposé of the then extremes in Melbourne society, which caused some controversy for a time. Hume had it published privately after it had been downright rudely rejected by a number of publishers. "Having completed the book, I tried to get it published, but everyone to whom I offered it refused even to look at the manuscript on the grounds that no Colonial could write anything worth reading." He had sold the publishing rights for £50, but still retained the dramatic rights which he soon profited from by the long Australian and London theatre runs.
Except for short trips to France, Switzerland and Italy, in 1888 Hume settled and stayed in Essex, England where he would remain for the rest of his life. Although he was born, and lived the latter part of his life, in England, he thought of himself as 'a colonial' and identified as a New Zealander, having spent all of his formative years from preschool through to adulthood there. Hume died of cardiac failure at his home on 11 July 1932.
Hume was born at Powick, Worcestershire, England, son of Glaswegian Dr. James Collin Hume, a steward at the Worcestershire Pauper Lunatic Asylum and his wife Mary Ferguson.
While Fergus was a very young child, in 1863 the Humes emigrated to New Zealand where James founded the first private mental hospital and Dunedin College. Young Fergus attended the Otago Boys' High School then went on to study law at Otago University. He followed up with articling in the attorney-general's office, called to the New Zealand bar in 1885.
In 1885 Hume moved to Melbourne. While he worked as a solicitors clerk he was bent on becoming a dramatist; but having only written a few short stories he was a virtual unknown. So as to gain the attentions of the theatre directors he asked a local bookseller what style of book he sold most. Emile Gaboriau's detective works were very popular and so Hume bought them all and studied them intently, thus turning his pen to writing his own style of crime novel and mystery.
Hume spent much time in Little Bourke Street to gather material and his first effort was The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886), a worthy contibution to the genre. It is full of literary references and quotations; finely crafted complex characters and their sometimes ambiguous seeming interrelationships with the other suspects, deepening the whodunit angle. It is somewhat of an exposé of the then extremes in Melbourne society, which caused some controversy for a time. Hume had it published privately after it had been downright rudely rejected by a number of publishers. "Having completed the book, I tried to get it published, but everyone to whom I offered it refused even to look at the manuscript on the grounds that no Colonial could write anything worth reading." He had sold the publishing rights for £50, but still retained the dramatic rights which he soon profited from by the long Australian and London theatre runs.
Except for short trips to France, Switzerland and Italy, in 1888 Hume settled and stayed in Essex, England where he would remain for the rest of his life. Although he was born, and lived the latter part of his life, in England, he thought of himself as 'a colonial' and identified as a New Zealander, having spent all of his formative years from preschool through to adulthood there. Hume died of cardiac failure at his home on 11 July 1932.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 26, 2017
3.5 stars
Madame Midas is the second novel by British lawyer and author, Fergusson Wright Hume, and was published in 1888. This Text Classics edition sports an evocative cover design and an introduction by Claire Wright. In her introduction, Wright explains that Hume’s tale is loosely based on a real-life female Australian mining speculator of the late 19th Century, Alice Cornwell.
Soon after the death of her widower father, Miss Curtis was married to Randolph Villiers. Before he departed this earth, her father has provided a large settlement of money which was to be hers alone. In a rather short time her husband, a profligate gambler and womaniser, had managed to lose all the money she had inherited upon her father’s death, and her settlement was all she had left on which to survive. But Mrs Villiers was a determined woman, and sank her remaining money into a gold mine managed by a canny Scot, one Archibald McIntosh, who was certain he would find the Devil’s Lead and make them both rich.
Hume’s quirky cast of characters includes, among many, a sceptical nurse, an escaped convict, a minister’s daughter, a doctor with an interest in poisons, a jealous mining agent with a garrulous parrot, a family of actors, and a mute. The plot is original, although readers accustomed to contemporary murder mysteries may find this one will be somewhat slow-moving and drawn out; the denouement is quite convoluted. An excellent example of a classic 19th Century mystery novel.
Madame Midas is the second novel by British lawyer and author, Fergusson Wright Hume, and was published in 1888. This Text Classics edition sports an evocative cover design and an introduction by Claire Wright. In her introduction, Wright explains that Hume’s tale is loosely based on a real-life female Australian mining speculator of the late 19th Century, Alice Cornwell.
Soon after the death of her widower father, Miss Curtis was married to Randolph Villiers. Before he departed this earth, her father has provided a large settlement of money which was to be hers alone. In a rather short time her husband, a profligate gambler and womaniser, had managed to lose all the money she had inherited upon her father’s death, and her settlement was all she had left on which to survive. But Mrs Villiers was a determined woman, and sank her remaining money into a gold mine managed by a canny Scot, one Archibald McIntosh, who was certain he would find the Devil’s Lead and make them both rich.
Hume’s quirky cast of characters includes, among many, a sceptical nurse, an escaped convict, a minister’s daughter, a doctor with an interest in poisons, a jealous mining agent with a garrulous parrot, a family of actors, and a mute. The plot is original, although readers accustomed to contemporary murder mysteries may find this one will be somewhat slow-moving and drawn out; the denouement is quite convoluted. An excellent example of a classic 19th Century mystery novel.
April 5, 2014
Fergus Hume wrote over 140 novels but even with the huge success
of "The Mystery of the Hansom Cab" none of the others brought
him the fame he desired and, apart from the resurrection of
"Madame Midas" in the Hogarth Press "Gaslight Crime" series,
almost all of them are out of print.
Initially Miss Curtis appears as a charming young girl, the
belle of Melbourne society, whose beauty (as well as her wealth)
attracts loads of admirers. Of course she marries a man, Villiers,
who all her friends caution her against and who rewards her trust
by spending all her money then ill treating her when she refuses
to hand over the money held in trust. He is definitely a villain
in the old "boo, hiss" tradition and one of the minuses of the
book is that Madame Midas, who is completely untrusting of anyone,
should have been fool enough not to see through his oily charms
at the start. But wait!! - there are other "baddies" - there is
the dastardly Slivers, a wizened mining agent who has never
forgiven Madame Midas for "pipping him at the post" in a mining
venture, then there is Gaston Vandeloupe who is hired by Slivers
to romance Madame so Villiers can divorce her and "take her to
the cleaners"!! Though suave and refined he comes into his
villainous own when he meets up with Kitty, the sweet daughter of
the town's (Ballarat, Australia) "alternative" minister - he has
set up his own church named "The Elect".
The second half of the book takes place among the dazzling lights
of Melbourne and the reader is introduced to the Wopples family
(Hume must have been familiar with Wilkie Collins and Charles
Dickens - I'm sure there is a theatrical family called Wopsle
in one of their books). Fergus Hume was immensely interested in
the theatre and had written his first books ("Madame Midas" was
his second) in the hope that they would be produced as plays.
Kitty has fled to Melbourne and as the second part opens a year
later the reader finds her sadder but wiser, no legitimate wedding
ring and living with Gaston who is forever plotting how he can
be rid of the young girl he has already tired of.
This is just a fantastic read in the best gaslight "let not poor
Nelly starve" tradition. Madame Midas' husband mysteriously
disappears into the night - he has stolen a large gold nugget from
the Devil's Lead. Vandeloup is early on revealed as an escapee
from New Caledonia but his charm and wit fool most people - except
for Madame Midas' old retainers and the town's eccentric doctor
who accidentally links Gaston to a sensational case in France where
a young man poisons his mistress. Watch out Kitty!!!
Kitty finally escapes and Hume creates some memorable characters
to keep her out of harm's way - there's Spillsbury, the pie cart
owner, ragamuffin Grattles and larger than life prostitute Port
Wine Annie. Then just when most books are winding down this one
goes off with a bang. Madame Midas makes her home in Melbourne,
finally finds Kitty and makes her her ward, Gaston re-enters
determining to make Madame his wife so all her money will be his
and also vowing to be rid of Kitty once and for all. There is
another murder (a couple actually), a trial, then Kitty turns
sleuth to track down the despicable Vandeloupe.
Just a fantastic sensation story of old Melbourne town told with
dash, verve and all the theatricality that the author could muster.
of "The Mystery of the Hansom Cab" none of the others brought
him the fame he desired and, apart from the resurrection of
"Madame Midas" in the Hogarth Press "Gaslight Crime" series,
almost all of them are out of print.
Initially Miss Curtis appears as a charming young girl, the
belle of Melbourne society, whose beauty (as well as her wealth)
attracts loads of admirers. Of course she marries a man, Villiers,
who all her friends caution her against and who rewards her trust
by spending all her money then ill treating her when she refuses
to hand over the money held in trust. He is definitely a villain
in the old "boo, hiss" tradition and one of the minuses of the
book is that Madame Midas, who is completely untrusting of anyone,
should have been fool enough not to see through his oily charms
at the start. But wait!! - there are other "baddies" - there is
the dastardly Slivers, a wizened mining agent who has never
forgiven Madame Midas for "pipping him at the post" in a mining
venture, then there is Gaston Vandeloupe who is hired by Slivers
to romance Madame so Villiers can divorce her and "take her to
the cleaners"!! Though suave and refined he comes into his
villainous own when he meets up with Kitty, the sweet daughter of
the town's (Ballarat, Australia) "alternative" minister - he has
set up his own church named "The Elect".
The second half of the book takes place among the dazzling lights
of Melbourne and the reader is introduced to the Wopples family
(Hume must have been familiar with Wilkie Collins and Charles
Dickens - I'm sure there is a theatrical family called Wopsle
in one of their books). Fergus Hume was immensely interested in
the theatre and had written his first books ("Madame Midas" was
his second) in the hope that they would be produced as plays.
Kitty has fled to Melbourne and as the second part opens a year
later the reader finds her sadder but wiser, no legitimate wedding
ring and living with Gaston who is forever plotting how he can
be rid of the young girl he has already tired of.
This is just a fantastic read in the best gaslight "let not poor
Nelly starve" tradition. Madame Midas' husband mysteriously
disappears into the night - he has stolen a large gold nugget from
the Devil's Lead. Vandeloup is early on revealed as an escapee
from New Caledonia but his charm and wit fool most people - except
for Madame Midas' old retainers and the town's eccentric doctor
who accidentally links Gaston to a sensational case in France where
a young man poisons his mistress. Watch out Kitty!!!
Kitty finally escapes and Hume creates some memorable characters
to keep her out of harm's way - there's Spillsbury, the pie cart
owner, ragamuffin Grattles and larger than life prostitute Port
Wine Annie. Then just when most books are winding down this one
goes off with a bang. Madame Midas makes her home in Melbourne,
finally finds Kitty and makes her her ward, Gaston re-enters
determining to make Madame his wife so all her money will be his
and also vowing to be rid of Kitty once and for all. There is
another murder (a couple actually), a trial, then Kitty turns
sleuth to track down the despicable Vandeloupe.
Just a fantastic sensation story of old Melbourne town told with
dash, verve and all the theatricality that the author could muster.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2021
Madam Midas is an enjoyable read despite being laden with melodrama. Well written and at ease with itself, there’s an effortlessness about Fergus Hume’s style. Melbourne and Ballarat circa 1888 are depicted vividly with plenty of social commentary, especially on the plight of women, rich and poor, who survived at the mercy of men. Good and bad men, gentlemen and cads and cads disguised as gentlemen, all attempt to control the women in their lives. It’s all here in the seedy streets of the city where if a woman failed to hold on to her virtue, she was a mere step from prostitution.
Hume slings arrows across a broad sweep of society and includes sharp commentary on the back-patting philanthropists who built alms houses with their names upon them, but never entered the real slums.
“Professional philanthropist…who does his good deeds in a most ostentatious manner, and loudly invites the world to see his generosity, and praise him for it. He never did good by stealth.” Who knew virtue signalling was a thing in the 1880s.
The reader might expect a work written in 1880s to be bogged down by convoluted prose, but this is not the case. Just as in Mystery of a Hansom Cab, Hume weaves a tale of intrigue and suspense. If you are interested in Australia during the Victorian era, Madam Midas is a for you.
https://janmerryauthor.blogspot.com/
July 31, 2012
Growing up around Ballarat not quite as long ago as MADAME MIDAS is set, it was really amazing to see how much of the layout of the city remains and how many of the locations are easily identifiable. Which probably meant that I ended up reading this book paying a lot more attention to the setting than I did to the plot.
That's not to say that MADAME MIDAS doesn't have a plot that isn't bad, what with a caddish Frenchman trying to have their way with the charming, intelligent and very wealthy Madame Midas. Given that it was first published in 1888, it's probably no surprise that for all her charm, brains and money somehow Madame Midas is still a woman that seems to rely a lot on the protection of well meaning men around her. When she's not attracting ne'er-do-well husbands and dodgy bookkeepers. But leeway needs to be given as this is very much a book of it's time, even though for a central character, somehow Madame Midas is strangely incidental, slightly off-key perhaps.
But as I said, a lot of the attraction of this book is Goldfields Victoria, Ballarat in particular. Hume is writing about a time in Victoria which was pivotal in the formation of our current lifestyle, and he provides some fascinating glimpses into both the hardships and the luxuries of those early days of white settlement. I won't pretend that I wasn't feeling very inadequate at times as I realised the distances, and not inconsequential hills, many of the characters walked up and down in surprising time, and frequency. I was halfway through reading the book when I found myself heading up Lydiard Street towards Black Hill at roughly the same time of year as the book is set, and I was astonished at how rapidly women, in particular - in all that 1880's regalia - toiled up and down the hill in the middle of summer. At that time of the year, even at a much younger age, I struggle to make it from Sturt Street to Seymour Street, let alone all the way up to Black Hill.
Seriously though, it's a privilege to be able to read something from that time that's extremely accessible, enlightening and still entertaining.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
That's not to say that MADAME MIDAS doesn't have a plot that isn't bad, what with a caddish Frenchman trying to have their way with the charming, intelligent and very wealthy Madame Midas. Given that it was first published in 1888, it's probably no surprise that for all her charm, brains and money somehow Madame Midas is still a woman that seems to rely a lot on the protection of well meaning men around her. When she's not attracting ne'er-do-well husbands and dodgy bookkeepers. But leeway needs to be given as this is very much a book of it's time, even though for a central character, somehow Madame Midas is strangely incidental, slightly off-key perhaps.
But as I said, a lot of the attraction of this book is Goldfields Victoria, Ballarat in particular. Hume is writing about a time in Victoria which was pivotal in the formation of our current lifestyle, and he provides some fascinating glimpses into both the hardships and the luxuries of those early days of white settlement. I won't pretend that I wasn't feeling very inadequate at times as I realised the distances, and not inconsequential hills, many of the characters walked up and down in surprising time, and frequency. I was halfway through reading the book when I found myself heading up Lydiard Street towards Black Hill at roughly the same time of year as the book is set, and I was astonished at how rapidly women, in particular - in all that 1880's regalia - toiled up and down the hill in the middle of summer. At that time of the year, even at a much younger age, I struggle to make it from Sturt Street to Seymour Street, let alone all the way up to Black Hill.
Seriously though, it's a privilege to be able to read something from that time that's extremely accessible, enlightening and still entertaining.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
April 24, 2017
‘Villains, fallen women and the enigmatic Madame Midas herself—who could resist Hume’s brilliant characters?’
Lee Tulloch
‘Hume’s book offers a glimpse of another age of thriller writing, enriched by a study of a jarring, vibrant, deadly Melbourne.’
Courier-Mail
‘A rare treasure…Madame Midas herself is one of the most memorable Victorian heroines.’
Stephen Knight
‘A very accessible, entertaining and enlightening story…Historically significant and highly readable, Hume provides us with fascinating glimpses of the early days of white settlement.’
Toowoomba Chronicle
Lee Tulloch
‘Hume’s book offers a glimpse of another age of thriller writing, enriched by a study of a jarring, vibrant, deadly Melbourne.’
Courier-Mail
‘A rare treasure…Madame Midas herself is one of the most memorable Victorian heroines.’
Stephen Knight
‘A very accessible, entertaining and enlightening story…Historically significant and highly readable, Hume provides us with fascinating glimpses of the early days of white settlement.’
Toowoomba Chronicle
March 3, 2015
Interesting murder tale from Hume, not as good as 'Hansom Cab' though, I rather prefer that one... Its quite a good plot with a myriad of intricacies added but I guess this is all for the reader's understanding.
The tale begins and ends with the same character presented in similar situations adding purpose and intrigue to the story, but even though some scenes appear to be a bit to drawn out, I still think the tale a relaxing and entertaining one and I'm sure any lover of classics mysteries will enjoy it....
The tale begins and ends with the same character presented in similar situations adding purpose and intrigue to the story, but even though some scenes appear to be a bit to drawn out, I still think the tale a relaxing and entertaining one and I'm sure any lover of classics mysteries will enjoy it....
Want to read
November 4, 2019Synopsis: fictionalized true crime. The wealthy Madame Midas, Mrs. Villiers, lives in the mining town of Ballarat. Romance and murder are coming.
March 4, 2021
Ideologically this is trash with its hyperindividualism (especially the unnecessary rant about everyone being self-interested) and the heroine of the book being a sort of gina rinehart figure (Claire Wright makes that point too in the introduction) except prettier. In terms of the experience of reading it- it's well plotted, interesting and even though depressing you keep wanting to know "what next". The characters are a good balance between constructed to be almost believable yet strange enough to be compelling.
It's a long enough book that I thought it would take me longer to read when it's written in a 1888 voice and I had to go back to work the same week I read it....but it was a real page turner my curiosity asked "what next" and I kept diving back in.
Madame Midas (she has a real name but I can't remember it. She's loosely based on a friend of the author) is beautiful and marries a blackguard. She manages to get away and since her father has wisely settled money on her in a way that her husband can't take it she has means. She employs people who are not dazzling or fashionable but are sensible and loyal (this is something the author ignores in his rants about self-interest but the book would not work without them). She invests in gold-mining and land and is smart enough to do that well. We are supposed to admire her, the successful capitalist and view her as trickle-down enriching others.
Later on there are speculants making money by playing with shares. More capitalism. Reading between the lines, the capitalist prospers when someone else is cheated or misses out. So perhaps it's not surprising that Madame Midas' situation generates envy and avarice in others. Add lust to the mix. Murder happens and then another murder. It seems straight forward and you think you know what is what. Red herrings abound. The final solution is surprising but fair.
There's some homophobia which is subtly expressed but I still could have done without it. Meanwhile women are seen as more worthwhile if they are beautiful and objects of pity and scorn if they are not. In short a white, wealthy male in 1888 wrote this to impress his wealthy and fashionable friends. Nevertheless it's a corker of a plot that moves at the right pace and if you treat it as kind of a melodrama it's pretty enjoyable. There is one character I wanted to smack in the head for pretty much the whole book but the epilogue shows the author must have felt the same way.
Contrived yet satisfying.
It's a long enough book that I thought it would take me longer to read when it's written in a 1888 voice and I had to go back to work the same week I read it....but it was a real page turner my curiosity asked "what next" and I kept diving back in.
Madame Midas (she has a real name but I can't remember it. She's loosely based on a friend of the author) is beautiful and marries a blackguard. She manages to get away and since her father has wisely settled money on her in a way that her husband can't take it she has means. She employs people who are not dazzling or fashionable but are sensible and loyal (this is something the author ignores in his rants about self-interest but the book would not work without them). She invests in gold-mining and land and is smart enough to do that well. We are supposed to admire her, the successful capitalist and view her as trickle-down enriching others.
Later on there are speculants making money by playing with shares. More capitalism. Reading between the lines, the capitalist prospers when someone else is cheated or misses out. So perhaps it's not surprising that Madame Midas' situation generates envy and avarice in others. Add lust to the mix. Murder happens and then another murder. It seems straight forward and you think you know what is what. Red herrings abound. The final solution is surprising but fair.
There's some homophobia which is subtly expressed but I still could have done without it. Meanwhile women are seen as more worthwhile if they are beautiful and objects of pity and scorn if they are not. In short a white, wealthy male in 1888 wrote this to impress his wealthy and fashionable friends. Nevertheless it's a corker of a plot that moves at the right pace and if you treat it as kind of a melodrama it's pretty enjoyable. There is one character I wanted to smack in the head for pretty much the whole book but the epilogue shows the author must have felt the same way.
Contrived yet satisfying.
December 26, 2023
Scoundrels, cads, blackguard! Fergus Hume's Madame Midas has several and none worse than the young prison escapee who makes it to Australia with the intent to strike it rich one way or another. Madame is a woman whose husband 'has done her wrong' and spent her riches. She now is working to regain her fortune off a legendary mine. Along the way she hires the Frenchman, and is attracted to him even though she has resolved to never marry again. Thinking he is better than he is, she introduces him to the minister's beautiful young daughter and extracts a promise that he will not get involved with the girl. Which immediately he breaks that promise and just about every promise he makes to anyone -- all on the way to making himself wealthy. And there are the secrets just about every man in the book has ...
This is melodrama at the height of its fame with misleading identities, secrets, shame, fainting men, fainting women and more. For me, the story ran too long and, of course, reading something that is more than 100 years old -- a lot unrealistic. Its hard to believe that a young woman would be that gullible to go off with a man that she knows little about, sees hows she is treated and still "loves him," but it apparently was often the case and does happen to this day. It's hard to believe that in those days women just accepted the stories men said (but they also had no way of checking backgrounds like today). The ending is jam packed with twists that come hot and heavy and filled with surprises but doesn't end 'happily ever after.' This is ultimately a book about people who are dissatisfied with what they have and end up equally unhappy. Even Madame Midas is not immune.
This is melodrama at the height of its fame with misleading identities, secrets, shame, fainting men, fainting women and more. For me, the story ran too long and, of course, reading something that is more than 100 years old -- a lot unrealistic. Its hard to believe that a young woman would be that gullible to go off with a man that she knows little about, sees hows she is treated and still "loves him," but it apparently was often the case and does happen to this day. It's hard to believe that in those days women just accepted the stories men said (but they also had no way of checking backgrounds like today). The ending is jam packed with twists that come hot and heavy and filled with surprises but doesn't end 'happily ever after.' This is ultimately a book about people who are dissatisfied with what they have and end up equally unhappy. Even Madame Midas is not immune.
March 3, 2015
Fergus Hume Read-All #8 of 14x
Well
This one is a mess.
It starts with a redemption of a fugitive,
but he reccess to his greed.
There is a crime, but the victmim lives, then disappears.
The setting changes too much.
It seems that he was half done with this book and the success of Hansom Cab hit, so he put a lot of recurring cameos.
But the last revelation is still a surprise.
Everyone is guilty, in a Cat's Cradle, one holds the other's alibi.
Cast: (many dr-whos lol)
Kilsip - Stephen Fry
Carlton - Linus Roache
Madame Midas - Billie Piper
Villers - Christopher Eccleston
Gaston - David Tennant
Barty - Matt Smith
Pierre - Robbie Coltrane
Kitty - Jenna Coleman
Well
This one is a mess.
It starts with a redemption of a fugitive,
but he reccess to his greed.
There is a crime, but the victmim lives, then disappears.
The setting changes too much.
It seems that he was half done with this book and the success of Hansom Cab hit, so he put a lot of recurring cameos.
But the last revelation is still a surprise.
Everyone is guilty, in a Cat's Cradle, one holds the other's alibi.
Cast: (many dr-whos lol)
Kilsip - Stephen Fry
Carlton - Linus Roache
Madame Midas - Billie Piper
Villers - Christopher Eccleston
Gaston - David Tennant
Barty - Matt Smith
Pierre - Robbie Coltrane
Kitty - Jenna Coleman
September 7, 2023
5 Stars!
Another delightful mystery from Fergus Hume!
Another delightful mystery from Fergus Hume!
June 8, 2018
By the time I got to page 40, I realised that I was more interested in napping on the train instead of reading this, so I abandoned it. Also, the fact that one character kept slapping a cat was a turn off.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews