Tara ’s Comments (group member since Jul 12, 2017)

Tara ’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

I really liked this book, and it was the first in the series that was a page turner for me (although I have liked them all). However, I found nothing at all charming about the Lampreys, and really I wanted one (or more) of them to be guilty in the hopes it would knock some sense into them. Given their irresponsible, overly lavish lifestyle, the last thing they deserved was to inherit oodles of money to piddle away like the rest before it. The fawning from Robin/Roberta (is this a common nickname convention?) and Nigel was just nauseating, and made me dislike them even more.

This was a so-so read for me. It feels like it went off the rails a bit in the end, and there were so many loose strands that went nowhere. Constantine is an interesting character to follow, and his sidekicks Arkwright and Manners are bright and helpful in their own way. I don't think I would read this one again, but its hard to argue with its worth as a freebie.

I happen to love my dentist (who plays various Pandora stations in the background, so I could get my 70s rock fix if I want :) ). He is funny, doesn't push for unnecessary procedures, and isn't the judgmental sort (no one likes being lectures as an adult). But I avoided the dentist for years, and I can see why the thought of drills, picks, and extractors would turn people off from the experience.

I also considered this one to be so-so. The end felt rushed and overly convoluted, and there was a bunch of information dumped on the reader that made solving the mystery nearly impossible. I also get annoyed by these tight time lines (the murderer had exactly 2 and a half minutes to commit the crime!), and these seemingly air tight alibis that quickly unravel once you think about it for more than a minute. Also, it never seems to occur to anyone that the real murderer either had an accomplice or hired someone to do the actual job.
On the positive side, I enjoyed the interplay between both Constantine and Arkwright, and Constantine and Manners. There are no bumbling fools in this one (perhaps besides Lord Pomfrey who is a prideful, pig-headed man).

I just started Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's War, 1941-1945 on audiobook from my library. It was a bit of a slow start, but its proving to be both humorous and informative. Considering the length of the book, I probably wouldn't have the time to tackle it in any other format. On a negative note, I find the narrator a bit monotone and dull.

Louise wrote: "Sandy wrote: "Gary wrote: "Adrian wrote: "Tara wrote: "I just started Mystery!: A Celebration; Stalking Public Television's Greatest Sleuths about the iconic public television program..."

It certainly was (and is) an epic collection, and long before streaming services made those kinds of shows available internationally. There was something so Victorian about the presentation of the show too, that just fascinated me.

Gary wrote: "Adrian wrote: "Tara wrote: "I just started Mystery!: A Celebration; Stalking Public Television's Greatest Sleuths about the iconic public television program that ran in the 80s and 90..."

The first host was actually Gene Shalit, but he only lasted one season (he was picked for his widespread popularity from The Today Show, but wasn't quite the right fit). He was followed by Vincent Price and Diana Rigg. The show was rebranded in 2008 as Masterpiece Mystery! and is hosted by Alan Cumming.
I was only a small child when the show was originally aired (but I have been a mystery fan from birth it seems), so I am trying to find as many of the shows available for streaming (I have even splurged on the Britbox subscription that Amazon Prime Video offers). Its a great collection of our favorite detectives: Holmes, Poirot, Marple, Alleyn, Wimsey, Maigret, Morse &c.

I just started Mystery!: A Celebration; Stalking Public Television's Greatest Sleuths about the iconic public television program that ran in the 80s and 90s. I distinctly recall Edward Gorey's ghoulish opening credits, which were a hallmark of the series for me. Its great fun to get some background information about the various shows, and even learn about ones I've never seen before.

Bruce wrote: "The overall film with Finney was much better than Suchet’s. The Suchet series was great until the hiatus in the late 90’s. When they started it in 2000 it was much worse and they made a lot of unwe..."

I don't recall the Suchet one well enough to remember if I liked it or not, but it doesn't stick out in my mind as horrible, as compared to other episodes I found exasperating (such as The Adventure of The Cheap Flat).

I will be re-watching the Albert Finney and David Suchet versions after we read the book in December. I didn't care for Finney as Poirot (he always seemed more like a caricature), but I liked the rest of the cast. The Branagh version was trash.

Dan wrote: "Tara wrote: "Marsh does seem to be a fan of outlandish murder methods Dan."

This one was wild! You would think a seemingly smart archaeologist would prefer an easier method than sliding down a ban..."

But what would be the fun in that? If you're going to commit murder, you might as well do it with some panache :)

I think Marsh's writing gets stronger as you move through the series. I'm currently reading Death of a Peer and there is excellent character development (although I haven't gotten to the murder yet).

Dan wrote: "I just finished this book after discovering this group this week. My first Ngaio Marsh book, and I really enjoyed it! I think I like Alleyn. I'm looking forward to the next 30-something books. 🙂

T..."

Marsh does seem to be a fan of outlandish murder methods Dan. I think it would be more plausible if the killer had been an acrobat in a former life.

Jill wrote: "Started The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbøl. Quite disturbing"

The title alone is disturbing Jill!

I listened to the audiobook version of the Spanish chest, and it had Miss Lemon, but no Hastings. I think this is a story where Hastings wild theories may actually have been accurate, or at least closer to the mark than usual. I wonder how the murderer would have known exactly how much of the drug to give the victim so that he would make it into the chest, but would be incapacitated by the time he arrived. For someone described as being inarticulate, that's quite clever.

One of the downsides of listening to books on audio is that is not always easy to keep characters straight, especially in a story this short, which doesn't have an opportunity to get fleshed out. Somehow all of the ladies and all of the gents meshed together in my mind, I couldn't tell which was which. It seems like an interesting plot though, and I look forward to reading a longer version later on in the challenge.

Paperbackreader wrote: "I do feel that the chauffeur was kept out of our sight for way to long. Suspected Soames a bit. I did not feel engaged with the character of Dr. Constantine. He seemed kind of distant. I didn't rea..."

I agree with all of your comments Paperbackreader. Overall I enjoyed the book and I got through it quickly, but I felt a bit cheated. I did guess that the "sisters" were suspicious, although I didn't suppose that they were really mother/daughter. I enjoyed it enough to read another though.

Sandy wrote: "I have started Surfeit of Lampreys: Inspector Roderick Alleyn #10. I expected the title to mean 'poisoning by an eel dinner' but found Lamprey is a family name and there are a lot o..."

The US title is disappointingly called Death of a Peer. I hope the book is not as underwhelming as the title is.

Gary wrote: "Judy wrote: "Fudge Brownies & Murder ... you find some books with extremely delicious titles, Gary."

A lot of the cozy mystery novels I read are from Gemma Halliday's publishing company. I also kn..."

Best wishes for a speedy recovery Gary!

Abigail wrote: "I think at the time the story is set, only wealthy Americans could afford to travel overseas, so they probably would have been seen as posh when they turned up in England. Only after travel became ..."

Perhaps Abigail, but the rich Americans from this time would have been "new money" and not on the same level as the titled and landed gentry. Since Mrs. Van Doren had neither of those, maybe that was her best option.

I am reading this book in preparation for the next book in the series appearing as a buddy read next month. I am about half way through and thoroughly enjoying it. I have all of the characters worked out, but I am hopeless on the layout of the hotel--too many backstairs, landings, and balconies to sort out. I will head over to the spoiler thread once I am done, but I would only be guessing at the thief/killer at this point.
I thought it was interesting that it is rumored that Mrs. Van Doren affects an American accent to sound posh. I tend to feel that Americans are often portrayed as loud and boorish in these types of stories, so this doesn't make sense to me.

Jessica wrote: "I also wondered why Agatha Christie would drop Hastings as he has such a nice comic interplay with Poirot, but it also is almost always a variation of the same and perhaps Hastings is too limiting ..."

I've decided to re-watch the TV episodes as we read the books, and I think this one was done quite well. It stays close to the plotline, and fleshes out some of the characters that I just didn't get much of a mental image of from the reading.