Frances’s Comments (group member since Aug 21, 2017)

Frances’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

I've begun this one and enjoying it so far-I do enjoy this series and am looking forward to seeing Sloan confronting fatherhood as well as criminals!

Agreed-Shardlake should find love, and Tam and Jack get back together, but not too soon!

Agreed-I wonder who will be ruling in the next one!

Judy-I also found it slower going initially but the interest really picked up as the ending unfolded.

I've just finished this and really enjoyed it as well, although the period realism and the cruelty of the time-both large scale such as how easily people could be condemned and punished for trivial crimes, for following the wrong religion, or for political expediency, and small scale-how many people were just thoughtlessly unkind for example the frequent mocking of Shardlake's deformity by everyone from beggars on the street right up to the King himself-was somewhat hard to take.

I am sorry Shardlake does not appear to be getting a second chance at love, but contented husbands are much less interesting heroes than those suffering in love :)

I'd like to nominate Josephine Tey's To Love and Be Wise. I don't see it in the group's bookshelf so assume it hasn't been read here.

I'm now about 1/4 of the way in and quite enjoying it so far, particularly as I'm reading it straight on from finishing Sovereign.As a GP myself I'm always fascinated by the medical angle of these stories which is featuring a bit more prominently-makes me hope that Guy can find something tangible to explain (and hopefully treat) Kite's madness-like eating food tainted with an hallucinogen for example.

I also find the sexual politics depressing-poor Catherine Parr being primed to be married off to Henry when she is possibly in love with another, and even if not he would be such a physically repelling and politically terrifying husband!

I'm really interested in the Boris Akunin series, particularly as he was just put on Putin/Russia's naughty list for his objection to the war.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/202...

So I am doubly happy to read his books "in solidarity" (and forgive me if this is too political a discussion for this group, I know some groups want to keep politics out of things).

I've just finished this now-while quite enjoying the series I do find the descriptions of torture and the arbitrariness of arrest (and even worse knowing that your enemies could turn you in) somewhat hard to take. Because of this, I was quite surprised that Shardlake kept sharing his suspicions with Maleverer and potentially putting people at risk-I'm thinking in particular of his suspicion of Sergeant Leacon-why would he raise this with Maleverer, knowing the potential consequences?

I actually thought it was going to be Tamasin who'd received money from Dakin, given her constant remarks that she had an inheritance from her grandmother which allowed her to purchase lovely dresses.

The descriptions of the Progress are indeed fascinating, and make it sound like a thoroughly unpleasant thing to be involved in or even to have the progress come by and befoul your fields and roads and-heaven forbid-stay in your manor house.

I'm trying to catch up on this series and am now about 2/3 of the way through. I am hoping to go to York this summer so it is particularly enjoyable to read something set in York, even if some centuries ago! I do find the environment challenging and depressing, particularly all the repression and imprisonments of apparently innocent or admirable people, but I guess it is a true record of the times. I look forward to finishing this and then catching up with you on the next one!

I'm still reading the third in the series so won't be joining you here for a while-you may seem some comments from me in the previous book thread though!

Rosina wrote: "thought it handled the switch between the two very well - the almost slapstick chases round Paris (including the escape from the airport!) and the underlying tragedy that the War had left in its wake."

Agreed, that was really well done, and made me change my mind in the end-that I want to continue reading this series.

I've just finished this-it dragged somewhat in the earlier part-to the point where I wasn't sure if I'd finish the series-but came back with quite the wow finish.

I did suspect that Rouxel was not the paragon he was made out to be, mainly because he was such a jerk to his granddaughter, and that Hartung was likely innocent, but what a tragedy overall. I did like how Flavia wrote to Henriette-no point in ruining someone's last days for no reason, and she had certainly suffered enough in life. Although generally a lighthearted romp, it certainly brought home the devastation that the war had caused in so many lives, even beyond the up-front killings and hardships.

I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts, and to reading the next in the series.

I'm about 1/3 of the way in and quite enjoying this one. However it's always so strange to read something set before the internet/cell phones when so much time is taken tracking each other down/going to libraries to do research/flying or training around to get information/the computer being a big, imposing, and useless tool for the art police-I wonder what impact the cell phone/internet has had on the plotting of modern mysteries?

Judy wrote: "PS this is the cover with the cat!

" This was my cover with the poison pen letter being burnt.

I did find the cat episodes amusing-Colonel Babington didn't seem the sort to suffer a clumsy cat, but I guess it was a set up for the final denouement!

I also think that this is my favourite Fen novel so far, and perhaps that is because there was somewhat less of him and his quirks than usual!

I had a few theories, and at one point I thought it might be Casby who was guilty and that Sims would end up as Helen's husband (I couldn't go back and find the bit where it said she'd be married in three weeks, but I didn't think it specified the husband), and then I thought that perhaps Sims had heard that the victim had left her money to "The Doctor" and he had assumed it was him-it seemed foolish to risk killing someone and assuming their heir would then marry him.

Also, did people get engaged so easily back in the day?

I've just started, about 1/4 the way in and enjoying it so far-seems somewhat more subdued than previous Crispins, I'm wondering whether Datchery is in fact Fen.

Crispin seems surprisingly sympathetic to the struggles of the "lady" doctor to be accepted rather than the rather cruel sounding male counterpart in the village.

I’ll be joining as well but have a couple of others to finish first

I’m also planning to join but likely not until the new year

I guess there is also the Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane developments and we certainly see Albert Campion age and change his relationship status through his novels. I remember when I first read the Campion novels I wanted to go back and read them in order so I could "understand" his character better, so then I did that with this group and was left almost as puzzled the next time round-we don't really learn who or what he is ever (or was I just too thick to pick up on it?)-Sorry I realize I've just strayed entirely off topic!

Rosina wrote: "I don't mind the detectives whose life unfolds in a normal way, with moderate aging, provided their story-arc doesn't threaten to overwhelm the individual stories. We can accept that the detective ..."

I haven't read any where there is another mystery ongoing. I enjoy several series now with personal stories in the main characters' lives-I'm particularly enjoying the Robert Galbraith, J.K Rowling and Elly Griffiths offerings, which really need to be read in order. Then there are ones like Peter Robinson or Ian Rankin that are sort of in between-there is some character change but it's pretty minimal and doesn't interfere with enjoying the mystery. Such a contact to Poirot and Marple who seem to have no to minimal back story, start out as "retired" or "elderly" respectively and then have careers spanning 50 years!