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

Frances’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

So I am very late to the discussion as it took this long for my library book to arrive.

Again, a very exciting and enjoyable read, and already looking forward to the next one.

While I get that the deaths make the novels more realistic, I was so disappointed by Emma Flyte not surviving to become a Slow Horse. I was really hoping that for once there might actually be a strong female friendship based on two tough women working together without backstabbing or competing for male attention. I also really appreciated that Herron wrote a stunningly attractive and super-competent female character without having her sexually assaulted or ending up in an abusive relationship-that seems to be almost a given in so many mystery novels or shows that I've kind of given up on "modern" thrillers for the most part. Really grateful for that.

Ho's cluelessness combined with his tech-savvy is rather over the top, but it is written in such a funny way that all is forgiven.

Bicky wrote: "I have to point out that the attitude towards the murder of children has changed over the years. As late as 1969 Christie in Hallowe'en Party has 2 children murdered without much shock[spoilers rem..."

Good point, Bicky, it's always a question of do we judge by our current standards or the standards of the time in which something was written.

I've finally got my hands on a copy and am having some difficulty remembering how all the various Slow Horses came to be at Slough House.

But Roddy Ho is back in fine form, and...the Prime Minister, herself a needs-must choice, though she appeared to be the only person unaware of the fact... followed by It turned out that in the governance of a nation's security, many absurd situations had to be worked around: a toxic clown in the Foreign Office, a state visit by a narcissistic bed-wetter, the tendency of the electorate to jump off the occasional cliff. means I'm likely in for a great read.

I can't wait for the next one already, if only for the political commentary!

Jason wrote: When readers start rewriting a story in their minds to address opportunities missed, that's probably not a good sign..

Well put, Jason, and a more in-depth analysis of why this doesn't work as well as one would hope. Now I've got a Mick Herron to finish and this month's Christie to tackle!

I've finally finished this and also didn't like it that much. Lots of the points already mentioned-everyone sticking around, the repressed spinster motive, the general gossipy-ness and the nurses and secretary both just trying to find a husband were all points against it. A clever plot, but I wasn't even interested in reading the first chapters of her next book that were in my edition.

This is one of those lost books that reminds me why the Queens of Crime have been crowned as such!

I've just started this and enjoying the setting as well, hope it'll be a quick read!

Thanks Rosina-I work in healthcare and was somewhat taken aback by this condition I’d never heard of, so I’m glad to know it was not something I’d slept through in class!

I finished this last month so will need to go back and refresh a bit but I do remember getting a bit annoyed at Campion falling hopelessly in love once again with an unobtainable woman. It feels as if Allingham wants to keep him emotionally active until his true love grows up!

I read this last month, quite enjoyed it, and will head over to the other thread for the discussion.

I've noticed now in several of the books that Poirot often warns someone, seemingly away from danger or harm, when in fact he is warning them off going through with a planned murder.

This was one of those deliciously improbable plots-both the one concocted by Simon and Jackie and the one written by Christie-with far too many possibilities for failure to ever have worked. Made for a fun read though!

I'm about half way through, and realize that I remember "whodunnit" from a previous read, so I'm enjoying picking up on the clues being scattered about (which I would never have noticed the first time around!)

I finished this a while back but hadn't had time to comment. I would also like to have seen more of Solly, and love the incorporation of "retired' spooks into a number of the books, but also love John Bachelor's scheme to maintain the apartment and the income in Solly's place-kind of sticking it to the service!

I think once I gave up the idea of a traditional murder mystery with a death early on and then a hunt for the guilty party and started reading it as a novel about the social situation in a close-knit and closed-in community of young women, both working together and competing for grades and placements, as seen through the eyes of an outside observer (who herself remembers going through a similar process) I really enjoyed this read.

Agreed, Abigail, I would have loved to hear more about how the various students ended up.

I've just finished and was also glad to see Hastings back-and to learn that he went to Eton-had everyone pegged him for a posh public school boy?

I'm still quite far down the hold list at my library so I will add my comments later.

I also struggled with the "face reflects personality" approach, although this is questioned by Henrietta having a soft spot for Rouse, who clearly faces the same struggles she did due in part at least to her unattractive appearance, and then of course demolished by the aptly named Beau being, in fact, the sort of person who will not allow herself to be thwarted in anything.

I also thought that if Miss Pym had in fact handed in the rosette and an inquest had arisen, I can't imagine Beau would have let her friend take the blame for her, and so the truth would likely have come out (and I'm sure an excellent lawyer and the sort of favouritism applied to the attractive and wealthy and upper-class would have got her out of her difficulties).

I agree that the 2 sets of shoes were never fully explained-was Mary wearing her friends shoes to the party?

Also, why did Mary understand immediately what Miss Pym was implying when showing her the rosette, if she'd been ignorant of what had happened up to that point? When would she have started to suspect her friend, if everyone had thought it was an accident secondary to Rouse's not setting the pin properly?

Overall, though, I really enjoyed the entire story-I loved the college atmosphere and meeting the various personalities and didn't mind that the mystery came so close to the end. I would have enjoyed reading another novel about either Miss Pym at home, or about some of the school characters. It almost felt that there were too many individual stories and that it would have been nice to follow some of them further. What happens to Dakers? What about the Nut Tart (I loved that she just continued to call her that-do we learn her first name?) or Miss Lux and the actor? Lots of unmet potential for individual novels!

I think the scene where JK is terrified was very effective-showing how PTSD can be triggered by extreme terror, even if nothing bad actually happens.
I was also a bit disappointed by the ending-I didn’t believe he’d go back for the ashes and risk his own life-but I’ve also never really understood this need to tend to remains after death. For someone as hardened as Bettany to go back for the ashes seemed out of character.
As I said in the non-spoiler thread, this novel felt much more grim and it lacked the humour of the Slow Horse novels.

I'm really enjoying this one, but it feels grimmer than the Slow Horse series. I'm not sure I'd want to see Bettany again, but it is interesting to get JK Coe's backstory.

I loved this book as well, I think my favourite part was hearing Roddy Ho's thought processes while he was supposed to be sweating in solitary detention in the basement. His supreme lack of self-awareness and insight was brilliant-will we ever find out why he ended up a Slow Horse, and how he ever made it into the service in the first place?

I'm moving sideways to read "Nobody Walks" next.