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

Frances’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

I've just finished this one, and while I really enjoyed the historical aspects and the mystery, I think Shardlake has become increasingly reckless with himself and his associates, with significant consequences. I know that sometimes authors do this to allow more excitement into the tale, but I just felt like the risks were so obvious to himself and his employees, and yet he put those he loved directly into harms way despite his professed anxieties at doing so.

The series does do a good job of illustrating the fear that must have ruled at the time, but also reminds those of us living in increasingly secular societies how religious debates and disagreements were so all-consuming in Europe at the time, and can give some insight into how fraught these disagreements can still be in some parts of the world.

I'm reading this-about 1/2 way through and again really enjoying it including the palace intrigue and some insight into Henry VIII final months.

On the subject of Scottish mysteries, anyone else read the Peter May Lewis series-The Black House is the first and I heard great things about it on a recent tour of Lewis. There are 4 of them in the "trilogy" so far-if there was interest we could perhaps follow Shetland series with that?

I'm also quite enjoying this series, but think it would be a bit much if too many were read in short order. I remember reading some of the Fethering mysteries and being struck by the endless wine-drinking and comfortably plump older women and this seems very similar. I enjoy the quirk of Mr Pargeter's associates and the dancing around what exactly he did and really enjoyed the "Crook's Travel Agency" which seemed exactly what it was!

While this is certainly a very cozy series, that is a pleasant contrast to some of the more grim ones like Shardlake.

I’ve just started and am enjoying this next instalment. I wonder though if it’s not really a sustainable set-up-will we eventually tire of all the secret ex-cons popping up to help her? I’m glad the setting has changed each book so far-the fortnight in Greece is a great set-up which harkens back to Christie and Poirot or Miss Marple on holiday.

I've just finished this one and really enjoyed it as well-I did enjoy seeing Mary Verney back and was only sorry that she was never able to be honest with Flavia and Jonathan about why she was back in the game. I wonder if she will reappear in the final instalment.

I'm not so sure about the reorganization of the Art Squad-while it's nice to see Flavia get a promotion, I'm sorry General Bottando wasn't around for this one.

Did anyone else think Flavia might be pregnant? Her being quite nauseated at one point, and then her being so tired that she fell asleep in her office and there is constant talk of her fatigue made me think this might be a surprise ending for the book, but no.

We had a mini-art heist story here in Canada-the original "Roaring Lion" Karsh portrait of Winston Churchill was stolen from the Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa-where Karsh had lived and worked for many years-during the pandemic (2022) and replaced with a copy, which wasn't noticed for some time . It was apparently sold via Sotheby's and purchased by an Italian lawyer who had it up in his living room. When the theft was discovered the new "owner" graciously offered to return it and there will be a handover ceremony in Rome some time soon. They even mention the Carabinieri being involved in tracing it so it was fun to hear this news while reading the mystery.

I have just started this one and am about a third of the way through. I agree that this is a delightful series and I enjoy the glimpse into the world of art dealing and, in this case, religious iconography and art restoration. The main characters are also really well done, although I'm surprised the series always seems to be referred to as the Jonathan Argyll series-not sure why Flavia isn't also included.

I would love and Anne Cleeves/Shetland read in the new year-I've read the first couple and really enjoyed them.

I also really enjoyed this one and hope to read more from Josephine Bell. I agree with a lot of the comments-I really enjoyed the (understandable given Bell was an MD) focus on the medical practices of the time and how the poor accessed medical care, and the limitations to what could be done for them given their terrible housing situations. The whole issue of the poor being moved out of their condemned homes into ones that sound equally bad was well illustrated, and the pluses of minuses of the community living which happened then. I also enjoyed the characters of June and Harry and Leslie though it was never clear to me what Harry did (other than have his own boat).

I wasn't so sure of the mystery/thriller aspect-a mix of a drugs/gangs plot and a murder plot-but enjoyed seeing the police work played out, although it seemed to be happening in the background to some extent with June's and her neighbours stories in the foreground. On the other hand, that was a great way to tell their stories and get us away from yet another country house/high society tale.

Does Bell land on a regular detective? When I look at her other books on GR they seem to have very few ratings suggesting they are very hard to come by.

Same thing happened to me Teri which is why I’m a month late starting!

I'm very late to this read-decided to buy it on the strength of all the favourable comments, and am about half-way through and really enjoying it. Feels more like a novel than a conventional mystery (not sure what the distinction is, but "I know it when I see it") so that is one difference-even half-way through there isn't a "star" policeman or detective.

Susan wrote: "Yes, a little cringey, to be honest, but I also loved the warring neighbours and the way the author discussed the breaking up of communities as slum housing was demolished."

Yes, it was quite something that poor Mrs Dawoody would still look after her cranky older neighbour even when her own health wasn't up to it, and how they are all waiting for Mrs Bowerman to go to hospital and/or die so the houses can be sold and demolished-it sounds as if it needed to be done, but it would certainly break up that community.

I thought the victim was really well drawn in this-we've all known and loved/hated an amoral, selfish but incredibly charming person who gets away with so much reprehensible behaviour because they are such fun company.

It's also interesting how certain things change over time-the whole inadvertent bigamy or cohabiting without marriage because of a living spouse is often such a plot-device in the golden age but would be practically meaningless in most secular societies now (although that isn't the motive for either successful blackmail or murder in this one). The only time it might be important in current settings would be if it disrupted an inheritance by making a child illegitimate (although again that might only be of importance in inheriting a title these days).

While again the plotting of the murder is preposterously unlikely to have succeeded I think we all suspend our disbelief in enjoying these clever murder situations.

My one other comment is that I am constantly mixing up the police detectives from different series-Inspector MacDonald, Inspector Grant, Inspector Hannasyde, Inspector Sloan are all now coalescing in my brain into one similar character!

Wow, what wonderful (and terrifying) stories-thanks for sharing everyone! I loved this book and the settings-the mystery itself and the theatrical rooming house-and will now move over to the spoiler thread to discuss the rest.

The ending kind of came out of nowhere-I mean it just seemed shorter than I expected it to be. I also got a wee bit lost in the plot somewhere-perhaps as I was reading while travelling so some distractions However like Sandy I also like Sloan's outlook the the humour so I will be sticking with the series.

I'm about 7 chapters in and quite enjoying this so far, but yes it appears that inheritance will play a large part in the mystery. That often makes for some very twisty plotting so I look forward to reading on.

Thanks everyone, our first service at York Minster went well and we look forward to the rest of the week-what an amazing building-I don't have enough superlatives!

I was at Shrewsbury Abbey today as part of a visiting choir-we sang the morning service there before we head to York Minster tomorrow for a week. It was such a wonderful space and there were a number of Brother Cadfael fans in the choir so also fun to see a bit of the reality behind the series. For a Canadian it is quite something to have so much history sprinkled about one building, and to know there are so many equally impressive and centuries-old churches and Cathedrals throughout this country. We are all very much looking forward to our week in York.

Let us know if you find another interesting one! I've also found and enjoyed The Swinging Christies-about Christie in the 'sixties-but it was only a limited number of episodes so no new ones coming that I'm aware of.

Yes I always cringe a little when many GA author's write Americans-even as a Canadian it just sounds really stereotyped and over the top. I didn't really like him as I suspected him, but on review he does seem like a sweetheart. I also find these marriage proposals in the absence of any romantic engagement or even much of a relationship strange, but that may have been more common at the time. Even Tommy and Tuppence I would have expected a brief courtship between "we're just friends" and "we're getting married"!