Judy’s Comments (group member since Oct 01, 2015)

Judy’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

A new Agatha Christie adaptation is starting on BBC1 this weekend in the UK, Towards Zero - Anjelica Houston leads the cast.

https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/c...

It's not a Sarah Phelps adaptation this time so I hope it will be a bit lighter in tone, but we'll see!

I'm reading our next Michael Innes buddy read, Death on a Quiet Day aka Appleby Plays Chicken and finding it an exciting read so far.

For anyone visiting Norwich, I found this map of 'Shardlake's Norwich' - putting it in the spoiler thread since it mentions various events and things that happen to characters in the book.

I hope to visit some of these places this spring and summer, as i live within easy travelling distance.

https://www.kettsheights.co.uk/upload...

Sorry to hear you're under the weather, Sonia - hope you soon feel better. Shardlake will still be there when you feel like returning to him. :)

Although this is magnificently written, as always with Sansom, must admit I got a bit bogged down in the middle and felt perhaps the account of the rebellion is too detailed, feeling repetitive at times. I also found it hard to keep track of the murder case, though I'm not sure it is that central this time anyway.

What does anyone think about how involved Shardlake gets with the rebels - could you believe he would help them as much as he does? I suppose we've had indications that he might be moving in that direction, with his increasing disillusionment and the way he keeps going into danger in the previous book, but I was still surprised.

I was scared that Jack or Nicholas would get killed this time round, but luckily I was wrong.

I've just finished the book and wondered the same, Susan. We can just imagine that it might lead to that, I suppose. Although there's quite a class divide and age between Shardlake and Liz, maybe it would have happened...

The latest edition of the Shedunnit podcast is about Agatha Christie's taste in crime fiction. It includes a bit about why she liked Elizabeth Daly's work, with some comments on 'Unexpected Night'.

Here's the link:
https://www.shedunnitshow.com/agathac...

That's dedication, Sandy, but there's a post from Vanessa in the spoiler thread, so there are at least two people still reading Bobby Owen! I fell by the wayside some time back, partly because of all the strange women, though I may read more in the future. My favourites were the early books with Mitchell.

Sandy wrote: Thank you! Undecided whether to listen now or later. I haven't even started Shardlake yet.

Sorry, I think it may be best to listen to the podcast I mentioned after finishing the book if you don't know much about the course of the rebellion. I've just noticed that there is a historical essay by Sansom at the end of the book, so he decided to give the information after the novel.

I already knew some of the main facts as I live in East Anglia so have heard a bit about Kett, though having said that a lot is new to me.

Susan, there was a report in The Times (UK) a couple of years ago where she said the same sort of thing, that she didn't want trouble and was worried people would think her books were anti-Italian. It also said she moved away from Venice partly because of the "crowds and office block-size cruise ships".

Sadly this article is behind a paywall but I'll post the link in case anyone has access to The Times (I do but only temporarily, so am looking up author articles on their site while I can).
https://www.thetimes.com/article/donn...

I just saw that there is going to be an English-language adaptation of the Brunetti books, with scripts by Julian Fellowes, who scripted the Downton Abbey series.
https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/73...

This was actually reported in December, but I didn't spot it. No news of casting yet. I think it's quite exciting news - there was a German series previously but it doesn't seem to be available with subtitles.

I've just listened to an episode about Kett's rebellion from the Not Just the Tudors podcast presented by Suzannah Lipscomb, which I thought was very interesting as background to the book.

I wasn't worried about hearing how the rebellion turned out, but anyone who wants to avoid hearing information about that would be best to wait to hear this until after finishing the book.

Here's a link to the episode on Apple podcasts, but it is also on various other podcast apps:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

Welcome, Al, glad you found us. We've got an Agatha Christie challenge going at the moment, discussing the first Poirot and Miss Marple novels, so you are very welcome to join in on that if you would like to.

Sonia, I think I may have visited Stranger's Hall years ago but I will need to go there again, and also visit Dragon Hall, which opens to the public again from April, and the Cow Tower! I've visited Norwich many times over the years and have seen many of its sights, but am realising there is still a lot more to see.

Frances, great to hear you may be visiting Norwich in 2026 - you will be able to catch up with all the scenes from this novel then.

Susan in NC wrote: "Very melancholy feeling hangs over the whole book, couldn’t help feeling we were seeing the ailing author through Shardlake; saddened, disillusioned, losing friends and facing his own mortality. ..."

Oh wow, this hadn't struck me but I think you're right, Susan. I'm getting towards the end of Part 2 (a long way still to go!) and there is definitely a lot of melancholy surrounding Shardlake in this novel. He has been becoming increasingly disillusioned since the first book, but I think it is more marked than ever in this one.

Susan wrote: "Brunetti has a strange love affair with Venice. He loves it and it is, of course, beautiful. Yet, the oppression of the bureaucracy and the corruption are devasting. ..."

I think the plot of this book is very clever, with the way the corruption and the need to have 'friends in high places' runs right through it, up to a killer getting away with it at the end because of his powerful relations. I did wonder about this resolution, though as surely he would be such a danger to the public, and indeed to those relations, after killing 3 people.

Sonia, I've just watched the video in your link and it is brilliant - thanks again!

Yes, Tombland is a well-known area of the city, close to the cathedral - there are some good restaurants in that area too. I wasn't sure if any other cities also had a Tombland, but I think probably the name is unique to Norwich.

Thank you for the great link, lots of interesting historical information there and even a video - I must go and see the featured building, Dragon Hall!

I also just found this snippet in a page about Norwich's Viking heritage:
"Tombland was the Anglo-Scandinavian market-place in the 11th century. The name tom is Scandinavian in origin meaning 'empty' or 'open', the 'openland' being used as a market."

https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/r...

I hadn't realised there was a Tombland bookshop, Sonia! I wondered if this book was set in Norwich when I first saw it in the shops, but didn't know if there was a Tombland anywhere else.

It's a great title - it does sound as if the story will be quite dark, which some of it has been already, as with others in this series.

Good to hear you are both going to read it, Sonia and Frances. I've read about 200 pages now and am finding it interesting to have part of the story set in Norwich, since I know the area fairly well - it seems as if the city centre's layout was similar in Tudor times to today.