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

Judy’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

Welcome Ian, glad you found us! We have an Agatha Christie book coming up in January as the start of our new challenge, The Body in the Library. As Susan said, there are also lots of other reads to choose from :)

Yes, Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays to all our members 🎅

Valerie, I agree about the appendices being anti-climactic - they are rather dry as they just briefly summarise alternative solutions.

Sorry to hear about your library request, but I think that's a fair bet about forgetting the solution, Sandy - I've pretty much forgotten it already after my reread of the book!

I've started this now and am enjoying it so far (about 15% in). I think it's an intriguing opening.

I read part of the introduction by Curtis Evans (I'll go back later to read the part that discusses the book a bit more) and was interested to see that Bobby will be in Wychshire for the next few books, set during the war, even though the author stayed in London throughout

I believe this is the first of the titles many of us collected free on Kindle from Dean Street Press a few years ago (well, apart from the first in the series which was also a freebie).

I've finished this book now. I enjoyed it a lot for the writing style and the characters of Sloan, Crosby and the superintendent, but I thought the suspects were mainly a bit distant. I was also very glad that the doctor's receptionist wasn't involved.

I did guess that the previous doctor's wife's niece was probably the victim as soon as she was mentioned, but didn't work anything else out.

I'm not sure who suggested Catherine Aird for buddy reads originally, but many thanks.

Sandy wrote: "Similar problem with Maigret: The Sailor's Rendezvous is AKA The Grand Banks Café in US."

There are also editions published under this title in the UK. Every Maigret book seems to have about 4 different titles!

Thanks for checking the price, Sandy.

Sorry to hear your library doesn't have it locally, Icewineanne. If you read ebooks, it's 99p on Kindle in the UK and I think it may be 99c in the US.

I'm getting towards the end now and still enjoying it - great that there are so many more books to go in this series!

I've finished this one and it was one of my favourites in the series too. I think we could possibly have done with one or two more suspects - I wondered about Gunnar but he didn't come in very much!

I also liked the mature romance. I have a feeling it was mentioned somewhere that Niall was 40, but maybe I've got that wrong - 40 was so much older then.

Looks great, Susan, thank you for pulling this list together!

Some editions of The Anonymous Venetian are published as Dressed for Death - it may be worth checking both titles to find the cheapest copies.

Susan in NC wrote: "Mods, I apologize, looking at comments above, my message 9 probably strayed into spoiler territory, could you please move it? I forget sometimes which thread I’m in, wouldn’t want to spoil the book..."

I've moved it over, don't think there were any major spoilers but better in that thread, as you say. Thanks, Susan

Just moving this comment from Susan in NC from the other thread as requested - thanks Susan :)

Susan in NC wrote:

Judy wrote: "Susan in NC, I'd never heard the expression bait-and-switch but have just looked it up, great expression! I think the nearest I've heard of is probably "advertising under false pretences" which isn..."

Lol! Yes, we Americans have a proud history of snake oil swindlers and other cons, and the slang to describe their techniques! You’re right, “advertising under false pretenses” is similar, but a bit more polished up, more of a sharp business practice as opposed to an out and out con.

The story was good, I just got somewhere in the middle, I think during the exciting chase in the bowels of the record store, and it hit me, “wait a minute, what happened with the dead old princess and the drunken grandson, how’d the story get kidnapped by this whole other set of crimes and criminals?” It did remind of some of the later Allingham’s, where I couldn’t figure out who was who and what was going on - partly slang of the period I didn’t understand, partly elliptical writing style.

We complain about “too much telling, not enough showing” - honestly, I could’ve used more explanation at that point! Wasn’t sure where it went off the rails for me, kept thinking it would make an exciting film, though.

I've started this one now and am immediately gripped - I know quite a few mysteries start with bones being discovered, and I think it tends to be an intriguing opening, with so many possibilities to consider.

I'm getting more into the story now and enjoying it. Cadfael books are perfect to read late at night. It's an interesting change to have a young widow as a main character, rather than the very young girls who often take a lead role in the romance strands of these books.

Welcome, Kori! I remember enjoying a short story by Roy Vickers in one of the British Library anthologies edited by Martin Edwards and thinking I would like to try more by him, but I haven't been able to find anything that's available in the UK.

Sadly the ebook of The Exploits of Fidelity Dove doesn't seem to be available as an ebook on Amazon UK. It sounds really good from your description though.

Having finished, I must agree with you, Susan in NC, that I was hooked by the opening with the contrasts between the Russian princess's present and past. I vaguely remember reading a similar short story, possibly in one of the British Library/Martin Edwards anthologies, with a princess and a Faberge egg, but I can't remember any more about it!

I was sorry that we didn't learn more about the family, and didn't find the whole gang story very interesting. I thought the whole way that Nightingale feels he is getting sucked in after buying the cameo was well done though - I was willing him not to buy it and was sure it would either be stolen or sold at a discount, as appears to be the case. I found the explanation of this a bit disappointing.

I would probably give the writing style for this book 5 stars and the actual mystery 2 or 3, but I enjoyed it overall and settled on 4!

I do agree the atmosphere between Nightingale and Stephanie is odd and I wasn't sure where it was going to go.

Maybe it is similar to the way women are always falling for Wimsey and supposed to show how attractive Nightingale is? I thought Stephanie was strongly attracted to him and that was why she found an excuse to go to his flat - she possibly didn't realise he was married. (I don't think many men used to wear wedding rings.)

But he is clearly attracted to her too, which makes it all feel a bit unsettling. I do agree that if we had read the previous books we might understand all the relationships better.

Susan in NC, I'd never heard the expression bait-and-switch but have just looked it up, great expression! I think the nearest I've heard of is probably "advertising under false pretences" which isn't quite the same thing.

I do agree with you - the story starts out as one thing but soon turns into something else. Anyway I have finished now so will head over to the spoiler thread.