From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

Why Shoot a Butler?

Georgette Heyer

Start date: March 13, 2021

Finish date: April 9, 2021

Discussion: Buddy reads

Why we're reading this: Next in our series of Georgette Heyer buddy reads, which are always popular.
[close] Next in our series of Georgette Heyer buddy reads, which are always popular.

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Buddy reads

* Vale of Tears (Bradecote and Catchpoll #5) by Sarah Hawkswood (Sept/Oct 25)
By Susan · 5 posts · 11 views

last updated Sep 20, 2025 02:26PM

* Vale of Tears (Bradecote and Catchpoll #5) - SPOILER Thread - (Sept/Oct 25)
By Susan · 5 posts · 7 views

last updated Sep 21, 2025 08:01AM

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What Members Thought

Feb 13, 2015 Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: georgette-heyer, mystery-murder-crime-20th-century

The good news is that this turned out to be a Heyer that I hadn't read before.

The bad news was that it was absolutely terrible.

Three things save this book from a one star rating.

The first is that my personal one stars for GH's books (not on GR, mainly because I have no intention of reading them ever again) are so much worse. WSaB at least has glimpses of Heyer's wonderful wit. Helen (mercifully suppressed contemporary) & My Lord John (leaden historical) don't.

The second is that two of the secon ...more

29 likes · Like · see review

Jun 10, 2022 Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-murder-crime-20th-century

I really hated this book the first time I read it (review here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...? ) & should have given it 1★. I liked it better this time, but it is still only a 2★ read for me. Easily GH's worst mystery for me - although Footsteps in the Dark is mediocre at best.

I liked Shirley better this time around, but I still can't stand Frank! He was arrogant & often needlessly rude!

There was also (view spoiler)

At lea ...more

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Feb 24, 2015 Jovita Reed rated it really liked it

This book was recommended to me for being similar to Agatha Christie, my favorite mystery writer. However, aside from the location and time, I found it to be very different, though still entertaining. There were some good twists, and I was surprised by the ending. There are some romantic elements, which is not really my thing, but the romance was not distracting. The one thing I did find distracting was the characterizations. The main character in this book is a pompous jerk, and the police are ...more

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