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December 2025 group read - Winner!
By Judy · 28 posts · 32 views
By Judy · 28 posts · 32 views
last updated Oct 15, 2025 10:39AM
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Oct 25: Murder Included (#1 D.I. Price) by Joanna Cannan
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By Susan · 12 posts · 17 views
last updated 9 hours, 22 min ago
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Other topics mentioning this book
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June 22: Murder at Monk's Barn - SPOILER Thread (1931)
By Susan · 25 posts · 22 views
By Susan · 25 posts · 22 views
last updated Jul 14, 2022 07:38PM
What Members Thought
This mystery was published in 1944 and is set during WWII, so has a really authentic feel to it. Bruce Manaton, artist, is living in a shabby studio, with his put upon sister, Roseanne. One evening, he is painting the actor, Bruce Manaton, in his role as a Cardinal, while Roseanne prepares a meal and two other men, Robert Cavendish and Ian Mackennon are playing chess. The blackout holds the group in darkness, while flickering lights throw shadows around the room, when there is a knocking on the
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My first book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed the interesting setting and convoluted plot. An old man is murdered in his house and there are a small number of suspects. Next door a group of friends had spent the evening together and claim ignorance of the event until the police arrives at the door. Quick enjoyable police procedural set in WWII.
This book started with 5 people in a building which was used as a studio, it having a kitchen/bathroom attached. Two of the men in the main room were an artist busy at an easel, and his model sitting on a throne, wearing the bright colours of a cardinal. Two other men were sitting at a table close by absorbed in a game of chess. The fifth person was the sister of the artist who was cooking a dinner in the kitchen. She did occasionally open the door to the studio to see how things were going with
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Lorac’s Inspector Macdonald of Scotland Yard is both competent and likable in his approach to solving a crime. He isn’t quirky or pompous and projects an “everyman” persona as he goes about his investigation.
This particular murder story involves an assortment of characters and the plot moves along at a slow and steady pace, so much so that it almost appears that the investigating becomes filler.
This is the underlying method of the author: cast a wide net and then slowly let all the dross screen ...more
This particular murder story involves an assortment of characters and the plot moves along at a slow and steady pace, so much so that it almost appears that the investigating becomes filler.
This is the underlying method of the author: cast a wide net and then slowly let all the dross screen ...more
Quite short and not as involving as others of her books, but still enjoyable, and Inspector MacDonald is as good as ever. (Audiobook)
Loved it!
3.5*
Lorac has written an wonderful detective with Inspector MacDonald. He is kind and considerate to his team and the suspects. While he has no personal life (in the books) he comes across as both fully human and an excellent investigator. This book also has an interesting set of book-specific artistic characters, an atmospheric setting of foggy London during the blitz, and is only marred by a slightly unbelievable solution (somewhat common in GA mysteries).
Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
Disappointing. The mystery was good, but the characters were rubbish.
Sep 11, 2020
Anissa
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
Shelves:
british-library-crime-classics
Feb 21, 2021
Tracey
marked it as to-read
Aug 07, 2021
Pat Miller
added it
Apr 30, 2024
Fiona
marked it as to-read
