From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

Mad About the Boy? (Jack Haldean Murder Mystery #2)

Dolores Gordon-Smith

Start date: August 1, 2024

Finish date: August 31, 2024

Discussion: Group Challenges

Why we're reading this: Next in our Revisiting the Golden Age challenge.
[close] Next in our Revisiting the Golden Age challenge.

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Group Challenges

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) by Agatha Christie
By Susan · 14 posts · 16 views

last updated Sep 02, 2025 12:08AM

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) - SPOILER Thread
By Susan · 4 posts · 12 views

last updated Sep 01, 2025 04:16PM

What Members Thought

Aug 06, 2024 Susan rated it really liked it

This year, my GA book club has been trying some modern series as a challenge, with very mixed results. To say most are just bad is an understatement, but this has probably been the best of the bunch for me.

Set in 1923, this is the second mystery featuring Jack Haldean. Again, he is visiting his aunt and uncle, Sir Philip and Lady Rivers, who are about to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary. Or try to celebrate it, amongst the murders, mayhems and stray, suspicious Russians, that dominate ...more

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Jul 30, 2024 Susan in NC rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library-book, detective-grp24

I really enjoyed this second book in the Jack Haldean series, and look forward to reading about his further adventures.

It’s 1923, and Jack is at his uncle and aunt’s Essex country estate for a ball to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary. He’s uneasy about his dear cousin Isabelle’s love life though; the two are as close as brother and sister, and he thought she was close to marrying his good old school friend, Arthur. He’s a decent, trustworthy, honorable sort, decorated for action in WWI ...more

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Mar 29, 2014 Damaskcat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Jack Haldean is staying at Hesperus, the country house belonging to his Uncle and Aunt, Sir Philip and Lady Rivers. They are celebrating their Silver Wedding anniversary with a large party. The celebrations are marred by the death, apparently by suicide, of one of the guests. Jack is not convinced that it is suicide and he is concerned about various other events which seem suspicious.

This is a complex story with many strands and some exciting chases, both by car and on foot. I thought it was wel ...more

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Mar 13, 2024 Bev rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british-mystery, mcpl-book, early-20th-c, historical-mystery, mystery, virtual-mount-tbr-2024

The second in the Jack Haldean mystery series finds Jack in the middle of another murder "in the family." This time, his aunt and uncle are celebrating 25th anniversary with a gala ball and fireworks--provided by Lord Lyvenden--who switched from arms for the Great War to pyrotechnics to keep the funds rolling in. The occasion comes with some built-in tension. Isabelle (Jack's cousin) has been keeping his best friend Arthur on a string (Arthur is head over heels in love with her), but has recentl The second in the Jack Haldean mystery series finds Jack in the middle of another murder "in the family." This time, his aunt and uncle are celebrating 25th anniversary with a gala ball and fireworks--provided by Lord Lyvenden--who switched from arms for the Great War to pyrotechnics to keep the funds rolling in. The occasion comes with some built-in tension. Isabelle (Jack's cousin) has been keeping his best friend Arthur on a string (Arthur is head over heels in love with her), but has recently become engaged to dashing Malcolm Smith-Fennimore (merchant banker, aviator, racing driver...that is to say, a ready-made hero). Arthur is miserable, on top of suffering from the effects of shell-shock. There is also trouble between Lord Lyvenden and his secretary, Tim Preston, whom he [Lyvenden] treats as a general gopher instead of a confidential secretary. And then there's the weird Russian bloke who shows up looking for Alfred Charnook, brother of Isabelle's mother and the black sheep of the family.

The party is completely ruined, however, when Preston is found dead--apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Everything points to suicide. There's even a note beside the body that appears to support the theory. But Jack isn't convinced. And when Lord Lyvenden is stabbed to death and all evidence points to Arthur, Jack knows that something devilish is going on. Did someone have it in for both Lyvenden and his secretary? Could it have anything to do with the coded message Preston apparently saw by mistake? Is it a Russian plot? Or is it more complicated than that? And can Jack discover the true villain before Arthur is brought to trial and convicted?

Gordon-Smith evokes the spirit of Christie's thrillers in this one. It makes me think of The Secret of Chimneys and some of the Tommy & Tuppence adventures. There are Russian agents and secret meeting places and what seems like a code. There's Russian gold and Englishmen in tight places over money. There's even a little gun-running. Of course, the real question is what (if anything, this has to do with the murders). This is a grand adventure and lots of fun. I would love to rate it a bit higher--but this time the main culprit was fairly obvious even though their motive wasn't. Not quite as good as the debut of the series, but I am definitely eager to move on to Jack's next adventure. ★★★ and 1/2 (rounded up here)

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. ...more

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Aug 02, 2024 Sandy rated it liked it

Shelves: rread-2024, mystery-detective-grp, kindle-unl-read, z2024-revisit-ga, z2024-kul-10

A fine GA-adjacent mystery with many of the familiar tropes, plus villainous Russians. The lead character and the supporting cast are very likable, except, of course, the ones everyone dislikes.

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