September 2013 - They Found Him Dead

[HJ]

If it's any consolation to anyone, I would have voted for this but just missed the poll! If I'd been more organised it would have won.

[Leslie]

Good choice Jean-Luke :)

[C.J.]

I'm excited to segue in with this one -- the only copy in our library system is the e-book, which seems weird & apt for Heyer.

[Portia]

Waiting for my copy to arrive.

[Sonali]

I have it on my tablet. So read a few pages. Too many people,too many relationships,who is connected to whom,have to get my head around it. Felt a little impatient and have stopped. May try again a few days later.

[Stephanie]

Good choice. I didn't even know Georgette Heyer wrote mysteries. Since my library doesn't have any ebook format for Heyer, I bought my ebook (with a coupon) from Kobo, so I'm set to start.

[C.J.]

Stephanie wrote: "Good choice. I didn't even know Georgette Heyer wrote mysteries. Since my library doesn't have any ebook format for Heyer, I bought my ebook (with a coupon) from Kobo, so I'm set to start."

Stephanie, where did you get your coupon, if you don't mind my asking? I love that Kobo's partnering with indie bookstores & am trying to use them more...

[Carolien]

Georgette Heyer was married to a barrister. Apparently she would plot her mysteries using A, B, C for the characters, discuss the whole howdunit part with her husband and only then write the actual book with proper character names. I've got an ancient copy of the book which I'll pull of the shelf to reread.

[Leslie]

Carolien wrote: "Georgette Heyer was married to a barrister. Apparently she would plot her mysteries using A, B, C for the characters, discuss the whole howdunit part with her husband and only then write the actual..."

Define ancient :) My copy is actually "middle-aged" as far as the paperback mysteries on my shelves go (published in 1987)...

[Stephanie]

Sorry for the delay in answering. I get most of the Kobo codes from Books on the Knob. It's a blog that should come up in Google just fine. You can also occasionally get codes via MobileReads in the freebee section. I think you have to buy an actual Kobo unit to get the coupons in your email. I've never received any in my email and I've been buying from Kobo for over 2 years.

[C.J.]

Stephanie, thanks, this looks like an amazing site!

[Kay]

i finished the book and really enjoyed it. Like it so much I read tbree more of her books. Thanks, Caroleine, for the background on Heyer.

[Kay]

sorry, Carolein

[Ava Catherine]

Loving this book so far. (about halfway through)

[C.J.]

The beginning was stiff but it loosened up by ch. 2, & then I could hardly put it down! (also about halfway through)

[Ellen]

Georgette Heyer's Regency titles are among my favorite books. There are a number of them I reread frequently. I don't know why I had never even tried to read one of her mysteries. I enjoyed this book a lot. I don't think it will be one of those I read again but I will be reading some of her others mysteries. I wish my public library had them.

[Ava Catherine]

This was a thrilling read, and it reminded me so much of Agatha Christie mysteries.

I thought the use of the teenage Timothy Harte in the novel was very clever.

[C.J.]

What especially is reminding me of Christie is how she & Heyer both assume it's not their role to know anything about men's work - their businessmen (or spies or politicians, in Christie) always have very vague responsibilities involving some very vague product or project, e.g. "top-secret plans."

[Leslie]

Connie wrote: "This was a thrilling read, and it reminded me so much of Agatha Christie mysteries.

I thought the use of the teenage Timothy Harte in the novel was very clever."

If you like "terrible Timothy", he appears again in Duplicate Death (although older) :)

[Stephanie]

I think the inclusion of Timothy was absolutely necessary. He adds a lot of vitality to a group of dour people. Rosemary reminds me of that robot in Dr Who. So much so that I wonder if the original writer of Dr Who might have incorporated her character? The little research I've done indicates that Heyer's detective stories were quite popular in the UK.

[Carolien]

Leslie wrote: "Define ancient :) My copy is actually "middle-aged" as far as the paperback mysteries on my shelves go (published in 1987)."

Mine seems to have been printed in 1969. As far as I can remember, it belonged to my grandmother and made it to my shelves when they moved house somewhere in the eighties. I have quite a few of Georgette Heyer's mysteries. One seems to be a first edition printed in 1951 and quite a few printed in the 1960s. I have three that were printed in the 1980s. Based on the number of reprints for each book, they have remained popular for a very long time.

[Carolien]

Jane Aiken Hodge wrote a very nice biography on Georgette Heyer The Private World of Georgette Heyer if anybody is interested to know more about her.

[Ellen]

Carolien wrote: "Jane Aiken Hodge wrote a very nice biography on Georgette Heyer The Private World of Georgette Heyer if anybody is interested to know more about her."
I new bio was just recently published which has gotten good reviews. It is by Jennifer Kloester.

[Carolien]

I'll look it up, thanks.

[Stephanie]

Just an FYI - Kobo books has a HALF OFF sale for September (note, it could end early). You can use the code multiple times. Click on the book to buy, then click on "Have a Gift Card or Promo Code? Click Here". Enter SEPT50 and click apply. Look to the right and if the code works on your book, it will show half off.

Kobo is epub. Some are DRM free and others require knowledge of how to remove DRM to convert to a Kindle or other non-Epub device. Calibre is a good choice either way to store your ebooks. Bought 5 more of this series.

[Ava Catherine]

Leslie wrote: "Connie wrote: "This was a thrilling read, and it reminded me so much of Agatha Christie mysteries.

I thought the use of the teenage Timothy Harte in the novel was very clever."

If you like "terri..."

I'll have to look that one up and give it a go. Thanks for the information, Leslie. This was my first Georgette Heyer novel, and I'm really not certain how I have missed her all these years. Anyway, Duplicate Death is at the top of my tbr list.

[Karlyne]

Well, I must admit to chuckling when Clement decides that he doesn't want to spend what is now HIS money on any risky business propositions after being quite willing for his uncle to risk it!

Timothy is a breath of brash, fresh air, too, and he adds a lot to the narrative. Sez you! (I mean, sez I!)

[Leslie]

Karlyne wrote: "Well, I must admit to chuckling when Clement decides that he doesn't want to spend what is now HIS money on any risky business propositions after being quite willing for his uncle to risk it!..."

:) which really just confirms his uncle had the correct opinion of Clement all along!

[Carolien]

I've just finished rereading this and Georgette Heyer's mysteries remain some of my all time favourites. The plot is clever.

[Penny]

I am late as usual but this is great - am about halfway through! have only read her historical stuff before.

[Karlyne]

Hannasyde is not as memorable as, say, Poirot, but he does come to life here. (I think Timothy does help him and Hemingway both to come alive.)

And I like that the "heroes" (and "heroine) are dumbfounded by the solution- except for Aunt Emily, of course!

[HJ]

I've read this several times before, and so for once I could remember the who- and how-done-it. But it didn't stop me enjoying it again. I found both Rosemary and betty intensely irritating - funny at first, but too annoying. Patricia never really came alive, for me.

Jim and Timothy are the most likeable characters. I found the relationship between Adrian Harte and his wife hard to fathom.

There were too many characters, I think, with the result that only a few were fully fleshed-out. I prefer Heyer's Regencies, but her mysteries aren't bad!

[Becca]

I know the read is almost over but I wanted to share - this title popped up in a daily book deal email I get - it's $1.99 at Barnes and Noble and Apple today. I love Georgette Heyer but my library doesn't have many of her ebook options so I love finding these prices :-)

[C.J.]

Hj, I agree. Fun to read, but the supporting characters were a bit too caricatured, repeating the same note. I suspect the difficulty with Patricia lies in her starting as impersonal "Miss Allison," not described as anything more than a "help," & then suddenly she's young & feisty enough to be the love interest of a man who's much more vivid. I also prefer Heyer's Regencies.

[Leslie]

Hj wrote: "I've read this several times before, and so for once I could remember the who- and how-done-it. But it didn't stop me enjoying it again. I found both Rosemary and betty intensely irritating - fun..."

I too have read this several times, and retain a pretty clear memory of it.

"Jim and Timothy are the most likeable characters. I found the relationship between Adrian Harte and his wife hard to fathom."

Yes, I agree. It is strange that the 2 "boys" are so well written and the parents are so bizarre. I think that when I first read this as a teenager, I just thought they were odd because they were British but as an adult I find Mrs. Harte (I don't remember her name - Emily?) to be a strange wife for the quiet Adrian Harte. Attraction of opposites, perhaps?

[Randa]

My favorite character was actually Adrian Harte. I found him to be rather wise but not an in your face I know it all. I also liked Timothy but found his antics to be rather juvenile...being the mother of a 17 year old (girl though) his behavior seemed so immature.

I found the flow of the book to be awkward. One minute Pat tolerates Jim and the next she's engaged to him. I thought I was missing a chapter or two.

I also had problems with the dialogue which I found to be rather rude at times. I could never tell if words spoken were in jest, exasperation, boredom, etc.

All that being said I did order from the library the next book in which Timothy appears. Didn't love this book but liked it enough to read one more.

[Leslie]

Was Tim 17? I thought he was younger (14 or 15)...

One scene which shows Tim's younger side that I remember is the one in which he has made a home-made burglar alarm but didn't tell anyone (or did he tell Pat?) - then he sleeps through the uproar it causes!

[Penny]

Leslie wrote: "Was Tim 17? I thought he was younger (14 or 15)...

One scene which shows Tim's younger side that I remember is the one in which he has made a home-made burglar alarm but didn't tell anyone (or di..."

Tim is said to be 'rising 14'. My book lists first publication date of 1937.
I thought Rosemary was brilliantly drawn - what actress wouldnt like to be her! Also the old lady and her maid were very funny. I found the inspector and his men rather back seat so unlike Poirot or Marple or Morse - it was all from the family's point of view. I did guess who did it which is unusual for me (unless I am getting better at it!!) I suspected Ogle for a long time. Apparently this is number 3 in the series - I've never heard of them before.

[Stephanie]

Loved the book. As mentioned, Tim was not quite 15 and honestly, his antics were reasonable for his age. Keep in mind that girls mature faster than boys (emotionally anyway).

I also liked Adrian Harte. Placid people are often drawn to exuberant people, but the fact that his wife was out of the country all the time probably helped that marriage considerably. He wouldn't get father of the year, for sure, but consider also when this book was published. Men, especially upper crust men, were not very involved with their children.

Having finished the book, I can appreciate that Heyer included all the characters right at the beginning. This includes both the victims, the actual murderer and the various red herrings. I wonder if she continues that style through her other books.