Reading the Detectives discussion
This topic is about
Death in the Stocks
Buddy reads
>
Death in the Stocks - SPOILER Thread - Nov/Dec 21
date
newest »
newest »
in the non spoiler thread, people are very irritated with Kenneth and his sister. over time, I have become used to him and I actually like her for how casual she is about everything. They are so unconcerned about the murder investigation they were planning a trip to Sweden! someone in the Heyer group pointed out that she was very uncaring that her dog did some damage to another dog, and I do dislike that, but other than that I just got used to her and her insouciance. I guess because I am so anxious it seems wonderful to me that she can be carefree.
I wish we could see the art that Kenneth has done!
The murderer surprised me, but that isn't hard to do: if an author is even halfway talented I am always lead astray by their red herrings. I'm sure I thought the embezzeler did it the first read.
I like how she stood up for him even though it was "poor show"! Antonia values loyalty above all.
Jackie wrote: "in the non spoiler thread, people are very irritated with Kenneth and his sister. over time, I have become used to him and I actually like her for how casual she is about everything. They are so un..."I agree with you, this time around I found Antonia and even Kenneth more outrageous and farcical then truly annoying. As you say, her loyalty and confidence are attractive. I would love to have seen Kenneth’s police sketches - at the end he wants to stay on to complete the series, even if he’s proven innocent! I get the feeling from Hannasyde’s comments Kenneth really was talented - and Leslie and Murgatroyd, who both seem very sensible women otherwise, seem to adore him, so he can’t be all bad, I guess!
I have just finished this now. I agree that Antonia and Kenneth are outrageous, but they are a little overly flippant and absurd. I think it is the beginning scene, where Antonia is found in her half-brothers house that sets the scene.
They're a little over the top, alright but I didn't find them annoying like some of her characters in other books. I enjoyed the witty dialogue and humour a lot.
I don't know if I can say I was completely surprised by the murderer not to say that I'd guessed but since it was so very hard to pinpoint any of them, I did consider each in turn, including Murgatroyd. I had wondered if it would turn out to be Leslie though since she felt so strongly about Kenneth.
Lady Clementina wrote: "I don't know if I can say I was completely surprised by the murderer not to say that I'd guessed but since it was so very hard to pinpoint any of them, I did consider each in turn, including Murgat..."I wondered about both of them as well, the slavish devotion to such an obnoxious man - they obviously saw something in him.
Kenneth is one of the more irritating of Heyer's young men, and I don't find him amusing at all, though Antonia is less arrogant. I think it's because a) Kenneth isn't a romantic name and b) he is so terribly self-obsessed.
ha! faint praise, indeed. once I'd read the book a few times, Tony (especially) and her brother became real to me and I enjoy them for who they are. annoying, for sure.
it still makes me laugh that her boyfriend, the embezzeler, is talking and she sudddenly remembers she might have some almonds. he was so offended she interupted him for that!
i've just finished this and quite enjoyed it, although I was disappointed that Tony didn't do more of the detecting-I suppose I was expecting one of Christie's adventurous young women! I also find the whole getting engaged to someone you don't particularly like or love thing annoying, particularly Kenneth who had this strange mix of possessive jealousy about Violet without appearing to like her very much. Are we expected to believe that she committed 2 murders on the expectation of marrying the money? Seems a bit farfetched even for a murder mystery! Anyway, I look forward to the next H&H instalment.
Finished it today and found it disappointing. Kenneth and Antonia were not amusing at all. They were obnoxious. And what was the use of the inspector and his sergeant if the amateur was going to solve the case? The only character I could warm up to was Roger who gave the Vereker siblings a taste of their own medicine. I wish he had not been killed.



A moonlit night. A sleeping village. And an unaccountable murder...
An English Bobbie returning from night patrol finds a corpse in evening dress locked in the stocks on the village green. He identifies the body immediately. Andrew Vereker was not a well-loved man, and narrowing down the suspects is not going to be an easy job. The Vereker family are corrupt and eccentric -and hardly cooperative ...
Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.