Reading the Detectives discussion
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Crossed Skis
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April 23: Crossed Skis by Carol Carnac (E C R Lorac) (Book 8 in the Julian Rivers Series) (1952)
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I’m about halfway through and enjoying it a lot! Though I think I figured out the perp by page 40 or so. We’ll see whether I’m right.
This was a reread for me, but I enjoyed it very much, listening to the audiobook. This author has been one of my favorite finds through the group, I really enjoy her style whichever name she writes under! I like the way she writes about her chosen setting - this one was really evocative of the grey, slushy London winter, contrasting with the sparkling sunshine, white snow and freezing, fresh air of the Austrian ski resort.
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The spoiler thread is linked below:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
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I loved this contrast and enjoyed the moving to and fro between the two scenes, although, as I remember, I did find it a bit hard to keep track of the sheer number of people on the skiing trip!
I'll echo all the other comments about there being far too many characters in the ski party and little effort to make the majority distinctive - some are literally no more than names.However, I enjoyed the portrait of post-war Britain and Austria and the momentous social changes, especially in the lives of women.
Popping over to the spoiler thread.
I've just finished this and really enjoyed it. It initially seems like an unwieldy cast of suspects but they are quickly whittled down to a manageable number. I liked the character of the detectives which is always important.
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Good point, Sandy!
Sandy wrote: "I am a good way in and like the alternating plot lines. The names of the two detectives are playful; I can remember who is boss vs underling by knowing Rivers are bigger than Brooks."well spotted!
Sandy wrote: "I am a good way in and like the alternating plot lines. The names of the two detectives are playful; I can remember who is boss vs underling by knowing Rivers are bigger than Brooks."Yes Well spotted!
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I finally finished. Know nothing about skiing but it was enjoyable. Didn't Christie suggest keeping your cast manageable at about 7 since people have difficulty keeping that much more straight in their minds. Probably why we don't know much about some of these characters, other than their names.
Crossed skis means danger ahead...
In Bloomsbury, London, Inspector Brook of Scotland Yard looks down at a dismal scene. The victim of a ruthless murder lies burnt beyond recognition, his possessions and papers destroyed by fire. But there is one strange, yet promising, lead—a lead which suggests the involvement of a skier.
Meanwhile, piercing sunshine beams down on the sparkling snow of the Austrian Alps, where a merry group of holidaymakers are heading towards Lech am Arlberg. Eight men and eight women take to the slopes, but, as the C.I.D. scrambles to crack the perplexing case in Britain, the ski party are soon to become sixteen suspects. A riveting piece of British crime fiction that spans from foggy London to the sparkling Alps, the double narrative of this golden age mystery twists and turns with alacrity, culminating in a thrilling denouement.
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