A Case of Perplexity in Piccadilly (Freddy Pilkington-Soames 7) - SPOILER Thread - (Feb/March 24)

[Susan]

Welcome to our Feb/March 24 buddy read A Case of Perplexity in Piccadilly Published in 2022 this is the seventh, and currently last, book in the Freddy Pilkington-Soames series so another series we have finished.

West End theatre impresario Septimus Gooch is a man with many enemies, but when he's found dead in his leading lady's dressing-room the police put it down to an accident.

The cast of Septimus's latest musical production at the Jollity Theatre are having none of it, however—this is the second mysterious death in two months, and they're convinced Septimus died after being frightened out of his wits by the ghost that's haunted the theatre ever since it burned to the ground many years ago. A malevolent spirit is on the loose, striking them down one by one. Which of them will be next?

Press-man Freddy Pilkington-Soames was backstage at the Jollity on the night Septimus died. He doesn't believe in ghosts, but he knows a suspicious death when he sees one—and when a third person dies there's no doubt this time that a human hand was behind it.

Freddy's fending off the attentions of several chorus-girls at once, so has his own distractions to contend with. But murder's no joke, and he'll do anything he can to catch the killer before the whole production falls apart.

After all, the show must go on.

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

[Jill]

I'm pleased that I managed to read the whole series, but I don't feel the books improved as they went along, and I felt that Freddy has changed over the time

[Michaela]

Jill wrote: "I'm pleased that I managed to read the whole series, but I don't feel the books improved as they went along, and I felt that Freddy has changed over the time"

Finished it today, and agree with what you said.

[Judy]

I finished this now but must agree with you both, Jill and Michaela. He became less amusing and outrageous somewhere along the way. I quite enjoyed it but it certainly wasn't one of my favourites in the series.

I also felt the solution wasn't very fair - it seemed to come out of nowhere.

[Susan]

I think this series got a little lost. Perhaps it's one reason why the author has returned to Angela Marchmont in her latest.

[Susan in NC]

Good point - she gave Freddy a couple of interesting cases, potential love interests, the obnoxious but humorous Corky as a bete noire - then just moved on, or wrote them out. Any chance for Freddy to grow, become a deeper, more interesting character went by the wayside! It was as if she didn’t want to venture beyond his Bertie Wooster-ish innocence, and ability to sort of float over events without being touched by them - but only Wodehouse could do that, and that’s why he’s a legend and we still read him today!