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Lord Edward Corinth & Verity Browne #8
Something Wicked
A murder mystery featuring Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne Returning from Prague with suspected tuberculosis, Verity Browne checks into a private clinic on Henley-on-Thames - the perfect place for her new fiancé, Lord Edward Corinth, to keep an eye on her. While Verity recuperates at the clinic, Edward is called to investigate a series of murders. Edward's dentist, Dr Eric Silver has been found murdered, shortly after sharing with Edward his suspicions about the deaths of three of his elderly patients. Dr Silver thinks the three deaths have an entomological General Lowther had had a heart attack drinking a wine called Clos des Mouches; Hermione Totteridge, a well-known gardener, had been poisoned by the new insecticide with which she had been experimenting; and James Herold had been stung to death by his bees. Edward's investigation comes to a thrilling climax during what many believe will be the last Henley Royal Regatta before a new European war, and both Edward and Verity are threatened by someone, or something, wicked. Praise for David 'A classic murder mystery [...] and a most engaging pair of amateur sleuths' Charles Osborne, author of The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie 'A really well-crafted and charming mystery story' Daily Mail 'A perfect example of golden-age mystery traditions with the cobwebs swept away' Guardian
Hardcover
First published November 2, 2007
2 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
David Roberts
725 books78 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
David Roberts is an English editor and novelist.
Roberts worked for several years as a book editor at Chatto and Windus, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, and Michael O'Mara Books. Since 2000 he has been a full-time writer, best known for a series of crime novels set during the late 1930s, and featuring the joint adventures of Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne. The novels use actual historical events as a backdrop and there is an Author's Note at the back of the books briefly outlining what happened to the historical characters subsequently.
Publishers Weekly has described his novels as "well-researched" and "first-rate fun".
David Roberts is an English editor and novelist.
Roberts worked for several years as a book editor at Chatto and Windus, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, and Michael O'Mara Books. Since 2000 he has been a full-time writer, best known for a series of crime novels set during the late 1930s, and featuring the joint adventures of Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne. The novels use actual historical events as a backdrop and there is an Author's Note at the back of the books briefly outlining what happened to the historical characters subsequently.
Publishers Weekly has described his novels as "well-researched" and "first-rate fun".
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 19, 2025
Rated specifically at 3.75 stars.
This is a tricky review to write as I enjoy this series and did like this book, but...
There are many positives; the pacing is good, and the writing is strong, and the dialogue pretty much suits the period and characters. The book is well researched and historically accurate in the main and what needs explaining for context is done simply and well. The main characters are believable and have grown through the series. Their conflicting beliefs, attitudes and social positions, as well as their defining characteristics, mean they may often clash but also make the passion and relationship more believable. This familiarity with the characters and prior knowledge does improve the read, but it is not essential to enjoy the book. As always, I am reading these books as I find them and often out of chronology, and it has not mattered yet.
On the downside; this particular instalment has elements other writers have done better.
1. Sulari Gentill does similar characters better- Lord Edward and Verity are very similar to her characters where there is a young lord of an establishment family with a disapproving older brother, a sister in law he has a soft spot for, a nephew he adores, and has disreputable friends and wild and provocative socialist love interest. Gentill's series is set in the same time period and tackles political history and social issues more thoroughly whilst also throwing in a good smattering of real-life figures and events as Roberts does. That is not to say Roberts' work is bad it just lacks the depth.
2. Dorothy L Sayers writes a detective Lord/ butler relationship with more wit and charm and a far better, richer and rounder butler character than Fenton (who is sadly lacking in this book).
3. Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey, Edward Marston, Ruth Rendell, Colin Dexter, Ngaio Marsh, and many others wrote much cleverer and more intricate plots. I knew who the guilty party was almost as soon as they were introduced.
4. Previously, the main characters have been inciteful and explored deduction and analysis of information, but in this book that seems to be missing, implying the truth would have been far too obvious if the usual intelligence and interplay between the main characters was evident.
All that said, what Roberts does do is craft all the ingredients together into an enjoyable dish. It may not be Michelin cuisine, but it is still tasty and satisfying like all good comfort food.
This is a tricky review to write as I enjoy this series and did like this book, but...
There are many positives; the pacing is good, and the writing is strong, and the dialogue pretty much suits the period and characters. The book is well researched and historically accurate in the main and what needs explaining for context is done simply and well. The main characters are believable and have grown through the series. Their conflicting beliefs, attitudes and social positions, as well as their defining characteristics, mean they may often clash but also make the passion and relationship more believable. This familiarity with the characters and prior knowledge does improve the read, but it is not essential to enjoy the book. As always, I am reading these books as I find them and often out of chronology, and it has not mattered yet.
On the downside; this particular instalment has elements other writers have done better.
1. Sulari Gentill does similar characters better- Lord Edward and Verity are very similar to her characters where there is a young lord of an establishment family with a disapproving older brother, a sister in law he has a soft spot for, a nephew he adores, and has disreputable friends and wild and provocative socialist love interest. Gentill's series is set in the same time period and tackles political history and social issues more thoroughly whilst also throwing in a good smattering of real-life figures and events as Roberts does. That is not to say Roberts' work is bad it just lacks the depth.
2. Dorothy L Sayers writes a detective Lord/ butler relationship with more wit and charm and a far better, richer and rounder butler character than Fenton (who is sadly lacking in this book).
3. Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey, Edward Marston, Ruth Rendell, Colin Dexter, Ngaio Marsh, and many others wrote much cleverer and more intricate plots. I knew who the guilty party was almost as soon as they were introduced.
4. Previously, the main characters have been inciteful and explored deduction and analysis of information, but in this book that seems to be missing, implying the truth would have been far too obvious if the usual intelligence and interplay between the main characters was evident.
All that said, what Roberts does do is craft all the ingredients together into an enjoyable dish. It may not be Michelin cuisine, but it is still tasty and satisfying like all good comfort food.
Read
September 28, 2024I really enjoyed Something Wicked, It had a Cociness about it, I look forward to the next Corinth and Browne
October 5, 2015
I could not finish this book. I got 90% of the way through it and put it down with an exclamation.
Good: Roberts does a pretty good exposé of the political situation just before the war - which is useful for anyone who is not already familiar with pre-war European shenanigans. His portrayal of Kay, the pilot and tennis player is very reminiscent of Beryl Markham and her ilk - most apt as it brings us back to the Happy Valley Set in Nairobi which is much referenced in the story.
Bad: Both Edward Corinth and Verity Browne seem to have parked their intellects in the glove compartment of the Lagonda. The author tries to disguise the identity of the culprit (murderer) by throwing lots of red herrings our way, they did not fool me and they should not have fooled Lord Edward. There were very many pointers showing who the murderer was, and Edward's realization that this was probably the culprit makes it mystifying why he puts himself and his precious Verity in peril several times within reach of the evil doer. This is especially bizarre when both of them are hampered by illness and/or injury. It is so unnecessary, and so ham-fisted that I can only think that the writer was under terrible deadline pressures. I stopped reading Nancy Drew when I was 13 because she threw herself into danger willy nilly like a nitwit destroying the believability of her cleverness. Here Corinth and Verity do the same. Moreover, the dialogue is made unbelievable as the characters are bent to satisfy awkward plot twists.
Ugly: (okay, I know I'm straining the metaphor here). My last complaint cannot be laid at the door of the writer, but of the publisher. The cover of a book should provide a clue to the contents, particularly to the tone of the material. The story description on the fly leaf can only go so far, thus the image is an important way of denoting the emotional character. The cover of "Something Wicked" looks like a travel poster from the 30s - look how much fun we're having - don't you wish you were here? This is completely at odds with the melancholy tone of Verity's distress at being in a sanatorium with a potentially fatal disease, and with everyone's fears about the inevitability of another 'Great War.' The references to mass slaughter in Guernica, to concentration camps, to refugees, to the devastation caused by the first war and the influenza that followed, create an atmosphere of dark foreboding. This is not what is suggested by the 'cozy' style cover art.
Good: Roberts does a pretty good exposé of the political situation just before the war - which is useful for anyone who is not already familiar with pre-war European shenanigans. His portrayal of Kay, the pilot and tennis player is very reminiscent of Beryl Markham and her ilk - most apt as it brings us back to the Happy Valley Set in Nairobi which is much referenced in the story.
Bad: Both Edward Corinth and Verity Browne seem to have parked their intellects in the glove compartment of the Lagonda. The author tries to disguise the identity of the culprit (murderer) by throwing lots of red herrings our way, they did not fool me and they should not have fooled Lord Edward. There were very many pointers showing who the murderer was, and Edward's realization that this was probably the culprit makes it mystifying why he puts himself and his precious Verity in peril several times within reach of the evil doer. This is especially bizarre when both of them are hampered by illness and/or injury. It is so unnecessary, and so ham-fisted that I can only think that the writer was under terrible deadline pressures. I stopped reading Nancy Drew when I was 13 because she threw herself into danger willy nilly like a nitwit destroying the believability of her cleverness. Here Corinth and Verity do the same. Moreover, the dialogue is made unbelievable as the characters are bent to satisfy awkward plot twists.
Ugly: (okay, I know I'm straining the metaphor here). My last complaint cannot be laid at the door of the writer, but of the publisher. The cover of a book should provide a clue to the contents, particularly to the tone of the material. The story description on the fly leaf can only go so far, thus the image is an important way of denoting the emotional character. The cover of "Something Wicked" looks like a travel poster from the 30s - look how much fun we're having - don't you wish you were here? This is completely at odds with the melancholy tone of Verity's distress at being in a sanatorium with a potentially fatal disease, and with everyone's fears about the inevitability of another 'Great War.' The references to mass slaughter in Guernica, to concentration camps, to refugees, to the devastation caused by the first war and the influenza that followed, create an atmosphere of dark foreboding. This is not what is suggested by the 'cozy' style cover art.
January 27, 2008
Very good. Really captured the period.
March 20, 2015
Love the interwoven threads of the approach to WWII and old school ties.
November 10, 2019
The love relationship between main character and girlfriend adds too much drama and the story is too long-winded for my liking.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews