Amendment of Life: A Mystery

Inspector Sloan #19

by Catherine Aird

For decades, Catherine Aird’s crime novels featuring C.D. Sloan have been beloved by fans and lauded by critics for their adroit plotting, playful wit, and literate charm. With Amendment of Life, Aird delivers the lively and engrossing novel that readers have come to rely upon.

Detective Chief Inspector C.D. Sloan of the Calleshire CID is used to the occasional oddity in his relatively quiet part of the English countryside. But lately things have taken a strange turn. First, in the center of a yew maze that is the showpiece of the Tudor-era house, Aumerle Court, a body is spotted by Miss Daphne Pedlinge, the elderly chatelaine of the Court. By the time the groundskeeper actually makes it to the center, he, too, spies the body, and it is indeed dead.

Meanwhile, a few miles away, a slaughtered rabbit is left on the Bishop’s doorstep in nearby Calleford, an omen as portentous as the body in the maze. Now Inspector Sloan, with the somewhat trying personage of Constable Crosby in tow, must uncover what precisely is going on as they launch an investigation with more twists and turns than the maze itself.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, British Literature, Humor, Crime, Procedural

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Kinn Hamilton McIntosh, known professionally as Catherine Aird, was an English novelist. She was the author of more than twenty crime fiction novels and several collections of short stories. Her witty, literate, and deftly plotted novels straddle the "cozy" and "police procedural" genres and are somewhat similar in flavour to those of Martha Grimes, Caroline Graham, M.C. Beaton, Margaret Yorke, and Pauline Bell. Aird was inducted into the prestigious Detection Club in 1981, and is a recipient of the 2015 Cartier Diamond Dagger award.

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very enjoyable set of mysteries, including murder, for Inspector Sloan to solve. There were many puzzling circumstances to decipher, starting with the dead body of a young mother in the middle of a maze at a country estate and including a lost goat, demonic pieces of nonsense distributed at a Close upsetting the Bishop, a young child at the hospital with inherited disease indicating infidelity and so much more to sift through. All of it done with wry humour and a very sharp old woman who oversees the maze from her wheelchair overlooking the maze with her binoculars.
Just my third book from this author and many more to look forward to.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. This is one in a series, that I'd been reading off and on, starting methodically with the oldest one (The Religious Body, 1966), ordering them by inter-library loan. In this one I leaped ahead, because I needed a book and it was on the shelf in front of me. I was amused to see that the time was current, but the main characters were mostly the same, including the inept constable.

Catherine Aird's mysteries are always rich in setting and character. This one had an eccentric old lady, a labyrinth, the missing goat, a shady nephew, complicated lighting schemes, a disreputable bathrobe, eternal traffic problems, etc. A good read.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Sloan's department is investigating 1) a dumped body at the center of the complicated maze of a manor house, and 2) an array of satanic symbols deposited throughout a bishop's church complex. A fast-paced, clever mystery based on the psychology of the characters.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rate this actually as a bit below ok. To me ok is average and nothing bad about that at all. This one is slightly less than average but probably doesn't deserve a 1. The story isn't bad, it is light for a police mystery, actually reads more like a cozy without many of the same characters showing up from book to book. She does a good job in characterization and you get a feeling for their community.

My complaint is that the investigation begins more than half way through the book. And even then it is mostly interviews and establishing alibis. Suddenly it dawns on the investigator the answer without there really being a clue to allow the reader to figure it out. I wouldn't call it unfair according to the "rules" of a mystery novel, the information isn't given to the investigator without being given to the reader but at the same time there really isn't a real clue at all.

I liked the earlier books in this series that I have read much more.

[Lark of The Bookwyrm's Hoard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Review to come.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting mystery involving two seemingly disparate events but end up being connected, of course! A maze and a goat, but they aren’t in the same place.

Can’t say too much without giving away clues. Well, drawn characters who are much more in the foreground here than in other books. Sloan’s careful eye is still there, but the usual supporting cast is a bit more in the background. And there is a tragedy within a tragedy here.

Like the use of the maze as well. Quick read!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are strange things going on in the close of Calleford cathedral, and the Bishop is afraid it means an outbreak of black magic. But elderly Daphne Pedlinge spots an all-too-real body in the center of the maze of her historic house. Miss Pedlinge knows a dead body when she sees it (the War, you know) and has the police called out immediately. Detective Inspector C.D. Sloan has only the negligible help of Constable Crosby, but he soon realizes that there must be a connection between the close and the maze--but what could it be?

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second time I have read this and I was surprised that I remembered the story and the identity of the murderer. I suppose this might be described as a cosy police mystery. Detective Inspector Sloan and his bumbling assistant Detective Constable Crosby never age though the books are set in the present. The author has a charming and witty style and I do like this series. It's slow paced and not much happens but this is still a good read. I would love to be able to re-read this whole series again but the earlier books no longer seem to be available.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this series and Constable Crosby is a favorite of mine. He may not be the brightest bulb on the force but he certainly make it interesting. And Detective Sloan does manage to solve the crime even with Crosby's presence. They are nice and short but very well done.

[Particle_Person · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonably good procedural mystery. Crosby and Sloan are always fun, but there's nothing special about this book. Solidly three stars, no more no less, and a very quick read.

[Kacper Nedza · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) Brisk, eminently readable, a little too breezy. Some of the characters are memorable in the brief encounters with them, but others are paper-thin. A good, not great, entertainment.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

What does a slaughtered rabbit, left on a Bishop's doorstep have to do with a dead woman, found in the center of a yew maze?  Quite a bit, actually.  This is the 19th tale of wit and charm from the hand of Catherine Aird.  She is the master of clever plotting and sly wit.

Detective Chief Inspector C.D. Sloan of the Calleshire CID, with pitifully little help from Constable Crosby, must determine if Margaret Collins committed suicide or was killed.  The incident couldn't have happened at a less convenient time than while little James Collins was in the hospital with a hereditary eye problem.  While David Collins was at work and he thought his wife was at the hospital, spending the night with James, someone killed Margaret.    She was found the next morning by Miss Daphne Pedlinge, the elderly owner of the Tudor-era Aumerle Court (and the maze mentioned above).

Catherine Aird has been one of my secret passions for many, many years.  I've read all of her stories several times.  They are getting to be hard to find, but are worth the search.  I've learned so much about Shakespeare, British dry wit, and life in the small hamlets of England from this great writer.

Sloan and Crosby Mysteries
--- skipped several --- 
15. InjuryTime (1994)  
16. AfterEffects (1996) 
17. Stiff News (1998)
18. Little Knell (2000)
** 19. Amendment of Life (2002) 
20.A Hole in One (2005)    

[Yibbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spooky, and yet, there is a settled feeling that our hero will come out with a sensible solution at the end. Unless they are thwarted by the all-seeing martiarch who knows every thread running through this maze, that is. The characters in this one work really well together. Sloan and his eternal patience with his know-it-all boss, the Bishop with his settled ways, and the pain hidden under the most ordinary of people, all come together at the center of a maze of clues and personality. It was a good mystery and very clean.

[Kathy Sebesta · Rating 2 out of 5]

By #19 in a series you'd expect the main characters to be fully fledged, top of their form. Not here. Not only did I have trouble remembering who was supposed to be the star (Inspector Sloan of course), but I couldn't see that he was doing anything except persevering. Thankfully it was a short book.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

a favorite author of mine.

I always enjoy C. D. Sloan and his sidekick, Crosby, who generally makes some remarks right on the nose. But in this case the guilty party was described as really very upset about the death. Hmmm…anyway I still liked it. A good old fashioned murder sans violence, fights and suspense.

[Rennie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short and cosy mystery with nothing really wrong but nothing really great either. Having said that, for book 19, it was good. I had only read the first one which I enjoyed so now I might try to read some of the earlier ones that might have more pizazz as I do like Inspector Sloan.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aird's mysteries are so satisfying. The dialogue is witty, the (lead) detective is smart and thoughtful, his sidekick is dumb as dust, and all of the pieces of the plot fit.

This one seemed like there was no real suspect, and then, ah, yes, that's how it was done. Very clever indeed.

[Nichola · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little predictable but the motive was one of the few I understand and the method of creating an alibi was interesting. And Crosby was right! For once.

This was fun as always but I feel like the author was more interested in the alibi than the murderer.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. When a woman's body is found in the maze at a local manor house, and Satanic symbols and a goat are found at the Minster, Sloan and Crosby have their hands full trying to find the culprits. Very enjoyable, quick read, with touches of humor.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a real pleasure with the clever word play and the engaging characters. I'm working through this series again for the 4th or 5th time. Each installment is such a lovely diversion.

[Sara Aye Moung · Rating 3 out of 5]

More 3.5 than 3. I enjoyed this . Straightforward and engaging plot and characters.

[Linda Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying reading my way through this series. I love the dry humor.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each mystery is intriguing and laced with humour -- I love Catherine Aird's DI Sloan series! This one centers on a woman's body found in a maze by a grounds cleaner.

[Joy O’Toole · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Very clever solution to the mystery which was right in front of my eyes but I didn’t see it.

[Libby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting case for Sloan to solve after a body is found in a maze.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first book that I've read by Catherine Aird and my friends tell me that I definitely started with the wrong one. That's me. A short, kind of breezy, book starring a dead body in the middle of a yew maze, a goat tetered in a garden in a Cathedral close, a young child who has to have his eye removed, and dead animals left on doorsteps. I did like the ah-ha moment, but wasn't wild about the explanation offered in the wrap-up. I think that I will give this author another try, but plan to check out some of her earlier works.

[Kirsty Darbyshire]

Short and sweet, but really pretty well executed. A detective story that does exactly what is says on the tin and clears the reading palette after something rich like the Hill I just read. Not an author I've come across before but one I'll certainly try again. A very neat story about mazes and light shows and goats in cathedral closes.

[Phyllis McHale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner

This rare mix of humor and solving murders keeps one entertained throughout the tale. Sloan and Crosby are a good fit even though it's often suggested that Crosby is unduly obtuse.
The bits about the clergy in this mystery prove not only riveting but relevant.
The motive for this maze staged murder is very grim.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It starts with the body in maze, and goes on to cover evil doings outside the church.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very gentle British procedural, but, for me, a page-turner nonetheless. Funny, too!