A Mysterious Affair of Style

Evadne Mount #2

by Gilbert Adair

London 1946. An actress is murdered, not just on camera but in full view of a crowded film set. Only six people had an opportunity to administer the poison yet not one of them had a conceivable motive. As Evadne Mount, bestselling crime novelist, discovers, however, all six did have a motive for committing another, earlier, still unsolved murder yet, on that occasion, not one of them had the opportunity...

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Historical Mystery, British Literature

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Gilbert Adair was a Scottish novelist, poet, film critic and journalist. Born in Edinburgh, he lived in Paris from 1968 through 1980. He is most famous for such novels as Love and Death on Long Island (1997) and The Dreamers (2003), both of which were made into films, although he is also noted as the translator of Georges Perec's postmodern novel A Void, in which the letter e is not used. Adair won the 1995 Scott Moncrieff Translation Prize for this work.

In 1998 and 1999 Adair was the chief film critic for The Independent on Sunday, where in 1999 he also wrote a year-long column called "The Guillotine." In addition to the films made from his own works, Adair worked on the screenplays for a number of Raúl Ruiz films. Although he rarely spoke of his sexual orientation in public, not wishing to be labelled, he acknowledge in an interview that there were many gay themes in his work. He died from a brain hemorrhage in 2011.

(source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Sara Eames · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun cosy mystery that gently pokes fun at itself (and other books in this genre). An enjoyable read with well-written characters and a plot that moves at a steady pace. All-in-all, a fun read.

[Mark Flowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though Adair expresses misgivings from the very beginning (in a foreward which explains that he didn't *want* to write a sequel, because he never likes to repeat himself, but finally realized that writing a sequel would be something new for him and thus *not* repeating himself), and again in the third (much more postmodern) book in the trilogy (in which he refers to this one as an inferior retread of the first, in actuality, this book is in almost every way superior to the Act of Roger Murgatroyd. The characters and jokes are sharper, the mystery at once more possible to solve and more interesting, and (most importantly) since the subject matter (film) is so much more familiar to Adair (a film critic by day), the whole book is altogether tied together better than the first novel in the series (which, nevertheless, I liked very much).

[Mala · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good one! Really enjoyed it.
Recommended.

[Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite at the beginning of the book, on page 15, Evadne Mount, one of the main characters and a crime fiction writer herself, states: "But you're right, it's (annotation: her book) too clever for its own good. It's what you might call clever-clever, which sounds twice as clever itself but is actually only half."
That was exactly what I think of "A mysterious affair of style". It's not that it is a bad book, but it felt so overly constructed to me, that it started to bore me quite soon. Even though I like Adairs cast of characters, especially Evadne Mount and Cora Rutherford. Nonetheless it's one of these books that won't leave a lasting imprint, without bothering one too much either.

[amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I see what you did there" my main response.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book fifteen years ago when I found a copy in a local charity shop (I still have it though I am not sure why) and read it because I had nothing else to read at the time but I knew the author from his novels 'Life and Death on Long Island' and 'Buenas Noches, Buenos Aires' and that it was a pastiche/send-up/homage to Agatha Christie's detective oeuvre.

I read it and enjoyed it but have felt no need to read any of Adair's other detective novels but then I've felt no need to read any Agatha Christie detective novels or indeed any either 'golden age' or modern detective fiction. I do remember thinking, after finishing the book, "Well that wasn't as awful as 'Murder by Death' (a film of such bizarre awfulness that it should be a camp classic but thankfully isn't. Even a term as elastic as 'camp' couldn't be stretched that far)."

For me a novel which I can only recall as being better than a notoriously bad film is not one I am about to recommend (and I really must remove it from my overcrowded shelves). But I haven't read Agatha Christie since I was a schoolboy and even then I read the few I did without enthusiasm and I also actively avoid most crime/detective novels. So I may be a tainted source when it comes to this novel but I am certain I will always remain one.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a detective novel that read like high literature but ostensibly forgot to be a detective novel well until halfway through the book. The great reveal explained why this was so, but unfortunately, whether because of this obviously weird setup, or whether because the solution was literally the first reasonable hypothesis that could be formed, the whole thing seemed very obvious instead of very clever. Still, I kinda enjoyed it, if only for the good writing.

[Garry Widdop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good whodunnit right up until the reveal, which was run of the mill. I expected more considering the plot twist at the end of Gilbert Adair's first murder mystery...'The Act of Roger Murgatroyd', was really good. I enjoy the characters, Evadne Mount and Chief inspector Trubshawe, it's just a shame that 90% of the book was spoiled by the final 10%.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second of Gilbert Adair’s affectionate satires of Golden Age murder mysteries. An actress is murdered on set, in full view of cast and crew and none of the suspects have a motive. It’s all enjoyably daft, with Adair adding a Hitchcock-esque film director to complement his Agatha Christie-style heroine. Far from essential, but fun.

[Nicolas Chinardet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adair is having fun with the tropes of the whodunit genre. Some elements are not completely convincing and feel a little underconsidered but there are some very funny bits too. Not to be taken seriously but to be enjoyed for what it is.

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adair sends up the Christie-type of British mystery again in an entertaining and fluffy who-dunit. Set pieces include a film-set, and devotees of Hitchcock will get the in-jokes and asides sprinkled throughout.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

solid but unspectacular

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

not quite as good as its predecessor, but still well constructed and full of fun details

[Sue Bowden · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this is a parodic rip-off of an Agatha Christie novel. Mildly amusing and entertaining but not one that I would necessarily recommend unless this genre is to your liking.

[Calum Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of frothy fun, albeit inferior in almost every way to its predecessor, The Act of Roger Murgatroyd.

The setting is appealing: a film set, recovering from the tragic (?) death of a tyrannical film director who bore more than a personal and artistic resemblance to Alfred Hitchcock. (Hitchcock + Christie - I could hardly love Adair's cultural reference points more.) There's lots of poking fun at itself, and Hitchcock, and the cliches of golden age detective fiction. The mystery is hardly A-grade, but it's well done. The whole thing zips along nicely.

But mere fun-poking is disappointing, given the tour de force of the first novel. Roger Murgatroyd poked fun, but then pulled the rug from under us in the third act with a dazzling postmodern wallop. It was brilliant. Here, there's no wallop - Adair seems happy with a gentle pastiche. Which is fine, but can't help but be disappointing especially when you've read and enjoyed the first one as much as I did.

[Helle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a parody of Agatha Christies work, but although there are some fun references to the Queen of Crime, it did not seem like a parody to me. Still, I found A Mysterious Affair of Style a very amusing novel, great fun to read.

Since I did not read the prequel (which, if other reviews are to be believed, should be better), the characters were new to me. This did not bother me, as it is perfectly readable without any foreknowledge. There are quite a few references to the previous novel though, and I could have done with less.

The story itself is a pretty straightforward mystery, clever, yet somewhat predictable. The characters are divers and fun to read about, if you don’t expect any character development. As mentioned: a fun book.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I previously read The Act of Roger Murgatroyd by Gilbert Adair, which was passed onto me, being the huge fan of Agatha Christie that I am. The title was clearly a play on that of Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and I was keen to read this parody and see what the story entailed. I didn't find it a spectacular novel, and I was really quite put off reading this next instalment.

Over a year and a half later, I finally picked up the second such book, A Mysterious Affair of Style, to read. Sadly, I didn't find this book any better than the first one, and I actually found it arguably worse. If not for being a fan of Christie, I can't imagine I would ever have picked this book up, and this second novel even lacked the humorous nods to Christie's work that had made the first bearable.

It was a real struggle to get through, and I had to wade through it for the most part. However, I really did like the idea for this story much more than the last, which did help me to keep my perseverance up a little.

You can read my full review here: https://theforeverbookworm.blogspot.c...

[Lois · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the cover so much I bought the following book in the series as well. I'm still going to read it, but I'm not as excited about it now.

It's fair to say that the author is in a disadvantaged position in terms of my review. Firstly, the bookshop didn't have the first book of the series, so I didn't know the characters before beginning this. Secondly, I understand that each book is linked to one of Agatha Christie's books. I think AC is a great writer, but I haven't read whichever of her books links to 'A mysterious affair of style' and therefore cannot appreciate any clever pokes in that direction.

The blurb drew me in straight away, two humerous-sounding people teaming up to solve a murder, with a promised twist in regards to the suspects. And I'm likely in the minority, because the Times, Observer and Scotsman all seem to love this writer. But with all that being said, I found the two main characters rather dull. Particularly Chief inspector Trubshawe. He appeared to me to be a bored and boring old man, who only became interesting when he finally started to put his head to the crime to try to solve it, which was at chapter 13 of 16, and far too late for me. The other main character, the real detective of the story is Evadne Mount. Being eccentric was really the only positive aspect of her character. She was heartily too caught up in enjoying the sound of her own voice. Watching these two together was a little like watching paint dry. And I found their initial reaction to the murder to be far too uncaring, despite Evadne's protests later on. That really put me off them too.

If it wasn't for these two, I might have given the story five stars. Because the actual murder, the suspects, the setting, the twists, they were all excellent and enjoyable. There were some amusing comments from GA to the reader in the text. Commenting on how trying it was for a reader to have to read half the book before the murder was committed (as was the case!) and promising a satisfying ending and the like. Evadne is also jealous of Agatha Christie, which if I'd liked her would have made me love her, but instead only made me like the writer better. I would have prefered to have Gilbert Adair solve the mystery to be honest. He sounds like the kind of character the other two promised to be.

I feel a little guilty about the two stars, but in goodreads three stars means I liked it, and I can't be just that positive about the experience.

[Jameson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow not as fun as the first one, The Act of Roger Murgatroyd. Both were well-written breezy fluff, but this one seems less a pastiche or parody and more like an honest comic mystery set after the war. I can't say it succeeds as either, really, but it's a decent enough way to kill an afternoon.

Agatha Christie diehards, don't bother going to great lengths to acquire this one. It's promise isn't delivered. But if you have money to spare by all means.

(Also, the ending was a straight up cartoon, and what's up with the romantic pairing? I thought she was...)

EDIT: I think it is necessary to combat ignorance whenever I see it, so in that effort I am addending here a comment I left on another review that complained this book's anti-Semitism, however "vintage," was not "cute":

The anti-Semitism, and the homophobia, for that matter, aren't vintage. This book was published in 2007, actually. And certainly those aspects of the book were not meant to be vintage or even "cute," they were meant to lampshade and deride the anti-Semitism and homophobia in mysteries from the Golden Age that were very much commonplace in that period of time. It is extremely silly and small-minded of modern readers to judge authors for expressing contemporary views but it's astonishingly ignorant to mistake disapproval for anti-Semitism and homophobia for the real thing.

Not cute.

[Željko Erceg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, da, sticajem okolnosti na mojoj je polici zapela kompletna trilogija Adaira. Iako sam već na prvom dijelu, Slučaju Rogera Mugatroyda, zaključio da se radi o nadnaravnoj dosadi, rekoh, ajd da ne sudim trilogiju samo po prvoj knjizi. Nažalost, iako sad već pripremljen na Adairov 'stil', ni drugi dio nije ništa bolji. Dosadno. Razvučeno. Bezidejno. Žali bože reklamnog slogana sa spominjanjem Agathe Christie.
Pročitam li i treći dio, samo zato da bih mogao reći da sam pročitao trilogiju, mogao bi to biti čisti mazohizam.

[Andy N · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book my local library. The cover got my attention and the title as well since it reminded me of the title of Agatha Christie. I had no idea it was the second book in the beginning, unfortunately the library only has this volume.

It was an enjoyable read, but it was difficult for me to get into it. Loved the setting and the twists of the story. It's humorous and witty and for me it classifies for "Cozy Mystery Novel".

I am curious to read the previous book though.

[Emanuela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the reading of this book is totally enjoyable, it lacks in my opinion the freshness and uniqueness of the first book, The Act of Roger Murgatroyd. The plot is way too predictable, as is the identity of the murderer.

I love the character of Evadne Mount, though: to her go my five stars.

P.S.: It is actually 3 stars & a half. I do not know how to mark it, sorry.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in the series of "Evadne Mount Mysteries", a Mysterious Affair, keeps up the pace and homage to Agatha Christie.

Like The Act of Roger Murgatroyd this book is great fun for those of us with a love of classic detective fiction that has its tongue firmly in its cheek.

[Hildur Ingvason · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked about this was the expressions used by the different characters. So one star for language, which made me chuckle several times. The story itself was OK. Probably nothing I will remember in the long run.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully funny whodunnit with some great characters. I will definitely be looking out for other books in the series!

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better than "Roger Murgatroyd"

[Petra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gelungene Lesung eines sehr klassischen und angenehm altmodischen Krimis.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one, witty, clever with clues liberally sprinkled throughout and everything tied up neatly at the end. Most enjoyable.

[Moira]

Liked this even better than The Act of Roger Murgatroyd -- it seemed funnier, and warmer and more sympathetic.

[Seema Bhatt Gupta]

it was a relaxed whodunit..with a lot of new fancy words and play of language..a bit boring :)