Political Death

Jemima Shore #8

by Antonia Fraser

When the wayward lady Imogen Swain summons journalist Jemima Shore to her home, Jemima once again finds herself in the thick of love affairs--old and new--intrigue, and betrayal. For the colorful Lady Imogen kept diaries documenting her passionate affair with a rising young politician who has since risen to high ranks in the government. Increasingly eccentric as the years have passed, Lady Imogen now threatens to reveal details of the affair, and of the subsequent and unsolved disappearance of a young journalist. Jemima's meeting with Lady Imogen is the first step in a sinister series of events which will remind the reader why Antonia Fraser is the reigning queen of murder--British style!

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, London, British Literature

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Antonia Fraser is the author of many widely acclaimed historical works, including the biographies Mary, Queen of Scots (a 40th anniversary edition was published in May 2009), Cromwell: Our Chief of Men, King Charles II and The Gunpowder Plot (CWA Non-Fiction Gold Dagger; St Louis Literary Award). She has written five highly praised books which focus on women in history, The Weaker Vessel: Women's Lot in Seventeenth Century Britain (Wolfson Award for History, 1984), The Warrior Queens: Boadecia's Chariot, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Marie Antoinette: The Journey (Franco-British Literary Prize 2001), which was made into a film by Sofia Coppola in 2006 and most recently Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King. She was awarded the Norton Medlicott Medal by the Historical Association in 2000. Antonia Fraser was made DBE in 2011 for her services to literature. Her most recent book is Must You Go?, celebrating her life with Harold Pinter, who died on Christmas Eve 2008. She lives in London.

Reviews

[Mark Lisac · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thankfully, it was a fast read. The writing is clumsy. The sensibility is more romance novel than mystery novel or thriller. The plot is skimpy. The final 30 pages are implausible to the point of being ridiculous. The only interesting character is an oily television producer who makes a few very brief cameo appearances. I don't generally give 1-star ratings, preferring not to mention books that I don't think are worthwhile; this one is an exception because the author and/or her publisher should have known better than to inflict it on the reading public. I guess Fraser has enough fans, even of this weak effort, to make it profitable. The cost is that this book may dissuade some readers — count me among them — from tackling anything else by Fraser.
I read it through to the end because I was curious as to whether there would be any redeeming features before the final page. There weren't.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first Jemima Shore mystery many years ago (Quiet as a Nun)- when it was still new and absolutely loved it. Looked for more of them but grad school and a move to another state distracted me and at the time I don't think our library had any more. Found this one by accident. An elderly lady contacts Jemima because she wants to be interviewed and also have Jemima take away her diaries and letters about her time 30 years earlier when she was having an affair with a married MP. The lady ends up dead and other strange things happen but this one just didn't excite me. The old mystery of the missing guy seemed to be awkwardly stuck in to this.

[Katie Hilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best of the Jemima Shore mysteries that I've read to date. Fraser has a lively interest in politics, and it comes to the fore in this mystery based on an old corruption case and an even older sex scandal. The plot is interesting and the characters believable.

[Carolyn Cash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read for Jemima Shore fans, but it is the last in the series.

Jemima Shore is entrusted with the increasingly eccentric Lady Imogen Swain's diaries from 1964, detailing a passionate affair with a then-rising young Conservative politician, now Foreign Secretary.

In 1993, Lady Imogen plans to reveal details of the scandalous affair, along with the disappearance of a young journalist, which causes alarm for her family and that of Burgo Smyth MP.

When Lady Imogen is found dead, the question remains: did she jump or was she pushed?

Jemima discovers a sinister series of events that leads to political scandal, blackmail, and murder.

I had to reach for the dictionary a few times as there were many words I was not familiar with, as they don't appear to be in common usage.

[Carolyn (in SC) C234D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t remember this book, but I read it sixteen years ago. I wrote at the time that it was okay but not great. The main character was not very admirable; had a boyfriend but jumped in the sack with an actor for no good reason. The plot was all right, but I was basically disappointed.

[Helen Pomfrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

very 90's, upper crust tory rubbish. Just look at the names for confirmation.

[Deena · Rating 1 out of 5]

What I wrote at the time (mercifully, I seem to have completely blocked out reading this book):
It had been a while since I read one of these, so I thought I'd try another. I will not make that mistake again. Frankly, this book sucked. Our protagonist is a slut who will sleep with anything with three legs, and "solves" mysteries by obsessing, not thinking. Poorly written copy of the rest of the series.

Hmm. I guess I didn't like it. Apparently this explains why I stopped reading these...

[Koji Mukai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Antonia Fraser is a rare author in that I enjoy both her historical non-fictions and murder mysteries. This, as far as I know, is the last mystery novel published by Fraser, which is a pity.

[Paul Servini · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much of a read. I was quite disappointed as I was really expecting more.

[Margaret Acton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly amusing.