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Inspector Sloan #6
Slight Mourning
In this classic parlor mystery from CWA Diamond Dagger winner Catherine Aird, Detective Inspector C. D. Sloan investigates a dinner party that ended in murder
Twelve friends sit down for supper at Strontfield Park—but only eleven survive the evening. After dinner, the host, William Fent, offers to drive one of his guests home, only to die behind the wheel in a violent accident. The autopsy shows that Fent ingested enough barbiturates to kill a horse.
So begins a fresh tale of murder and deceit for Detective Inspector C. D. Sloan, whose list of suspects begins and ends with the surviving dinner guests. Among them are a theologian at the local university; Dr. and Mrs. Washby, whose wedding was the cause for celebration; Ursula Renville, tall, graceful, and utterly aloof; the fat and extravagant Mr. and Mrs. Marchmont; the spinster Miss Paterson; the rector’s daughter, Cynthia Paterson; Quentin Fent, heir to the Fent fortune; and Mr. Fent’s wife, the now-widowed Helen. Each of the guests had the opportunity to kill William Fent. But which one wanted him dead?
Twelve friends sit down for supper at Strontfield Park—but only eleven survive the evening. After dinner, the host, William Fent, offers to drive one of his guests home, only to die behind the wheel in a violent accident. The autopsy shows that Fent ingested enough barbiturates to kill a horse.
So begins a fresh tale of murder and deceit for Detective Inspector C. D. Sloan, whose list of suspects begins and ends with the surviving dinner guests. Among them are a theologian at the local university; Dr. and Mrs. Washby, whose wedding was the cause for celebration; Ursula Renville, tall, graceful, and utterly aloof; the fat and extravagant Mr. and Mrs. Marchmont; the spinster Miss Paterson; the rector’s daughter, Cynthia Paterson; Quentin Fent, heir to the Fent fortune; and Mr. Fent’s wife, the now-widowed Helen. Each of the guests had the opportunity to kill William Fent. But which one wanted him dead?
237 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1975
388 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Aird
68 books193 followers 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
November 25, 2015
I liked this one. Bits of the plot are guessable, but the final solution is trickier. The red herring takes up a lot of time, but there are some fun characters to make up for it.
One thing I will say that hasn't aged well is the way the narrative and the characters treat one of the dinner guests. She's a happily married, loud, cheerful, friendly lady, but all the narrative and her fellow characters seem to care about is that she's fat. 15 stone (210 pounds), Sloan says, and the narrative has lots of chairs creaking under her weight, other characters making fun of her/telling her to lose weight/etc. She and her husband don't seem to give a fig, and , but it's still jarring to have her continually put down and have Sloan and others referring to her simply as "the fat woman". Plus, she's given all the stereotypically "fat" traits (jolly, boisterous, loud, slovenly in her domestic habits, loves her food too much, etc.) Did not fit the tone of the rest of the book.
One thing I will say that hasn't aged well is the way the narrative and the characters treat one of the dinner guests. She's a happily married, loud, cheerful, friendly lady, but all the narrative and her fellow characters seem to care about is that she's fat. 15 stone (210 pounds), Sloan says, and the narrative has lots of chairs creaking under her weight, other characters making fun of her/telling her to lose weight/etc. She and her husband don't seem to give a fig, and , but it's still jarring to have her continually put down and have Sloan and others referring to her simply as "the fat woman". Plus, she's given all the stereotypically "fat" traits (jolly, boisterous, loud, slovenly in her domestic habits, loves her food too much, etc.) Did not fit the tone of the rest of the book.
August 9, 2020
I have now read the first six books in this series and curiously I have rated them all three stars. The curious part is I'm looking forward to future reads. So why? Aird consistently gives you a good yarn to solve. On the other hand, I have never warmed up to her protagonist Inspector C. D. Sloan.
He is just a bit too dry and curmudgeonly for my taste. So I'm trying to find some ways to appreciate him more, so he doesn't get in the way of a good story. He did display a bit of emotion in this tale so I will continue to plod on (like Mr. Sloan) and remain hopeful.
He is just a bit too dry and curmudgeonly for my taste. So I'm trying to find some ways to appreciate him more, so he doesn't get in the way of a good story. He did display a bit of emotion in this tale so I will continue to plod on (like Mr. Sloan) and remain hopeful.
November 6, 2023
Another solid instalment in the series. Inspector Sloan's cynical wit is on display as he has to establish the murdered from a large cast of suspects. I thoroughly enjoy these mysteries.
March 8, 2008
The sixth installment of Inspector Sloan's adventures finds our hero and his faithful sidekick Crosby investigating the death of one Bill Fent, who died in a car crash. You'd think that would be the purview of the Traffic officers, but in this case, Bill had been found to have had a massive dose of barbituates in his system. Doing some research, Sloan and Crosby figure it could only have been administered at an earlier dinner party -- but there were 11 guests around the table. Which one did it? And why?
Again...the story reads well up until the end when the murderer is revealed...and then the ending is quite abrupt. Oh well. I'm still enjoying this series and will probably read through them all.
If you like police procedurals, or British mysteries, you get 2 in one here.
Again...the story reads well up until the end when the murderer is revealed...and then the ending is quite abrupt. Oh well. I'm still enjoying this series and will probably read through them all.
If you like police procedurals, or British mysteries, you get 2 in one here.
December 14, 2015
So far, this is my least favorite in the series. I just had a terrible time getting into it and didn't find the mystery very compelling and the various characters kind of a blur. And the digitization of the series has some quirks that were far more noticeable - or maybe because I wasn't feeling very invested, so they were more annoying. I'm still game for reading others (at the very least, the other two I bought when they were on sale last month), but I hope they'll be better.
September 17, 2019
Another pleasant, if slightly dull village mystery. The surprisingly sharp spinster, Sloan’s entertainingly clever wife, and a ridiculously complex solution make up for some tedious moments.
February 27, 2018
A dinner party with a dozen guests. A fatal automobile crash. The autopsy reveals the victim died by poisoning. Inspector Sloan investigates. Although most readers will likely guess the identity of the murderer pretty early, this pleasant installment in the classic Aird series resonates with the charms of English villages.
February 28, 2024
I have now read six of these Inspector Sloan books from another era. They are interesting in that evokes another time period, but not terribly challenging when it comes to "murder mystery" status.
And the price, only .99 cents from Amazon. Very old-fashioned stuff but a restful change.
And the price, only .99 cents from Amazon. Very old-fashioned stuff but a restful change.
July 15, 2013
This is the first mystery I've read by this author and I found it to be quite a good, solid read. I picked it up at our local library's book sale in April and didn't realize it was the sixth installment in the series. But, that didn't affect my enjoyment of it.
Inspector Sloan was a very likeable character--a conscientious, thorough country policeman with a dry sense of humour, especially when it came to dealing with his superior, who was a somewhat grouchy, pedantic character, and his sidekick, the young, eager, but slightly dense Constable Crosby.
I was a little confused by some of the British expressions and references, but, for the most part, I was able to muddle my way through the meanings. They were no worse than those used by my all-time favourite British mystery writer, Agatha Christie.
The mystery itself was quite good with plenty of suspects, motives and clues.
I will definitely read more of Ms. Aird's books in the future.
Inspector Sloan was a very likeable character--a conscientious, thorough country policeman with a dry sense of humour, especially when it came to dealing with his superior, who was a somewhat grouchy, pedantic character, and his sidekick, the young, eager, but slightly dense Constable Crosby.
I was a little confused by some of the British expressions and references, but, for the most part, I was able to muddle my way through the meanings. They were no worse than those used by my all-time favourite British mystery writer, Agatha Christie.
The mystery itself was quite good with plenty of suspects, motives and clues.
I will definitely read more of Ms. Aird's books in the future.
June 14, 2012
I do enjoy a good English mystrey with lots of clues , several suspects and that keen Englash wit. Catherine Aird always delivers all the right stuff with inspector C.D.Sloan and his young sidekick constable Crosby. A good mystrey always gets the little grey cells working, however I can never figure out whodunit ,but give this one a try ,maybe you will.
December 25, 2018
There are certain "standard" classic mystery settings: the train/boat mystery, the house party mystery, the locked room, the village fête, the storm/flood/blizzard stranding mystery--and the dinner party mystery. A large number of people who all ate the same thing, but one ends up dead. Cui bono?
Slight Mourning is a good title for this book, as everyone says "oh poor Bill" when they hear who died and how, but no one, not even his widow and relations, really seems to care. Aird doesn't even bother to serve up any red herrings. It's all inheritance and entailment and who's-next-in-line, and there isn't even a title to be had. Rather dull, to be honest, especially all the capping of quotations that goes on between the officers of the law. Not so much "tell not show" as talktalktalk. Good enough for a lazy Christmas day read, but not Aird's best work in my opinion. Who really cares if one of the characters is a bit overweight? It has nothing to do with the story except--oh yes, to make her a figure of fun.
Two and a half stars, rounded up because I'm too lazy today to be harsh.
Slight Mourning is a good title for this book, as everyone says "oh poor Bill" when they hear who died and how, but no one, not even his widow and relations, really seems to care. Aird doesn't even bother to serve up any red herrings. It's all inheritance and entailment and who's-next-in-line, and there isn't even a title to be had. Rather dull, to be honest, especially all the capping of quotations that goes on between the officers of the law. Not so much "tell not show" as talktalktalk. Good enough for a lazy Christmas day read, but not Aird's best work in my opinion. Who really cares if one of the characters is a bit overweight? It has nothing to do with the story except--oh yes, to make her a figure of fun.
Two and a half stars, rounded up because I'm too lazy today to be harsh.
July 27, 2019
Didn't care for the characters generally as much as in some of the others, especially the snoopy spinster former rector's daughter. I also felt that while the mystery unfolds nicely and there are many witty comments from Sloan's superintendent in this, per usual, this title in particular seemed as if the murder resolution happened rather suddenly. That is true of many of these Sloan titles. I think in this one in particular I felt that way. But in my own interest about Sloan's personal life, this one was definitely a bonus. Won't give it away, but it was better than knowing he likes to grow roses. And Crosby seemed to be inching along a bit into being an analytical policeman.
One more note. I do also like that Aird is very literate. In this the spinster woman talks about Summoning by Death of Everyman, which I looked up, and it is a morality play from the late 15th century. In another of her books, she used quotes from the Duchess of Malfi by John Webster and written in the early 1600s. She goes from these rather erudite references to the characters making nursery rhyme comments ("Bobby Shaftoe's gone to sea" was in an earlier title.) Makes the reading more interesting.
One more note. I do also like that Aird is very literate. In this the spinster woman talks about Summoning by Death of Everyman, which I looked up, and it is a morality play from the late 15th century. In another of her books, she used quotes from the Duchess of Malfi by John Webster and written in the early 1600s. She goes from these rather erudite references to the characters making nursery rhyme comments ("Bobby Shaftoe's gone to sea" was in an earlier title.) Makes the reading more interesting.
July 21, 2019
This book was a more muddled Aird mystery. Lots of watching and almost hiding the investigation while investigating. While there was indeed a mystery, there were no stand out characters as in other books. Will this mean I won’t read more, no I like her books in general. Would say this would be one I would have skipped a bit. Though a bit of info at the end of this book does tie into Sloan’s life in other books.
A man is killed in a car crash, but it is later discovered that he was poisoned enough to kill him... so was the car crash an accident- or an accident?
Shifting through various characters and tip toeing through evidence a picture emerges but... there are some hidden bits of info that you find out at the end.
If you had to skip one of these mysteries... you could pick this one.
A man is killed in a car crash, but it is later discovered that he was poisoned enough to kill him... so was the car crash an accident- or an accident?
Shifting through various characters and tip toeing through evidence a picture emerges but... there are some hidden bits of info that you find out at the end.
If you had to skip one of these mysteries... you could pick this one.
July 28, 2020
A nice little village in Calleshire loses its Justice of the Peace in a car accident, but the accident was the fault of whoever fed him a deadly dose of drugs. JP Fent had a complicated little property that has been in his family for generations - if that isn't the motive, what could be? The police want to ask his widow, but she keeps dodging them.
I savor Aird's wry humor. Example in the ruminations of Inspector Sloan: “The trouble with people who said what they thought was that they didn’t always think a lot.”
Read 2 times
I savor Aird's wry humor. Example in the ruminations of Inspector Sloan: “The trouble with people who said what they thought was that they didn’t always think a lot.”
Read 2 times
September 1, 2023
Enjoyable read.
I didn't catch the murderer.
But I do like her stories.
I didn't catch the murderer.
But I do like her stories.
March 30, 2024
Slight Mourning. Catherine Aird.
I have read and enjoyed the previous books by this author. However, I'm afraid that this one missed the mark.
This is a cozy village murder mystery but I think that my main problem here was that the book tried to introduce most of the village at once. The result was that I never really identified the characters well enough. I wasnt the only one. At about 80% I read, " For a moment Sloan couldnt even remember who Mr Phillips was " and for me it wasnt just Mr Phillips.
This meant that I missed clues that could have helped this armchair detective solve the case and it became a-read-it-to-get-through-it last few chapters.
Having said that, I still enjoy the pairing of Sloan and Crosby .The banter between Detective Inspector and his heart-in-the-right-place but bumbling Detective (temporarily)Constable gives the story a lighter edge.
This one hasn't crossed the author off my list and I will be on the lookout for the next.
I have read and enjoyed the previous books by this author. However, I'm afraid that this one missed the mark.
This is a cozy village murder mystery but I think that my main problem here was that the book tried to introduce most of the village at once. The result was that I never really identified the characters well enough. I wasnt the only one. At about 80% I read, " For a moment Sloan couldnt even remember who Mr Phillips was " and for me it wasnt just Mr Phillips.
This meant that I missed clues that could have helped this armchair detective solve the case and it became a-read-it-to-get-through-it last few chapters.
Having said that, I still enjoy the pairing of Sloan and Crosby .The banter between Detective Inspector and his heart-in-the-right-place but bumbling Detective (temporarily)Constable gives the story a lighter edge.
This one hasn't crossed the author off my list and I will be on the lookout for the next.
May 6, 2015
I first read this Sloan and Crosby mystery many years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it and I enjoyed re-reading it too. A magistrate is killed in a car crash - what appears to be a tragic accident. But when a post mortem reveals poison the police have to investigate. Several people could have a reason to wish the victim dead trying to find out how the poison was administered is going to tax the investigative powers of the police especially as the victim was host to a dinner party hours before he died at which eleven other people had the same food and drink.
The mystery is well plotted and the clues are there for the discerning reader to unravel. Sloan and Crosby make a brilliant duo with the Crosby being the one person at the station no one really wants to work with as he is apt to open his mouth and put his foot in it. However just occasionally he does say something which gives the long suffering Sloan cause to think.
This entertaining series of cosy mysteries can be read in any order. They are full of dry humour with plenty of amusing insights into Sloan's thoughts as he does his best to investigate and to keep Crosby on the straight and narrow. Good to see that the whole series is at last appearing in e-book format too.
The mystery is well plotted and the clues are there for the discerning reader to unravel. Sloan and Crosby make a brilliant duo with the Crosby being the one person at the station no one really wants to work with as he is apt to open his mouth and put his foot in it. However just occasionally he does say something which gives the long suffering Sloan cause to think.
This entertaining series of cosy mysteries can be read in any order. They are full of dry humour with plenty of amusing insights into Sloan's thoughts as he does his best to investigate and to keep Crosby on the straight and narrow. Good to see that the whole series is at last appearing in e-book format too.
October 5, 2014
I tend to like cosy mystery series, particularly if I enjoy the continuing characters. In a good series, the primary detective sets the tone; Gervaise Fen, for instance, is over the top and flamboyant, and his mysteries tend that way, too. Detective Inspector Sloan is much more low key -- his boss is the flamboyant one, and Sloan has to work around that -- but he's also caring and mostly competent (once in a while I'll be wondering why he doesn't get something that's all too clear to me).
While the Sloan books can be read in any order, there is some growth in the background characters over time. In this book, we meet Sloan's wife, who gives him some good advice on how to prepare a budget-minded dinner that will impress. :D
While the Sloan books can be read in any order, there is some growth in the background characters over time. In this book, we meet Sloan's wife, who gives him some good advice on how to prepare a budget-minded dinner that will impress. :D
Read
August 14, 2011Loved it - a classic British "murder after dinner" book:
Twelve people sat down for dinner at Strontfield Park, William Fen's ancestral home. By midnight the host was dead - killed instantly when his motorcar smashed into another on a bad bit of road. The problem for Detective Inspector C.D. Sloan was the autopsy. The victim, it seemed, was about to die in any event. Along with the cold cucumber soup, crown of lamb, raspberry cremets and a fine aged port, someone served the lord of the manor a dose of deadly poison.
Twelve people sat down for dinner at Strontfield Park, William Fen's ancestral home. By midnight the host was dead - killed instantly when his motorcar smashed into another on a bad bit of road. The problem for Detective Inspector C.D. Sloan was the autopsy. The victim, it seemed, was about to die in any event. Along with the cold cucumber soup, crown of lamb, raspberry cremets and a fine aged port, someone served the lord of the manor a dose of deadly poison.
December 9, 2018
I am really enjoying this series of books. They are wonderful stereo typical British cozies. For this book the motive was something I would have never guessed, so needless to say I didn't know who-dunnit. I love that about a book. Nothing is more depressing or discouraging than to think you have an excellent story to read but then be able to predict who-what-when-where-why. This book is highly recommended for any cozy lover.
August 16, 2020
I almost gave up on this mystery when I was 25% through and not much had happened. I stuck with it and they finally left the funeral service at the church and on to more entertaining venues. The cozy was missing from this cozy mystery though. The bones of this British mystery were good, but the book would have been more interesting if the tale had been shorter and the scenes more colorful and less like a laundry list. There are many finer mysteries to read.
September 5, 2007
I didn't remember reading this one before, so I was really excited to read it again. A man dies in a car crash. The trouble is, he was already dying from poison. Inspector Sloan of the Calleshire CID is on the case. Funny in parts. I had guessed the murderer well before the end, but it was still a good read.
December 13, 2015
One of the more literate mystery writers ....
Catherine Aird is very enjoyable. You just have to have faith -- her allusions are sometimes oblique to me but she always gives you more than one hint. A great book to read on kindle where i can highlight and look up a word or a phrase quickly. This time she introduced me to Browning (Robert, not Elizabeth).
Catherine Aird is very enjoyable. You just have to have faith -- her allusions are sometimes oblique to me but she always gives you more than one hint. A great book to read on kindle where i can highlight and look up a word or a phrase quickly. This time she introduced me to Browning (Robert, not Elizabeth).
March 21, 2012
This is the second novel I have read by this author. I like her speed in dialogue and it makes the story more real. I can almost hear them talking.
December 26, 2012
A competent mystery from a solid writer. Nothing extravagant about Detective Inspector Sloan, but a thoroughly good county copper making his way through the usual tangle of secrets and lies.
February 16, 2013
a Golden Oldie of the best kind. Aird should be ranked with Christie and Tey and all the really good ones.
February 11, 2019
Slight disappointment
Way too my characters to remember who's who, and disappointment in the ending. Well, life isn't perfect, either, is it?
Way too my characters to remember who's who, and disappointment in the ending. Well, life isn't perfect, either, is it?
September 8, 2021
Was it my favourite of the Sloan and Crosby books? No. Was it still a good read. Yes. Did I read this to run away from the surrealist book I accidentally started yesterday? Absolutely.
July 28, 2023
I love this traditional police procedural series - set in 1960s-70s in the mythical rural county of Calleshire, we follow the investigations of the dogged DI Sloan, his rather goofy and incompetent DC Crosby, and their obnoxious, know-it-all, pessimistic boss, Supt. Leeyes. (He takes a lot of night classes, and instills bits and pieces from psychology to sociology, into his one-sided rants, er, discussions of the case with Sloan, creating much of the sly commentary on the state of things in post-war England at the time).
This time, a local pillar of the community, Bill Fent, has been killed in a road accident. He and his wife had been hosting a dinner party of 12 to welcome the village doctor’s new wife, and Fent drives home an elderly guest. The driver of the other car is hanging on in the local hospital, was either driver drunk? Snarky pathologist Dr. Dabbe is surprised to discover not excessive alcohol in Fent’s system, but enough barbiturates to kill a horse. Who poisoned Fent, and how, in what is now a case of murder? Two, once the other driver dies of his injuries. Three, once…well, no spoilers!
As always, we follow Sloan and Crosby on their rounds of questioning the dinner party guests, and get to eavesdrop on conversations between the suspects, always a great opportunity to pick up local gossip, and what the parties are carefully NOT telling the police.
With so many guests attending the party, I expected to struggle keeping them straight- especially as I listened to most of it as an audiobook. But this series has a delightful narrator, relaying perfectly Leeyes obnoxious social and policing commentary, Sloan’s respectful attempts to follow his super’s twisted reasoning while not laughing or throwing up his hands (he’s a better man than I!), and Crosby’s rather simple contributions to the case (he may be getting better - Sloan always wishes for a sharper, more professional partner, but always gets Crosby, who is young and needs training, and drives very fast!)
Interesting, exciting resolution, pretty much fair play with many clues that were out in the open, but a few we as readers did not know. Overall, pretty fair, keeping me guessing until the end. I look forward to the next mystery!
This time, a local pillar of the community, Bill Fent, has been killed in a road accident. He and his wife had been hosting a dinner party of 12 to welcome the village doctor’s new wife, and Fent drives home an elderly guest. The driver of the other car is hanging on in the local hospital, was either driver drunk? Snarky pathologist Dr. Dabbe is surprised to discover not excessive alcohol in Fent’s system, but enough barbiturates to kill a horse. Who poisoned Fent, and how, in what is now a case of murder? Two, once the other driver dies of his injuries. Three, once…well, no spoilers!
As always, we follow Sloan and Crosby on their rounds of questioning the dinner party guests, and get to eavesdrop on conversations between the suspects, always a great opportunity to pick up local gossip, and what the parties are carefully NOT telling the police.
With so many guests attending the party, I expected to struggle keeping them straight- especially as I listened to most of it as an audiobook. But this series has a delightful narrator, relaying perfectly Leeyes obnoxious social and policing commentary, Sloan’s respectful attempts to follow his super’s twisted reasoning while not laughing or throwing up his hands (he’s a better man than I!), and Crosby’s rather simple contributions to the case (he may be getting better - Sloan always wishes for a sharper, more professional partner, but always gets Crosby, who is young and needs training, and drives very fast!)
Interesting, exciting resolution, pretty much fair play with many clues that were out in the open, but a few we as readers did not know. Overall, pretty fair, keeping me guessing until the end. I look forward to the next mystery!
April 14, 2024
MY RATING GUIDE: 4 Stars. I am enjoying this series, and it’s dry humor. I hadn’t entirely figured it out by the end which was appreciated.
1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= This was okay/cute; 3.5= I enjoyed it; 4= I LIKED THIS A LOT! 5= I Loved it, it was great! (I seldom give 5 Stars).
August, Calleshire County ~
A small group of villagers gather for a dinner party. Afterward the host is killed in a tragic traffic accident after returning an elderly guest to his home. At first, excessive alcohol consumption is suspected as the cause for the tragedy but the autopsy indicates the man had been previously poisoned or drugged. Detective Inspector DC Sloan and Constable Crosby sit in the back of the well attended funeral knowing one of the 10 dinner party guests, now present, is a murderer.
Quotes ~
In considering the current case of a dinner party poisoning, Sloan asks his wife, ‘“How should you plan a dinner party for 12 ppl?”
“I shouldn’t” answers his wife, Margaret. (Ha. I love this!!)
Comments ~
1) SLIGHT MOURNING, a parlor mystery, is bk 6 in Catherine Aird’s Calleshire Mysteries. The format somewhat reminds me of certain Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot mysteries, another series I enjoy. SLIGHT MOURNING was published in 1975; I believe the setting is “present day.”
2) SLIGHT MOURNING can be read as a Standalone mystery easily enough but I prefer beginning with bk1, enjoying the character development and relationships that unfold over time.
3) Recommended to readers who enjoy British Mysteries, Classic Mysteries (Sayers, Christie, Allingham, Marsh), certain Cozy Mysteries, Clean fiction, Police Procedural series, Character Driven series.
READER CAUTION ~
No intimacy scenes, graphic descriptions of murder off scene only.
1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= This was okay/cute; 3.5= I enjoyed it; 4= I LIKED THIS A LOT! 5= I Loved it, it was great! (I seldom give 5 Stars).
August, Calleshire County ~
A small group of villagers gather for a dinner party. Afterward the host is killed in a tragic traffic accident after returning an elderly guest to his home. At first, excessive alcohol consumption is suspected as the cause for the tragedy but the autopsy indicates the man had been previously poisoned or drugged. Detective Inspector DC Sloan and Constable Crosby sit in the back of the well attended funeral knowing one of the 10 dinner party guests, now present, is a murderer.
Quotes ~
In considering the current case of a dinner party poisoning, Sloan asks his wife, ‘“How should you plan a dinner party for 12 ppl?”
“I shouldn’t” answers his wife, Margaret. (Ha. I love this!!)
Comments ~
1) SLIGHT MOURNING, a parlor mystery, is bk 6 in Catherine Aird’s Calleshire Mysteries. The format somewhat reminds me of certain Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot mysteries, another series I enjoy. SLIGHT MOURNING was published in 1975; I believe the setting is “present day.”
2) SLIGHT MOURNING can be read as a Standalone mystery easily enough but I prefer beginning with bk1, enjoying the character development and relationships that unfold over time.
3) Recommended to readers who enjoy British Mysteries, Classic Mysteries (Sayers, Christie, Allingham, Marsh), certain Cozy Mysteries, Clean fiction, Police Procedural series, Character Driven series.
READER CAUTION ~
No intimacy scenes, graphic descriptions of murder off scene only.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews