Smoke Without Fire

Andrew Basnett #6

by E.X. Ferrars

Andrew Basnett, a retired professor of botony, finds his Christmas getting complicated when he is caught up in the eventful aftermath of the death of Sir Lucas Deardon, Queens Counsel, who is killed by a mysterious bomb

Genres: Mystery, Christmas, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Holiday

182 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Aka Elizabeth Ferrars

Elizabeth Ferrars is a pseudonym of Morna Doris MacTaggart Brown. She was born in Rangoon, Burma.

Reviews

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really intriguing mystery!!! Takes place as Andrew Barnett arrives at to spend the holidays with friends when death occurs. It is sudden and shocking. Immediately after this shock the two families involved begin to talk and the sliding back and forth of each person trying to figure out who and how begins. The victim is someone that was universally unliked and the holder of funds that would be dispersed upon death. The searching and unravelling made you trust and distrust everyone except Andrew who was truly the only neutral person.

Even at the end, when Andrew finds the final link of information needed to realize the guilty one- the remaining people begin unravelling as they come to terms with the events. The end while sad in many ways felt very poignant and well grounded. A solid mystery!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retired professor Andrew Basnett is spending a quiet Christmas with his long-time friends Colin and Dorothea Cahill, when a bomb--the last thing you'd expect in a cozy--explodes in the road outside, killing a neighbor. But was the victim the intended victim? He was returning home from London, where he had planned to spend the week. The person who was expected to drive down the road was the Cahills' son Jonathan.

[Brian Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it: it's a readable well-plotted murder mystery of the traditional British style. The story-telling moves at a leisurely pace with an increasing suspense level about "whodunnit". The narrator Andrew Basnett is an attractive character and the others are well-defined without turning the story into a character study. I hope the others books in this series are as good as this one. Recommended.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 2 out of 5]

1 3/4 stars. It was fair. I actually think that ok is a better rating than fair. Ok to me is about average.

I thought that it lacked some spark. I didn't connect with the characters and the ending couldn't be deduced by the information given to the readers. Sure, you could guess and I had a feeling who it was but the proof wasn't there.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I figured out the murder(s) easily, and it's possible I have read this before, but I am finding that I really enjoy the character of Andrew Basnett. He's old — like me! So, he doesn't go chasing around, but thinks through the crime and its situation. 3 for the mystery, but 3.5 for other aspects of the novel.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting characters introduced smoothly - the pace at first is laid back sort of - then a murder & it does really get your attention! The story is so well written & discovering additional details kept me turning the pages to discover how it all plays out! Recommend for sure!!!

[Tina Billings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a slow start but had a surprise ending. Glad I stuck with it.

[We Are All Mad Here · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Sedate' is a good word to describe this series, which might sound suspiciously close to 'sedated,' but I am finding this series very pleasant at the moment.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Christmas read with our quiet, reserved amateur detective. The resolution was less satisfactory than others in the series.

[DonHSr · Rating 3 out of 5]

good series. The main character is well written and interesting. Only drawback is that the stories are too short.

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books where there's a lot of talk, not much action, and more talk, often repeating the clues and conversations.

The mystery itself was a bit twisty, but overall I got a little bored.

[Cece · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice steady mystery series that does not require too much heavy lifting. Enjoyable, the characters have some flesh, and the mystery isn't too transparent. Pleasant.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent mystery taking place during the Christmas season.