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Nigel Strangeways #13
El crucero de la viuda
Los curiosos y horribles incidentes que tuvieron lugar después del viaje de los Menelaos se originaron en motivos humanos más oscuros y complejos que la morada del Minotauro. Cuando Nigel Strangeways observaba la llegada a bordo de varios pasajeros estaba lejos de sospechar que sería muy pronto arrastrado este otro inextricable laberinto.
207 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
39 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Blake
97 books73 followersNicholas Blake is the pseudonym of poet Cecil Day-Lewis C. Day Lewis, who was born in Ireland in 1904. He was the son of the Reverend Frank Cecil Day-Lewis and his wife Kathleen (nee Squires). His mother died in 1906, and he and his father moved to London, where he was brought up by his father with the help of an aunt.
He spent his holidays in Wexford and regarded himself very much as Anglo-Irish, although when the Republic of Ireland was declared in 1948 he chose British citizenship.
He was married twice, to Mary King in 1928 and to Jill Balcon in 1951, and during the 1940s he had a long love affair with novelist Rosamond Lehmann. He had four children from his two marriages, with actor Daniel Day-Lewis, documentary filmmaker and television chef Tamasin Day-Lewis and TV critic and writer Sean Day-Lewis being three of his children.
He began work as a schoolmaster, and during World War II he worked as a publications editor in the Ministry of Information. After the war he joined Chatto & Windus as a senior editor and director, and then in 1946 he began lecturing at Cambridge University. He later taught poetry at Oxford University, where he was Professor of Poetry from 1951-1956, and from 1962-1963 he was the Norton Professor at Harvard University.
But he was by then earning his living mainly from his writings, having had some poetry published in the late 1920s and early 1930s, and then in 1935 beginning his career as a thriller writer under the pseudonym of Nicholas Blake with 'A Question of Proof', which featured his amateur sleuth Nigel Strangeways, reputedly modelled on W H Auden. He continued the Strangeways series, which finally totalled 16 novels, ending with 'The Morning After Death' in 1966. He also wrote four detective novels which did not feature Strangeways.
He continued to write poetry and became Poet Laureate in 1968, a post he held until his death in 1972. He was also awarded the CBE.
He died from pancreatic cancer on 22 May 1972 at the Hertfordshire home of Kingsley Amis and Elizabeth Jane Howard, where he and his wife were staying. He is buried in Stinsford churchyard, close to the grave of one of his heroes, Thomas Hardy, something that he had arranged before his death.
He spent his holidays in Wexford and regarded himself very much as Anglo-Irish, although when the Republic of Ireland was declared in 1948 he chose British citizenship.
He was married twice, to Mary King in 1928 and to Jill Balcon in 1951, and during the 1940s he had a long love affair with novelist Rosamond Lehmann. He had four children from his two marriages, with actor Daniel Day-Lewis, documentary filmmaker and television chef Tamasin Day-Lewis and TV critic and writer Sean Day-Lewis being three of his children.
He began work as a schoolmaster, and during World War II he worked as a publications editor in the Ministry of Information. After the war he joined Chatto & Windus as a senior editor and director, and then in 1946 he began lecturing at Cambridge University. He later taught poetry at Oxford University, where he was Professor of Poetry from 1951-1956, and from 1962-1963 he was the Norton Professor at Harvard University.
But he was by then earning his living mainly from his writings, having had some poetry published in the late 1920s and early 1930s, and then in 1935 beginning his career as a thriller writer under the pseudonym of Nicholas Blake with 'A Question of Proof', which featured his amateur sleuth Nigel Strangeways, reputedly modelled on W H Auden. He continued the Strangeways series, which finally totalled 16 novels, ending with 'The Morning After Death' in 1966. He also wrote four detective novels which did not feature Strangeways.
He continued to write poetry and became Poet Laureate in 1968, a post he held until his death in 1972. He was also awarded the CBE.
He died from pancreatic cancer on 22 May 1972 at the Hertfordshire home of Kingsley Amis and Elizabeth Jane Howard, where he and his wife were staying. He is buried in Stinsford churchyard, close to the grave of one of his heroes, Thomas Hardy, something that he had arranged before his death.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
June 19, 2024
Es gibt wieder eine Neuauflage aus der Krimireihe um Nigel Strangeways, die in den 50er Jahren rauskam. Ich freu mich zwar sehr, dass die Bücher neu aufgelegt werden, fände es aber schon besser wenn es in der richtigen Reihenfolge wäre. Bisher kenne ich nur den siebten Band (Das Geheimnis des Schneemanns), in dem Strangeways mit seiner Frau Georgia verreist... jetzt begibt er sich mit seiner platonischen Freundin Clare auf eine Kreuzfahrt, um die Energie zu tanken und auszuspannen.
Hier fehlt natürlich komplett das Wissen was alles vorher war, mit seiner Frau usw. das finde ich schon etwas schade.
Dennoch hab ich mich gerne auf das mörderische Abenteuer dieser Kreuzfahrt eingelassen, in der es ja auch hauptsächlich darum geht, einen Mord aufzuklären :)
Die Route startet mit der Menelaos in Athen, von wo aus einige Inseln angesteuert werden und über Kreta soll es dann wieder zurückgehen. Zu Beginn lernen wir erstmal ganz zwanglos einige Passagiere kennen, die noch eine wichtige Rolle spielen werden. Witzig fand ich dabei, wie die verschiedenen Nationalitäten mit den klischeehaften Vorurteilen vorgestellt wurden. Ist natürlich nicht mehr zeitgerecht, aber damals war das einfach typisch.
Es war interessant zu erleben, wie eine solche Reise geplant wird, wie die Passagiere von Bord gehen und sich die Sehenswürdigkeiten ansehen und man dadurch noch etwas dazulernt. Dieses "Vorspiel" kennt man ja aus diesen alten Krimis ganz gut (bei Agatha Christie dauert es ja auch meist einige Zeit), aber ich warte beim Lesen trotzdem immer etwas ungeduldig auf den Mord, weil es dann natürlich erst richtig spannend wird. Aber die ganzen Leute kennen zu lernen, die etwas damit zu tun haben könnten, ist natürlich auch wichtig, damit man später auch umso besser mit raten kann.
Der Mord fand dann tatsächlich auch erst in der Mitte des Buches statt. Meistens durchschaue ich die vielen gestreuten Hinweise in Krimis nicht, aber hier war schon recht bald ein Detail genannt, bei dem ich mir sicher war, was es zu bedeuten hatte. Das war auch nicht so schlimm, denn wie genau und warum konnte ich dennoch mit rätseln. Außerdem gab es noch viele Geheimnisse drumherum mit anderen Passagieren, so dass es doch spannend blieb.
Ich hatte allerdings gehofft, dass noch andere Aspekte enträtselt werden, aber am Ende war es genau so, wie ich es mir schon gedacht hatte. Dass hat den Überraschungseffekt natürlich komplett vorweg genommen. Etwas schade. Denn mit ein paar weniger offensichtlichen Details hätte ich noch länger im Dunkeln getappt.
Ansonsten war es gut geschrieben - mit vielen interessanten Charakteren und dem typischen Stil aus der Zeit, in der es geschrieben wurde. Ich mag den ja in Krimis sehr gerne :)
Weltenwanderer
Hier fehlt natürlich komplett das Wissen was alles vorher war, mit seiner Frau usw. das finde ich schon etwas schade.
Dennoch hab ich mich gerne auf das mörderische Abenteuer dieser Kreuzfahrt eingelassen, in der es ja auch hauptsächlich darum geht, einen Mord aufzuklären :)
Die Route startet mit der Menelaos in Athen, von wo aus einige Inseln angesteuert werden und über Kreta soll es dann wieder zurückgehen. Zu Beginn lernen wir erstmal ganz zwanglos einige Passagiere kennen, die noch eine wichtige Rolle spielen werden. Witzig fand ich dabei, wie die verschiedenen Nationalitäten mit den klischeehaften Vorurteilen vorgestellt wurden. Ist natürlich nicht mehr zeitgerecht, aber damals war das einfach typisch.
Es war interessant zu erleben, wie eine solche Reise geplant wird, wie die Passagiere von Bord gehen und sich die Sehenswürdigkeiten ansehen und man dadurch noch etwas dazulernt. Dieses "Vorspiel" kennt man ja aus diesen alten Krimis ganz gut (bei Agatha Christie dauert es ja auch meist einige Zeit), aber ich warte beim Lesen trotzdem immer etwas ungeduldig auf den Mord, weil es dann natürlich erst richtig spannend wird. Aber die ganzen Leute kennen zu lernen, die etwas damit zu tun haben könnten, ist natürlich auch wichtig, damit man später auch umso besser mit raten kann.
Der Mord fand dann tatsächlich auch erst in der Mitte des Buches statt. Meistens durchschaue ich die vielen gestreuten Hinweise in Krimis nicht, aber hier war schon recht bald ein Detail genannt, bei dem ich mir sicher war, was es zu bedeuten hatte. Das war auch nicht so schlimm, denn wie genau und warum konnte ich dennoch mit rätseln. Außerdem gab es noch viele Geheimnisse drumherum mit anderen Passagieren, so dass es doch spannend blieb.
Ich hatte allerdings gehofft, dass noch andere Aspekte enträtselt werden, aber am Ende war es genau so, wie ich es mir schon gedacht hatte. Dass hat den Überraschungseffekt natürlich komplett vorweg genommen. Etwas schade. Denn mit ein paar weniger offensichtlichen Details hätte ich noch länger im Dunkeln getappt.
Ansonsten war es gut geschrieben - mit vielen interessanten Charakteren und dem typischen Stil aus der Zeit, in der es geschrieben wurde. Ich mag den ja in Krimis sehr gerne :)
Weltenwanderer
May 17, 2020
This is the thirteenth in the Nigel Strangeways series, written by Nicholas Blake, a pseudonym for Cecil Day-Lewis. I am sad that I am coming towards the end of these books now, as I have enjoyed most of the books – especially those at the beginning, and end, of the series (admittedly, there was a bit of a dip in the middle, but Blake seems to have got a second wind around this period; this particular book was published in 1959.
Strangeways goes on a Greek cruise with sculptor, Clare Massinger. Of course, there are mixed group of passengers, all with their secrets and motives for murder. From the beginning, you feel that Nigel Strangeways suspects something will go wrong and, indeed, murder does seem to follow him about. I liked the cruise setting and the interplay between those on board – from a rather overly curious child, to a bullying ex-schoolmistress and a Greek expert humiliated by a passenger during a lecture. Of course, Strangeways solves the crime, but the journey is very enjoyable.
Strangeways goes on a Greek cruise with sculptor, Clare Massinger. Of course, there are mixed group of passengers, all with their secrets and motives for murder. From the beginning, you feel that Nigel Strangeways suspects something will go wrong and, indeed, murder does seem to follow him about. I liked the cruise setting and the interplay between those on board – from a rather overly curious child, to a bullying ex-schoolmistress and a Greek expert humiliated by a passenger during a lecture. Of course, Strangeways solves the crime, but the journey is very enjoyable.
April 8, 2024
Das Buch erinnerte mich an einige Poirot-Bücher. Auch wenn ich die Auflösung wusste, hätte mich der Autor am Ende fast mit seiner Finte reingelegt. Sehr klassischer Whodunnit und ein kurzweiliges Lesevergnügen. Innerhalb weniger Stunden war ich durch und habe mich nie gelangweilt.
September 8, 2016
I'd been wanting to read a Nicholas Blake mystery for a while and, since I have a soft spot for whodunits set onboard ships, I started with The Widow's Cruise.
The book is very well written, the prose is poetic in places but not purply, it's not as G-rated as a lot of cozy mysteries which I appreciate, and Nigel is interesting and likeable. Blake's writing is like a smarter version of Agatha Christie's in a lot of ways, and so is his plotting*.
I flew through this book today but I have to give it a 3 because of the following hint of a spoiler. I just can't really rate a mystery fairly if I have figured it out 1/4th into the book, especially if I figured it out simply for recognizing a more popular writer's famous plot.
But the bottom line is I recommend the book and I can't wait to pick up the other 15 Nigel Strangeways books.
*SPOILER: Any Agatha fan will suss out whodunit by page 40 or so. There's a lot of evil under the Greek sun, if you catch my drift. I think Blake also riffs Strangers on a Train in another book so maybe he lifts plots a lot? I will update this review after I've read some more Blake.
PS Why doesn't Daniel Day Lewis get cracking on some Nigel Strangeways films???
PPS Keep your dictionary handy. Every few pages Blake breaks out a ten dollar word, which I find belletristic and not rebarbative.
The book is very well written, the prose is poetic in places but not purply, it's not as G-rated as a lot of cozy mysteries which I appreciate, and Nigel is interesting and likeable. Blake's writing is like a smarter version of Agatha Christie's in a lot of ways, and so is his plotting*.
I flew through this book today but I have to give it a 3 because of the following hint of a spoiler. I just can't really rate a mystery fairly if I have figured it out 1/4th into the book, especially if I figured it out simply for recognizing a more popular writer's famous plot.
But the bottom line is I recommend the book and I can't wait to pick up the other 15 Nigel Strangeways books.
*SPOILER: Any Agatha fan will suss out whodunit by page 40 or so. There's a lot of evil under the Greek sun, if you catch my drift. I think Blake also riffs Strangers on a Train in another book so maybe he lifts plots a lot? I will update this review after I've read some more Blake.
PS Why doesn't Daniel Day Lewis get cracking on some Nigel Strangeways films???
PPS Keep your dictionary handy. Every few pages Blake breaks out a ten dollar word, which I find belletristic and not rebarbative.
January 2, 2013
The second of the two Nicholas Blake (actually the poet C. Day Lewis) mysteries I've read over the past week. This one is apparently typical of the series in that it is a straight mystery, set around 1960 on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean. I had hoped for a good deal more classical allusion from the translator of Virgil, but at least there was some; I had also hoped for more description of the Greek islands, but I had to be satisfied with relatively little. The plot involves a wildly implausible set of circumstances, and the solution is equally implausible; but the author so completely accounts for and explains away all the unbelievable aspects, that you have to admire his ingenuity. And meanwhile he writes with a poet's precision and respect for words. I'll be reading more of these.
March 11, 2024
Zusammen mit ihrem Partner, dem Meisterdetektiv Nigel Strangeways begibt sich die Bildhauerin Clare Massinger auf eine Kreuzfahrt in die Ägäis. Sie will sich inspirieren lassen, um ihre kreative Flaute zu überwinden. Schon zu Beginn wird ihnen klar, dass es keine normale Kreuzfahrt werden wird. An Bord sind verschiedene Personen, von denen sich einige zu kennen scheinen.
Im ersten Teil des Buches werden die Mitreisenden vorgestellt. Da gibt es ein neugieriges Kind, welches die Passagiere beobachtet, ausfragt und alles notiert, ein Wichtigtuer, eine unscheinbare Lehrerin mit ihrer verwitweten Schwester, ein Zwillingspärchen, welches ihre ehemalige Lehrerin hasst, einen Dozenten, der von der Lehrerin gehasst wird und sogar einen Bischof mit seiner Frau. Schnell ist ein Hassobjekt zu erkennen und nach und nach spitzt sich die Situation unter einigen Passagieren immer mehr zu bis es zum Mord kommt. Es soll auch nicht bei dem einem bleiben.
Sofort ist Nigel in seinem Element und will den Fall abschließen, bevor das Schiff in Athen anlegt. In guter alter Hercule-Piorot-Manier begibt er sich auf Spurensuche und setzt in akribischer Arbeit die einzelnen Teile zusammen.
Mir hat das Buch sehr gut gefallen. Bis zum Mord dauert es zwar eine ganze Weile, trotzdem war es nie langweilig. Es war interessant, das Zusammenspiel der unterschiedlichen Personen zu beobachten und seine eigenen Schlüsse zu ziehen. Die Eigenschaften der Charaktere sind sehr gut herausgearbeitet und authentisch dargestellt. Auch die Aufklärung war schlüssig.
Das Cover ist sehr schön und passt zur Handlung.
Im ersten Teil des Buches werden die Mitreisenden vorgestellt. Da gibt es ein neugieriges Kind, welches die Passagiere beobachtet, ausfragt und alles notiert, ein Wichtigtuer, eine unscheinbare Lehrerin mit ihrer verwitweten Schwester, ein Zwillingspärchen, welches ihre ehemalige Lehrerin hasst, einen Dozenten, der von der Lehrerin gehasst wird und sogar einen Bischof mit seiner Frau. Schnell ist ein Hassobjekt zu erkennen und nach und nach spitzt sich die Situation unter einigen Passagieren immer mehr zu bis es zum Mord kommt. Es soll auch nicht bei dem einem bleiben.
Sofort ist Nigel in seinem Element und will den Fall abschließen, bevor das Schiff in Athen anlegt. In guter alter Hercule-Piorot-Manier begibt er sich auf Spurensuche und setzt in akribischer Arbeit die einzelnen Teile zusammen.
Mir hat das Buch sehr gut gefallen. Bis zum Mord dauert es zwar eine ganze Weile, trotzdem war es nie langweilig. Es war interessant, das Zusammenspiel der unterschiedlichen Personen zu beobachten und seine eigenen Schlüsse zu ziehen. Die Eigenschaften der Charaktere sind sehr gut herausgearbeitet und authentisch dargestellt. Auch die Aufklärung war schlüssig.
Das Cover ist sehr schön und passt zur Handlung.
September 6, 2025
The central gimmick will be quite obvious to those who have read their Christie, but it is tightly plotted and engagingly written.
May 22, 2020
Nigel Strangeways and his partner Clare Massinger take a cruise around the Greek Islands. They spend some time observing the other passengers and realise there are tensions among them. Cantankerous schoolteacher Ianthe Ambrose is conducting a feud with onboard lecturer Jeremy Street, her glamorous sister Melissa has gathered a pair of admirers, and a precocious schoolgirl is spying on her fellow passengers.
The tension heightens as the cruise continues, until finally murder is committed. Strangeways investigates as the cruise ship heads towards the Greek mainland.
This is an interesting and well thought out murder mystery, the clues are skilfully inserted throughout the novel for those sharp enough to see them and the tension on board deck feels real. The characters are clearly distinguished from each other, as always in GA mysteries there is an element of caricature (the naive schoolboy, the rotter) but not enough to make the story ridiculous or the characters unconvincing.
Strangeways is likeable and intelligent, with a touch of vanity that makes him more human than many detectives. Blake occasionally shows flashes of the grumpiness, even misogyny, that marred some of the more recent Books, but on the whole this is a return to the style of his more enjoyable earlier Books, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The tension heightens as the cruise continues, until finally murder is committed. Strangeways investigates as the cruise ship heads towards the Greek mainland.
This is an interesting and well thought out murder mystery, the clues are skilfully inserted throughout the novel for those sharp enough to see them and the tension on board deck feels real. The characters are clearly distinguished from each other, as always in GA mysteries there is an element of caricature (the naive schoolboy, the rotter) but not enough to make the story ridiculous or the characters unconvincing.
Strangeways is likeable and intelligent, with a touch of vanity that makes him more human than many detectives. Blake occasionally shows flashes of the grumpiness, even misogyny, that marred some of the more recent Books, but on the whole this is a return to the style of his more enjoyable earlier Books, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
March 21, 2018
A shipboard mystery in the vein of Death on the Nile, but with a lot more focus on interpersonal behavior and not so much on timetables and drawing a map of the ship. No one is pleasant, really, in this cast, which is okay by me but may annoy readers who need a little more investment in the murderer/victim/suspects. A definite recommend, especially because of the descriptions of summertime Greece during this rainy, grey "spring" 2018 has decided to hand us.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 8, 2024
A great thriller and police novel. For real, this story is fenomenal. Blake is a major writer. The finals chapters are a big master piece.
February 5, 2018
Deserves to be among Classic Cruise Mysteries
The Widow’s Cruise compares favorably to other classic mysteries set on cruise ships such as Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile and Eric Ambler’s Journey to Fear. The closed society with it’s limited suspects and simmering tensions among a few characters thrown together is a standard Golden Age ploy but Nicolas Blake (the poet C.Day Lewis) uses it to create an interesting group of literate and academic passengers, allowing us to see a bygone world of English public schools with it’s literate professors and students struggling with jealousies and resentment. Strangeways is a less outlandish detective than some other series (such as Poirot and Lord Peter Wimsey - both of whom I like but are often characterized by their eccentricities) and while I was somewhat troubled that his loose connection to Scotland Yard seemed to give him incredible power and authority, he is presented as a quite regular guy. In these days of so many historical mysteries, it’s good to read a mystery from an earlier time that presents characters accurately as they are seen at the time. The book is frank about sexuality and is presents it’s non-English characters with respect and lacks the Imperialist posturings of so many “historical mysteries” trying to set the record straight. And while it is not that hard to figure out the solution, it is still fun to follow along with Nigel and see how he solves and presents the mystery.
The Widow’s Cruise compares favorably to other classic mysteries set on cruise ships such as Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile and Eric Ambler’s Journey to Fear. The closed society with it’s limited suspects and simmering tensions among a few characters thrown together is a standard Golden Age ploy but Nicolas Blake (the poet C.Day Lewis) uses it to create an interesting group of literate and academic passengers, allowing us to see a bygone world of English public schools with it’s literate professors and students struggling with jealousies and resentment. Strangeways is a less outlandish detective than some other series (such as Poirot and Lord Peter Wimsey - both of whom I like but are often characterized by their eccentricities) and while I was somewhat troubled that his loose connection to Scotland Yard seemed to give him incredible power and authority, he is presented as a quite regular guy. In these days of so many historical mysteries, it’s good to read a mystery from an earlier time that presents characters accurately as they are seen at the time. The book is frank about sexuality and is presents it’s non-English characters with respect and lacks the Imperialist posturings of so many “historical mysteries” trying to set the record straight. And while it is not that hard to figure out the solution, it is still fun to follow along with Nigel and see how he solves and presents the mystery.
February 7, 2018
Well done mystery! Nigel Strangeways, with Scotland Yard, and Clare, a sculptures and Novel's girlfriend, go on a cruise of the Greek Islands out of Athens. Early on they meet some of the passengers and worry what will happen. There are some very interesting characters. A schoolgirl, Faith, recognizes the Bross, Miss Ambrose, a former schoolmaster, who had caused Faith to be expelled. Smith's twin brother is trying to make Iantha Ambross retract her accusations. Anthea is accompanied by her sexy sister Mrs. Melissa Blaydon. The way too friendly Bentinck-Jones is trying to learn too much about his shipmates. The young daughter of two psychiatrists promised Chalmers, is snooping while carrying around a notebook to record private conversations, learning too much for her own good. The supposed expert on Greece is very pompous and bristles at Ianthe's correction in his lectures (as well as bad reviews of his translations). Something is bound to happen, and does. First Primrose is found strangled in the pool, and then Ianthe is missing, later found dead. Nigel must solve everything before the ship returns to Athens and the Greek police. The reader is in suspense to the very end when Nigel comes up with a clever trick.
July 10, 2022
Island-hopping across the Adriatic to help his significant other, sculptor Clare Massinger, find new inspiration, Nigel Strangeways finds the other passengers a curious group. Chief among them are two unlikely sisters, one a good-hearted sexpot, the other a former teacher recovering from a breakdown. Also on board: one of the teacher's former students and her brother; a notable lecturer on Greek history (who regards said teacher as a Nemesis); and a seedy fellow whom Nigel suspects of being some sort of confidence trickster. Then there's the snoopy child of two psychologists, who frequently turns up exactly where she's least wanted, taking notes.
When two deaths occur on a single night, Nigel believes they must be connected, and that there must be a single murderer. But what motive could the killer have to kill two such different people? Nigel proceeds to puzzle out the tangled threads of the passenger connections to arrive at one of Nicholas Blake's more interesting mystery solutions.
I re-read this in The Nicholas Blake Treasury Vol. 4.
When two deaths occur on a single night, Nigel believes they must be connected, and that there must be a single murderer. But what motive could the killer have to kill two such different people? Nigel proceeds to puzzle out the tangled threads of the passenger connections to arrive at one of Nicholas Blake's more interesting mystery solutions.
I re-read this in The Nicholas Blake Treasury Vol. 4.
December 29, 2016
Nigel Strangeways books a cruise to the Greek Islands with sculptor Claire Massinger only to find himself involved with a group of people who seem to have a lot of secrets between them. Some of them seem to know each other but don't want to admit it. It is a classic scenario for murder to take place and it will keep the reader guessing.
I enjoyed the cruise background to this story and as ever Nicholas Blake makes the characters believable and interesting. There are plenty of clues to keep the reader trying to fit everything together. The murder doesn't happen until half way through the book so if you prefer books where the murder takes place near the beginning you won't like the scene setting.
The book is well written as are all Nicholas Blake's Nigel Strangeways series. The series can be read in any order though if you want to read them in the order in which they were published then this is number thirteen.
I enjoyed the cruise background to this story and as ever Nicholas Blake makes the characters believable and interesting. There are plenty of clues to keep the reader trying to fit everything together. The murder doesn't happen until half way through the book so if you prefer books where the murder takes place near the beginning you won't like the scene setting.
The book is well written as are all Nicholas Blake's Nigel Strangeways series. The series can be read in any order though if you want to read them in the order in which they were published then this is number thirteen.
December 8, 2023
Publicada en 1959, esta nueva entrega de la saga protagonizada por Nigel Strangeways nos presenta al detective que, mientras realiza un crucero por las islas griegas, debe resolver un asesinato, y lo que se presume es otro.
Entre idílicos paisajes y múltiples referencias a la cultura de la antigua Grecia, se va desarrollando, entonces una trama de misterio al estilo tradicional.
Blake maneja con maestría la ironía tanto para describir personajes y situaciones como en los diálogos y contrapuntos entre los protagonistas.
Por momentos entretenida, por momentos con un ritmo más lento; nos encontramos además con personajes estereotipados, que, sin embargo, son funcionales a la trama.
Por último, cabe mencionar que las numerosas referencias culturales y mitológicas sirven para ambientar el relato, pero , quizás, pueden resultar un tanto abrumadoras para aquellos lectores que tienen desconocimiento o falta de interés en la antigüedad griega.
Entre idílicos paisajes y múltiples referencias a la cultura de la antigua Grecia, se va desarrollando, entonces una trama de misterio al estilo tradicional.
Blake maneja con maestría la ironía tanto para describir personajes y situaciones como en los diálogos y contrapuntos entre los protagonistas.
Por momentos entretenida, por momentos con un ritmo más lento; nos encontramos además con personajes estereotipados, que, sin embargo, son funcionales a la trama.
Por último, cabe mencionar que las numerosas referencias culturales y mitológicas sirven para ambientar el relato, pero , quizás, pueden resultar un tanto abrumadoras para aquellos lectores que tienen desconocimiento o falta de interés en la antigüedad griega.
March 18, 2024
I enjoyed this, but it's a carbon-copy of Christianna Brand's earlier novel 'Tour de Force'; the same plot and resolution and the same characters (with different names)! IE; the two female cousins, one a peacock and the other drab, the philandering, disabled war-hero husband and his long-suffering wife, the flamboyantly gay designer, etc. It's so similar I'm surprised there wasn't a civil court action!
September 12, 2025
A competent mystery with plenty of red herrings. One character accuses Nigel of playing up like a cheap detective novelist by throwing suspicion on each character in turn - which he later admits he did to lull the murderer into a false sense of security! This book reminded me of Christie's Evil Under the Sun, with mistaken identities and the suggestion that the murderer was unlucky that Nigel happened to be on holiday with them. Overall an enjoyable caper.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2018
Charming in the classic British style; even moving the action to Greece doesn't change the traditional structure. Blake's novels are always more about the people than any forensic investigation. The solution is foreshadowed almost from the start, which doesn't take any joy away from seeing how they get there. Tricky, intellectual & great fun.
May 17, 2020
This may be my favorite in the series yet. An interesting cast of characters that can be found in any tour group: the slightly shifty guide, nosy busybody, whinny teenagers, obnoxious child with indulgent parents, pompous lecturer, femme fatale, and kindly vicar. Add our heroes, the well-known detective and his artist girlfriend, and the murderer doesn't have a chance.
January 26, 2022
ok. but the characters were all odd.
I’ve never been on such a cruise so perhaps I’m wrong. But for example the two sisters being so opposite didn’t altogether make sense. The bishop having such a busybody nasty gossip of a wife seemed unlikely. But I read it through so it gets a three and I’m willing to try another.
I’ve never been on such a cruise so perhaps I’m wrong. But for example the two sisters being so opposite didn’t altogether make sense. The bishop having such a busybody nasty gossip of a wife seemed unlikely. But I read it through so it gets a three and I’m willing to try another.
January 23, 2025
El Crucero de la viuda es sin duda un libro.
En la primera mitad no pasa absolutamente nada. Es pura introducción a los personajes, sus personalidades, historias, hábitos y demás. No es entretenido y aún así se deja leer.
Al final del día es una historia policial sobre un crucero, ni más ni menos.
En la primera mitad no pasa absolutamente nada. Es pura introducción a los personajes, sus personalidades, historias, hábitos y demás. No es entretenido y aún así se deja leer.
Al final del día es una historia policial sobre un crucero, ni más ni menos.
March 27, 2018
A golden age mystery taking place during a cruise around Greece and peopled with lots of quirky passengers, with a murder and ?suicide that the great Strangeway has to resolve with a great ending denouncement. Not the best Strangeway but an enjoyable read. On to the next.
May 5, 2018
I could write the same review for all Nicholas Blake mysteries: they are well written, there's an interesting plot and they keep you guessing till the end.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Ipso Books and Netgalley
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Ipso Books and Netgalley
September 17, 2019
Kindle Unlimited Free Trial | If I hadn't known from the very beginning --long before anyone was killed--exactly how it would all end up, I'd have enjoyed this a lot more. But Agatha Christie wrote this plot in 1932, which made it very transparent for me.
February 8, 2020
This was a very enjoyable read that I finished shortly after we arrived on board for the start of our cruise. This was a Nigel Strangeways novel, set on a cruise of the Greek Islands, about two sisters.
September 28, 2018
This is a late Nigel Strangeway mystery, published in 1959. The title is telling with an interesting twist. The plot is decent and the denouement is quite well done and was a surprise to me.
April 10, 2020
A very good book, only the solution was a little unconvincing.
December 14, 2022
My first NIgel Strangeway book. I enjoyed this book. Good succinct writer and great character development.
May 11, 2024
Who the hell kills their sister naked?! :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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