Going to the Dogs

Duffy #4

by Dan Kavanagh

In the fourth Kavanagh novel, Duffy finds himself investigating a mysterious death in a country mansion.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction

207 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 1987

About the author

Pseudonym of Julian Barnes.

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final Duffy novel is the best of the 4. It is a real shame that Dan Kavanagh was retired, taking his bisexual, security firm operator with him.

Duffy is asked to travel out of London to visit Vic, an acquaintance, and former dodgy bloke, who has gone up in the world, and is living in a not quite stately country pile. This is work though, as Duffy had previously installed a security system in the house, and it had apparently failed to work one morning when a body is found inside the house, having been thrown through a window.

Nothing is quite as it seems, and surprises come thick and fast, as Duffy becomes more involved with the numerous house guests staying with Vic and his ex-glamour model wife Belinda. I suddenly realised that Kavanagh had created an '80's set homage to the country house murder, so beloved of my favourite crime author, Agatha Christie, among others. It uses many of her favoured plot devices and character types - drugs, dogs, actresses, suspicions of local psychopaths, servants, perspicacious old ladies, a summoning to a room for accusations, and of course the aforementioned country house. There is one glaring change to the expected, however - the posh people are all gits, the common folk are (for the most part) more admirable.

There is a last minute solving of the case, an unexpected revelation, and Duffy can at last return to his reliable kind-of-girlfriend Carol. What has he been doing since? Hopefully writing down some other crimes he has become caught up in, waiting for someone to want to publish them! Maybe?

[Florin Pitea · Rating 3 out of 5]

By far the most enjoyable of the series. (It still goes on the donation pile.)

[Rafet Baran · Rating 5 out of 5]

İyi polisiye her zaman gol getirir o/

[Laff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in the 1980s Julian Barnes wrote a series of crime novels featuring a private detective called Duffy. This is the last in the series, a country house murder mystery with a dfference. Perfect holiday reading. Funny and clever, but that is what you'd expect from Barnes. i

[Stela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bye, bye Duffy! A fost fun sa te întîlnesc si sa-ti urmaresc aventurile. Mai ales pe aceasta din urma, foarte Agatha Christie! Acu' o sa ma reîntorc la Julian Barnes, ca si el îmi place :).

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

În biblioteca video zăcea un cadavru. Ar fi fost imposibil să treacă neobservat, lucru obişnuit în cazul cadavrelor, iar doamna Colin l-a văzut imediat ce a deschis uşa lambrisată din stejar pe care cineva pictase, în glumă, o gaură de cheie, care putea induce în eroare pe oricine. Doamna Colin l-a recunoscut pe Ricky de cum l-a văzut, şi-a dat seama că era mort şi a dus mâna la gât. Şi-a pipăit crucifixul de sub bluza albă din poplin pe care o călcase chiar în acea dimineaţă, la ora 6:30. Întotdeauna purta crucifixul cu Mântuitorul pe sub haine, lipit de piele, iar puţinii care ştiau asta se întrebau dacă-i era ruşine de religia ei. Doamna Colin nu se ruşina de credinţa ei, însă deseori era mai mult decât jenată de scenele la care trebuia să asiste în cursul activităţilor zilnice de la Braunscombe Hall. Dacă te-ai născut în Davao în urmă cu treizeci şi cinci de ani şi trimiţi bani acasă în fiecare lună, nu comentezi purtarea oamenilor care locuiesc la graniţa dintre Buckinghamshire şi Bedfordshire. Asta nu înseamnă că trebuia să îngăduie ca Mântuitorul să îndure asemenea chinuri, chiar dacă era vorba doar de o reprezentare a lui. Existau momente, ca acelea în care ducea micul dejun în anumite dormitoare, când figurina din aur de la gâtul ei părea să frigă de supărare, iar ea, apăsând-o cu degetele, încerca să o asigure că asemenea lucruri nu aveau nici o legătură cu ea şi că, atunci când va găsi câteva clipe de linişte, se va ruga pentru păcătoşii surprinşi în somn. O parte din banii pe care îi trimitea la Davao aveau ca destinaţie Biserica Sfânta Fecioară a Pocăinţei, unde surorile se rugau cu regularitate pentru ocrotirea purităţii morale a celor care slujeau biserica peste hotare.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last of the Duffy detective stories written in the 1980's by Julian Barnes under a pseudonym. It's mildly amusing, with a lot of digs at English society and its classism: a collection of eccentric people staying at a posh country house owned by a jumped up London hoodlum who has never been convicted and his girlfriend, a former page-three model. There are strange things going on, blackmail, threat of murder, clues being dropped right and left. And an amusing song about why dogs smell each other's butts, to be sung to the tune of "The Church's One Foundation." Everybody is guilty of something, including, as it turns out, Duffy himself. A fairly satisfying conclusion to a complicated story.

[Tim Trewartha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last Duffy novel. OK, but not great. This time Duffy goes out to the country to hang out with some upper class twits, all of which are truly revolting grotesques/caricatures. The "humour" is more broad in this novel which doesn't help. A shame, this series started so well. Oh and the crime Duffy is investigating is stupid, bordering on moronic.

[Constantinos Tsioutis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit bleak and melancholic but really funny and witty. A combination of a detective story, a social depiction of the lifestyle in the country and a sarcastic overview of the posh part of the society.

[Luisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love the humour in the whole Duffy series.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

PI story of the 1980s set in British country house. Dripping with sarcasm. Neither humorous, nor interesting.

[Jason Towers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meanders a bit before coming together in the wrap up.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a strange book. I was really a big fan of Dan kavanagh after the fiddle City book, this one started all a jumble. The asides that Duffy lets loose, these are always very funny. the story is kavanaugh's nod to the murders in the country House type Agatha Christie style mysteries. it was a little bit of a mess. Reminded me of when you take an easy class in college and don't do well on it because you think it's not a big deal so you don't take it seriously, so it languishes ... took me forever to finish this book overall it was disappointing considering how good Fiddle City was but it did manage to tie things together nicely towards the end; over all, it meandered

also note that Duffy in fiddle City feels a lot more existential as well as generally a lot more competent and dangerous; in this one he's funnier as also the book is trying to be more comics so that makes sense, but he seems a bit of a butt of many jokes which is interesting psychologically and that he is kind of an outsider right here he seems to be more in touch with himself and comfortable with who he is. so part of the problem is the Duffys of the two books were very different

Packet Custard
Sherpa Van

[Pucifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was interested in this series because the character of the detective is bisexual, although there is actually very little sex involved in this novel, and a whole lot more class warfare, as our intrepid, endearingly working-class bisexual detective (a former policeman) is seen as an object of disdain by the wealthy, upper-class snobs who are suspects in this English country manor murder/blackmail mystery. The author has a light, humorous touch, and I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

[Karen S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of fun, considering it begins with a death. Very English in language (I had to learn some meanings by context only--Downton Abbey does NOT help), and lots of commentary on the nouveau riche and the sturdy country folk. Intelligently written (DK is pseudonym for Julian Barnes), and I plan to look for the others in the series.

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

...what? .... barnes? .... why?

[Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the writer and main character better than the actual standard mystery plot.

[Mary Lou · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did nt know when I started to read this book that Dan Kavanagh is actually Julian Barnes. Although I enjoyed it's eccentricity, the humour was a bit spikey for me

[Julie Austin Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay despite not being anything like what I expected.

[Daniel Sevitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

So that's Duffy then. Not sure any of them were as good or as gritty as the first.