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Constance Ethel Morrison Burke #1
Rather a Common Sort of Crime
Porter, Joyce
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
32 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Porter
67 books13 followersJoyce Porter was born in Marple, Cheshire, and educated at King's College, London. In 1949 she joined the Women's Royal Air Force, and, on the strength of an intensive course in Russian, qualified for confidential work in intelligence. When she left the service in 1963 she had completed three detective novels.
Porter is best known for her series of novels featuring Detective Inspector Wilfred Dover. Dover One appeared in 1964, followed by nine more in a highly successful series. Porter also created the reluctant spy Eddie Brown, and the "Hon-Con", the aristocratic gentlewoman-detective Constance Ethel Morrison Burke.
Porter is best known for her series of novels featuring Detective Inspector Wilfred Dover. Dover One appeared in 1964, followed by nine more in a highly successful series. Porter also created the reluctant spy Eddie Brown, and the "Hon-Con", the aristocratic gentlewoman-detective Constance Ethel Morrison Burke.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 6, 2017
Enjoyed the characters immensely!
July 7, 2013
The Honourable Constance Ethel Morrison-Burke lives with her friend Miss Jones – always known as ‘Bones’. The Hon. Con – loud and forceful and always dresses in men’s clothing – has been told she is no longer wanted by the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.
In a fit of pique she opens her own advice bureau opposite and her only client is the mother of a young man who has apparently committed suicide. His mother thinks he was murdered. The Hon. Con was a bit too over the top for me and I found her rather irritating after a while. Think Agatha Raisin writ large and you will get an idea of what she is like.
The plot was interesting though very politically incorrect for modern readers. I did enjoy the book but I’m not sure whether I shall go on to read the rest of this short series. Gladys Mitchell does this sort of character in a more convincing and less irritating way.
In a fit of pique she opens her own advice bureau opposite and her only client is the mother of a young man who has apparently committed suicide. His mother thinks he was murdered. The Hon. Con was a bit too over the top for me and I found her rather irritating after a while. Think Agatha Raisin writ large and you will get an idea of what she is like.
The plot was interesting though very politically incorrect for modern readers. I did enjoy the book but I’m not sure whether I shall go on to read the rest of this short series. Gladys Mitchell does this sort of character in a more convincing and less irritating way.
June 18, 2019
RATHER A COMMON SORT OF CRIME, Joyce Porter, 1970
The main character is the Honourable Constance Ethel Morrison-Burke (the Hon. Con), who lives with Miss Jones, who Hon. Con refers to as "Bones." Miss Jones has to put up with a lot--Hon. Con is loud, abrasive, opinionated, and impossible. She has been thrown off of every committee and citizen's group in town, the latest being the Citizen's Advice Bureau, and in a fit of rage she decides to open her own advice bureau, right across the street from the Citizen's Advice Bureau. A woman is refused by the experienced group, who sends her (laughingly) to the Hon. Con. The Hon. Con doesn't want the case either, but spurred on by an urge to get one up on those rejecting her, decides to help the woman, who wants to prove that her poor, sweet lad (a thoroughly bad lot) did not commit suicide. Little does she know what she's getting into, but she is exceedingly stubborn, and refuses to fail.
The story is okay, but honestly, Hon. Con wears on a person. She is just so overblown, overlarge, and thick-headed that the entire thing seems over-the-top. There are five books in this series, but I don't think I will bother with another. Joyce Porter has two other series as well; the most well-known is Wilfred Dover, a CI in England (another disagreeable character), and Eddie Brown, a "comic spy" in England.
The main character is the Honourable Constance Ethel Morrison-Burke (the Hon. Con), who lives with Miss Jones, who Hon. Con refers to as "Bones." Miss Jones has to put up with a lot--Hon. Con is loud, abrasive, opinionated, and impossible. She has been thrown off of every committee and citizen's group in town, the latest being the Citizen's Advice Bureau, and in a fit of rage she decides to open her own advice bureau, right across the street from the Citizen's Advice Bureau. A woman is refused by the experienced group, who sends her (laughingly) to the Hon. Con. The Hon. Con doesn't want the case either, but spurred on by an urge to get one up on those rejecting her, decides to help the woman, who wants to prove that her poor, sweet lad (a thoroughly bad lot) did not commit suicide. Little does she know what she's getting into, but she is exceedingly stubborn, and refuses to fail.
The story is okay, but honestly, Hon. Con wears on a person. She is just so overblown, overlarge, and thick-headed that the entire thing seems over-the-top. There are five books in this series, but I don't think I will bother with another. Joyce Porter has two other series as well; the most well-known is Wilfred Dover, a CI in England (another disagreeable character), and Eddie Brown, a "comic spy" in England.
July 29, 2025
The first HonCon- but the last i read- never came across it, so i bought it through abebooks. Great. Introduces HonCon and Miss Jones in a quick economical way (kicked out of dozens of clubs around town for her overbearing ways) and so randomly opts to join the town "advice bureau" (that's a thing?) but the turn her down, so she decides to start her own. A mom comes by and asks HonCon to prove his son did not commit suicide and we are off and running. She needs to grapple with the town teen toughs (funny) and disagreeable cops and assorted low lifes to make progress.. but she does! Of course she does. Abrupt ending- HonCon succeeds but is scolded and punished (so it goes!)
August 30, 2017
That was a delightful palate cleanser. Our fearless detective is a delightful comic creation--The Honourable Constance Ethel Morrison-Burke, after referred to as the Hon. Con., is a selfish, meddling busybody bully with no notion that she's any of these things. She accidentally stumbles upon the detecting business in order to annoy a group that's irritated her, and what better pretext?
She lives with her "friend" Miss Jones (it's the 1960s, so they're circumspect, but I rather suspect they're quite good friends indeed) and is called "Butch" by one of the witnesses, so that's rather fun. Really, it was just a nice romp with likably dreadful company (think E.F. Benson & Miss Mapp, say), and I ate it up and want more.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
She lives with her "friend" Miss Jones (it's the 1960s, so they're circumspect, but I rather suspect they're quite good friends indeed) and is called "Butch" by one of the witnesses, so that's rather fun. Really, it was just a nice romp with likably dreadful company (think E.F. Benson & Miss Mapp, say), and I ate it up and want more.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
June 30, 2024
Just as good as Joyce Porter's fantastic other series Dover, and maybe more funny.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews