Craftyhj’s Comments (group member since Dec 08, 2022)

Craftyhj’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

Jan C wrote: "I was getting ready to start this book. Although perhaps I should finish Death On The Oxford Road first. I am 80+% through.

It sounds interesting."

I'm interested to know where you got Death on the Oxford Road from. Are you reading a hard copy or have you found an electronic one. I am struggling to find it.

sabagrey wrote: "Sandy wrote: "Craftyhj wrote: "I wonder though if it is because the authors themselves found the death penalty distasteful?"

I have often thought that was the reason the authors dispatched their m..."

This is definitely true in some cases. The one that has always sat badly with me, given the time in which it was written, is Peril at End House by Agatha Christie. The character who is finally revealed as the murderer was so truly rotten in character that I suspect Agatha Christie may well have experienced some backlash with her ending of that one.

I really enjoyed this - I think Lorac/Carnac/Rivett is an excellent writer or mysteries. Her plots are good and her characters are well rounded. I am constantly amazed that her work is not better known. Perhaps the normality of her detectives, rather than the flamboyance of the likes of Poirot, is the reason. I prefer the normality of the likes of MacDonald but I appreciate perhaps he doesn't have the same draw as Poirot and his little grey cells.

I thought this was well plotted although I do agree that the "author" trait was rather set aside after the beginning. I don't think that bothered me much as I find the market is a little flooded with books about authors/bookshops/libraries etc at the moment.

I like MacDonald and Reeves as a team and I loved the little battle between Reeves and Brandon. The only thing I didn't really like was the very ending. It is definitely a common thing in this era for the murderer to die or be 'allowed' to commit suicide before they come to trial. I appreciate that the embolism from sheer fury in this one was better than many but it never seems quite right. I wonder though if it is because the authors themselves found the death penalty distasteful?

Thanks for the suggestion - an all round good book!

Just over an hour to go on the audio book (about 90% through). I love Lorac's Inspector MacDonald. Her work is very good and her plotting is generally exceptional.

I shall finish it this evening and then head over to the spoilers thread...

Just starting the audio version...

I am a huge fan of Miss Silver - she is a consistent character throughout all of the books which is not the case for many detectives. I like the way she works with the police without making them look stupid. I thought this one was agreeably suspenseful.

For me, the mark of a good detective book is one where guessing who the villain is before the end does not detract from the unravelling of the case. Margery Allingham was the supremo at this but Patricia Wentworth is a close second.

A slightly late adopter I have just started the second in the Marlow Murder Club series, Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood

Halfway through Murder on Black Swan Lane . I'm enjoying it so far but at times there is a little too much explaining that breaks the flow (e.g. a paragraph explaining what the Grand Tour was). These would be better as a footnote perhaps.

I have just started the second Brunetti book, Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon.

I enjoyed the first one and this one is promising although a little more punctuation wouldn't go amiss. I am definitely a "less is more" reader when it comes to punctuation but this is perhaps a little too sparse.

Sandy wrote: "I want to continue, or even wrap up, some of the many series I have started. Combining this with a review of the many books I have on my library' 'for later' shelf I requested a couple that had few..."

I'm trying to wrap up. few series over the summer too. It is tempting to start new ones but eventually my brain gets too overloaded with characters.

My review of this one was "Quite fun but a few too many anachronisms for me".

I enjoyed this story well enough and the range of characters were interesting. The pace was good, staying the right side of frantic without getting stodgy. There were however too many errors in language and terminology for my tastes.

It was a pleasant enough read but I doubt if I will go on with the series.

I've been reading a lot of Golden Age Crime recently so I have decided to flick forward the pages of the calendar and I am reading At Risk by Stella Rimington

I am not sure if I should admit this or not but I am reading my first ever Sherlock Holmes; A Study in Scarlet.

Susan in NC wrote: "Craftyhj wrote: "I really like the way she ages Miss Marple and the frustration Marple feels at her physical limitations."

Yes, it’s realistic- and I admire how Miss Marple grows into her sleuthin..."

I think Miss Marple is a more well rounded character than Poirot.

Keith wrote: "Oh you lucky girl! I tried to visit it once in the 1950s when I was exploring England anf Wales by motorcycle (when I wasn't up in the hills of the Peak District, the Lake District and Snowdonia ) ..."

I read and reread these as a child. They are all available on openlib.org if you want to relive your youth!

I really like the way she ages Miss Marple and the frustration Marple feels at her physical limitations.

Jill wrote: "I am now starting The Dig by John Preston
The site where this book is set is only a couple of hours drive from me, and I have been and toured said site, so am eager ..."

I hope you enjoy the book - the film was beautiful and the site is very impressive.

Abigail wrote: "Finally finished last night (combination of flu and too much work has slowed my reading to a crawl), and I have to say I enjoyed it more than most in this thread.

As far as the mystery went there..."

the pipes! I forgot about them in my review. My granddad was a pipe smoker and the ritual is essential I think to all pipe smokers. My mum always called it his dummy (US - pacifier)!

I absolutely loved it! I have loved the whole series but this was a good ending. This is the UK of my childhood - I loved the Major and his fondness for advert jingles. Crispin had the most fabulous wit and a clear love of the absurd.
The mystery element wasn't his best - that must surely be The Moving Toyshop, but the observations on human nature were priceless.

This one made me laugh out loud several times. No mean feat bearing in mind I was mostly listening to it whilst running on the treadmill!

Whoever it was who first recommended Crispin to me, I doff my cap to you in grateful thanks.

I am just finishing his last full length book and will move onto this one next.