The Shooting in the Shop

I read this Christmas-themed murder mystery shortly before Christmas last year.  It's nice on occasion to read books that reflect a current season or holiday as it helps to get you into the spirit of things... especially when you're having a hot South African Christmas after having years of cold (and occasional snowy) English Christmases.

Jude and Carole, our unconventional amateur sleuths, find death on their doorstep when the body of a young woman is found in the cinders of the new boutique shop in the village of Fethering.  The Police think the death was an accident but when it is revealed that the victim was shot, our intrepid sleuths' noses start twitching.

There is a host of interesting and nasty characters in this novel and Simon Brett's writing appears to be taking a turn for the contemporary.  I've noticed in this and the previous novel that certain expletives have crept in and that a few unattractive loutish characters are being included.   Is Mr Brett trying to reflect current day reality a little more, I wonder?  Personally, I could do without the extra grit and grime (however small it may be) in the narrative but it doesn't detract from the overall style of the series, which is a nod to golden age mysteries.

I have been a fan of the Fethering mysteries for a few years so this book did not disappoint but I do feel that the last couple of books lacked a certain warmth.  I have the next instalment lined up and look forward to revisiting Fethering soon.  If you're fond of English mysteries with a cosy feel to them and with intelligent prose and sympathetic characters, I heartily recommend this series. 

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for kindly providing a review copy.

A Conspiracy of Friends

This is happily the third installment in Alexander McCall Smith's charming online serial novel, Corduroy Mansions, that is published around September each year in the Telegraph.  McCall Smith already had a very successful serial going in The Scotsman which centred around a handful of Edinburgh inhabitants and he has replicated the formula and set it in Pimlico, London - where, happily, anyone with Internet access can enjoy his daily chapters online.

I must admit that I was not as in love with the inhabitants of Corduroy Mansions as I was with those of 44 Scotland Street but that changed after reading the second book, The Dog Who Came in from the Cold.  The more time you spend in their company, the more invested you become and I look forward to following their everyday - and in some cases extraordinary - lives as I would with old friends.

A Conspiracy of Friends reintroduces us to the Corduroy Mansions inhabitants and the people in their world: William French, Master of Wine (Failed) and his (formerly vegetarian and MI-6 agent) Pimlico terrier Freddie de la Hay; the only unpleasant Lib-Dem, Oedipus Snark; Barbara Ragg (of the Ragg Porter Publishing Agency - publishers of the Yeti's Biography); Berthea Snark (psychotherapist and reluctant mother of Oedipus) and her New-Age, Porsche-driving brother Terence Moongrove...  to mention a few.

This book is filled with McCall Smith's light and sympathetic touch with dashes of humour and human observation.  I found it engaging and fun, especially since a large dose of interesting new situations are foisted upon our group of friends.  Perfect pick-me-up or calm-me-down reading.

Thank you to Birlinn/Polygon for kindly providing a review copy.

High Wages

I finished this beautiful Persephone book early last month as part of Persephone Reading Week and have been meaning to share my verdict for quite a while.  The plot and my initial thoughts on the novel are chronicled here.  This novel has been a perfect introduction to Dorothy Whipple and this is now one of my favourite Persephones.

It is a charming, heart-warming read with enough daily ruptures and minor occurrences to keep things interesting.  The main protagonist, Jane, is a worthy heroine - head-strong, independent, hungry for knowledge and graced with a kind heart.  The novel started off very cosily with Jane fortuitously securing a position at a draper's and we learn of her ambition to own her own clothing store.  The characters surrounding Jane are all realistically and skilfully drawn so that you feel as though you are right there with Jane.

 

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The book progresses through Jane's friendships and her ultimate independence but then it takes an unusual turn with an unexpected and complicated romance.  I wasn't too sure about Jane's choice (I can't say more or I'll ruin the surprise element) and I found myself feeling quite anxious for her and hoping that she would come to her senses.  There is also one character who appears a little creepy in the beginning but he improves as the novel progresses, although I think that Whipple was a bit harsh with him by inflicting quite an injury.  Whipple certainly manipulated my emotions towards the end, which just goes to show what a superb writer she is.

I find myself wanting to read more Whipple but I am without any other of her novels... I must try to remedy that.  I have a copy of Someone at a Distance in the UK (the beautiful Persephone Classics edition) but I fear that I shall be in for constant heart tugging with that one.  Any suggestions on what should be my next Whipple fix?



Dorothy Whipple



The Travelling Matchmaker

Being a fan of M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin and Edwardian Murder Mysteries series, I thought that the attractively reissued novels from the Travelling Matchmaker series might be fun.  These were originally issued under the pseudonym of Marion Chesney in the 1990s but have recently been reissued by Constable Robinson this year.  I started with the first in the series of 6 novels.

These novels follow the matchmaking (or meddling) adventures of Miss Hannah Pym, a housekeeper of the 1800s, who inherits a substantial sum of money after her employer passes away.  Miss Pym has always dreamt of travelling on the Flying Machine - the stagecoach - and realises her fantasy once she finds herself a gentlewomen of independent means.

Each book appears to deal with a different heroine that Miss Pym encounters on her travels and your usual dashing male hero.  The first novel is fairly light with a few touches of humour and the prose is superior to some of Beaton's current Agatha Raisin offerings but I found it a little predictable.  I was also disappointed not to actually read much about Exeter as most of the novel is set in an inn en route to that town.

On the whole, not a bad novel and probably a decent low-key historical romance but without much substance and certainly without the whimsy that I anticipated.  There were nuggetts of historical information about travelling in England in the 19th century as well as inteteresting descriptions of dress and household concerns.  It was a quick, undemanding read that helped pass the time whilst waiting to been seen to in hospital (just a routine appointment for my Mom).  I'm not sure if I'll follow the series through as I read this more for the ambience of the titular towns but I doubt that much of the books actually deliver in this regard.  I was particularly looking forward to getting to the second book, Belinda goes to Bath, but alas that also appears to be thin on the Bath front.  I read this on my Sony Reader after purchasing it from Amazon at a discounted price... a nice way to try out an unfamiliar series.

Manna from Hades

Set in a fictional north-Cornish village, with a pseudo-sixties timeline, this cosy mystery novel is the first book in a new series by prolific author Carola Dunn.  This novel introduces us to Eleanor Trewynn, a widow who previously travelled the world working for an international charity, who has returned to Cornwall and has settled in the picturesque village of Port Mabyn.  Eleanor lives above a charity shop with her charming West Highlands terrier Teazle and spends her days driving around her corner of Cornwall collecting donations and items to sell in the charity shop.

 

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It is during one of these outings that she discovers that a briefcase filled with jewellery has been deposited in her car.  Later she discovers the body of a teenager in the charity shop's storeroom and realises that the briefcase is gone, although she had the foresight to stow away the jewellery in her own safe.  The mystery revolves around identifying the victim and unravelling the motive for murder, not to mention the mystery behind the generous donation of jewellery.

This is a smooth, comforting read with enough references to Cornish places to please and create the appropriate atmosphere.  It is peopled with likeable characters such as the indomitable vicar's wife, the dotty vicar, a witty artist as a next-door-neighbour and Eleanor's niece, Megan, who works for the Cornish Police in Launceston.  The grumpy Superintendent Scumble's frustration and sarcasm in dealing with Eleanor's constant forgetfulness and woolly thinking raises a few chuckles.  We are also reminded that women police officers were not the norm at that time and it is interesting to observe how Megan deals with prejudice and misogyny as she goes about her duties.



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The adorable dog Teazle is beautifully drawn and her antics and personality shine through.  I found the dialogue and description of the countryside and people's movements and day-to-day tasks quite evocative and I found it an enjoyable read.  The only criticism I have is that Eleanor's constant lack of locking doors and her revealing information to the police piece-meal was a bit irritating, especially since you are several pages into the novel and you just want to shout at her to get on with it and tell the police about the pertinent clues she found but forget to mention.  I found that this stretched my patience a bit but it did eventually get better.

I read this novel as part of the Read Cornwall challenge devised by the lovely Fleur Fisher and will be seeking out the second instalment in the series.  Although it's set in the sixties, without mobile phones and other modern-day conveniences, I found that it worked quite well and I did picture myself in Cornwall throughout, which is a lovely bonus.