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mikewa14's review against another edition
3.0
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/quick-curtain-alan-melville.html
littletaiko's review against another edition
4.0
love a good classic murder mystery and if it involves the theater then that is even better. The humor here was so dry and wonderful that I couldn't help but enjoy this tale that pokes fun at the detective genre. There was one bit of dialogue that made me do a double take and then laugh out loud.
The set up is that the doctor has come to examine the dead body.
"Well? said Mr. Douglas
"Far from it." said Dr. Armitage. "In fact, he's dead."
The set up is that the doctor has come to examine the dead body.
"Well? said Mr. Douglas
"Far from it." said Dr. Armitage. "In fact, he's dead."
jonathanrobert's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
goodmorning's review against another edition
4.25
Amüsante Satire auf das Theater und den britischen Kriminalroman. Das Buch legt den Fokus stark auf die Atmosphäre und die Umgebung. Erinnert mich von der Erzählweise sehr an "Eine Reihe betrüblicher Ereignisse" von Lemony Snicket, da sehr viel der Gesellschaft und des Theaters der damaligen Zeit dem Leser erklärt wird. Es wird viel Bezug auf den klassischen Krimi genommen, und wer wie ich viel aus dem Genre liest, erkennt einige Easter Eggs und Themen wieder. Das Buch nimmt natürlich alles auf die Schippe, aber nicht auf eine unangenehme Weise. Ich habe gelesen, dass im Buch vieles immer wieder wiederholt wird, aber für mich ist das Teil der Satire, dass der klassische Kriminalroman-Leser vom Autor und Verlagswesen für etwas "dümmlich" gehalten wird.
Die unerwartete Wendung am Ende des Buches passt gut zum Buch, aber mir persönlich hat es nicht so gefallen.
Insgesamt fand ich das Buch ungewöhnlich, kurzweilig und interessant. Man könnte auch sagen, ich fand es hinreichend bescheuert. Etwas für Fans des Theaters und des klassischen britischen Krimis. 4,25/5 Sternen
Die unerwartete Wendung am Ende des Buches passt gut zum Buch, aber mir persönlich hat es nicht so gefallen.
Insgesamt fand ich das Buch ungewöhnlich, kurzweilig und interessant. Man könnte auch sagen, ich fand es hinreichend bescheuert. Etwas für Fans des Theaters und des klassischen britischen Krimis. 4,25/5 Sternen
tobyyy's review against another edition
4.0
A Golden Age mystery (written in 1934), Quick Curtain satirizes the theatre world as well as the typical detective story. This was a fun little novel, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I quite enjoyed the detective duo of Inspector Wilson (Scotland Yard) and his son Derek (journalist); their snarky back & forth dialogue made my day.
I need to look up other novels by Melville, sincethis was a satire and quite enjoyable — I can’t imagine how much more enjoyable an actual full blown mystery would be without the satirical element.
I need to look up other novels by Melville, sincethis was a satire and quite enjoyable — I can’t imagine how much more enjoyable an actual full blown mystery would be without the satirical element.
annieb123's review against another edition
5.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Quick Curtain is another 'forgotten' gem, re-formatted and released by Poisoned Pen press in the British Library Crime Classics series with a release date 5th December, 2017. It was written by Alan Melville and originally published in 1934. There's a lighthearted element to the humor (for which the author was taken to task by Dorothy Sayers). I enjoy so many of the classic golden age mystery writers and find the interwar stories especially engaging and nostalgic, seen through the lens of modern times. This edition features a really interesting introduction and short history by Martin Edwards which adds a lot of background for the narrative.
This is a very light mystery and intended as a fun diversion, not a deep or philosophical examination of the criminal mind. The plot is unusually full of twists and turns and I really enjoyed the interplay between inspector Wilson and his son, Derek, a reporter. They seem to genuinely like one another and their banter adds a lot to the dialogue.
There is a fair bit of authorial intrusion (the author speaking directly to the reader), which may annoy some readers, but I found it teasing and quite fun. The author uses the device relatively sparingly, so it's not overly tiresome.
This is not a procedural in the normal sense. The goings-on included in the book aren't realistic, nor are they intended to be realistic. Realism was intentionally sacrificed for entertainment value.
Incidentally, I really thought I had it figured out until quite literally the penultimate page! Well played, Mr. Melville, well played.
268 pages, available in ebook, paperback and audiobook versions. Worthwhile. In fact, I've enjoyed all the books I've read in the Crime Classics collection.
Four and a half stars. Lighthearted, witty, and entertaining.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Quick Curtain is another 'forgotten' gem, re-formatted and released by Poisoned Pen press in the British Library Crime Classics series with a release date 5th December, 2017. It was written by Alan Melville and originally published in 1934. There's a lighthearted element to the humor (for which the author was taken to task by Dorothy Sayers). I enjoy so many of the classic golden age mystery writers and find the interwar stories especially engaging and nostalgic, seen through the lens of modern times. This edition features a really interesting introduction and short history by Martin Edwards which adds a lot of background for the narrative.
This is a very light mystery and intended as a fun diversion, not a deep or philosophical examination of the criminal mind. The plot is unusually full of twists and turns and I really enjoyed the interplay between inspector Wilson and his son, Derek, a reporter. They seem to genuinely like one another and their banter adds a lot to the dialogue.
There is a fair bit of authorial intrusion (the author speaking directly to the reader), which may annoy some readers, but I found it teasing and quite fun. The author uses the device relatively sparingly, so it's not overly tiresome.
This is not a procedural in the normal sense. The goings-on included in the book aren't realistic, nor are they intended to be realistic. Realism was intentionally sacrificed for entertainment value.
Incidentally, I really thought I had it figured out until quite literally the penultimate page! Well played, Mr. Melville, well played.
268 pages, available in ebook, paperback and audiobook versions. Worthwhile. In fact, I've enjoyed all the books I've read in the Crime Classics collection.
Four and a half stars. Lighthearted, witty, and entertaining.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
marmalade72's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Brilliant fun.
fictionfan's review against another edition
2.0
Define “witty”...
It's the opening night of the new show at the Grosvenor Theatre – Blue Music, produced by the great theatre impresario Douglas B Douglas and starring perennial juvenile lead and heart-throb Brandon Baker, a combination designed to guarantee box office success. The theatre is filled with the great and the good in the dear seats, and the members of the Brandon Baker Gallery Club in the cheap ones. The scene where Brandon Baker is shot takes on an unexpectedly dramatic twist when it turns out the bullet was real, and he collapses onto the stage, dead. Fortunately Inspector Wilson of the Yard is in the audience, along with his journalist son Derek, so the pair are in prime position to investigate the murder.
This is billed as being “witty”. Wit can wear very thin very quickly if it's not done well. It's not done well. The Wilsons must have a claim on the title of most annoying crime fighting duo in history. Perhaps if they spent less time being “funny”, they might have been better detectives. I found myself speculating as to the mysterious lack of a Mrs Wilson – I concluded that if I were married to one of these and the mother of the other, I'd probably have run off to a different continent leaving no forwarding address, but perhaps the poor lady simply died of tedium after having to listen to them do their cross-talk act at breakfast once too often.
Realism simply doesn't exist in this novel. Inspector Wilson acts like an amateur detective, using his son as his sidekick. They don't interview any suspects or do any real investigation. They simply come up with a theory and then mangle the “facts” to fit. “Facts” is a term that must be used loosely in regard to this novel, since there are glaring continuity errors throughout, such as a man having a wife and children at one appearance and then being an unmarried loner next time he's discussed. One feels that some editor at some point in the 80-odd years since it was first published would have picked up on these issues, but perhaps they were all laughing too hysterically to concentrate.
To be fair, it starts out quite well with some gentle lampooning of the whole business of putting on light musicals. Stars, producers, theatre critics and fans all come in for their share of mockery, but it's done quite affectionately. In his introduction, Martin Edwards tells us that Melville was himself a successful playwright and this shows through in his credible, if caricatured, portrayal of the life of theatricals. It's really the arrival of the Wilson duo that brings the whole thing down – in fact, it's the attempt to make it into a crime novel that fails badly. Had Melville written some other kind of theatre based froth, then it may have come off better, but a crime novel really requires at least some pretence at a proper plot and investigation or it becomes nonsensical – and not in a good way. Edwards tells us that Dorothy L Sayers, a regular reviewer of the work of her contemporaries, had similar reservations as my own, saying Inspector Wilson “does all his detecting from his private house with the sole aid of his journalist son. Light entertainment is Mr Melville's aim, and a fig for procedure!”
So I guess it comes down to whether the reader finds this kind of arch humour entertaining. Some will, I'm sure, and will therefore be better able to overlook the major flaws in the plot and structure. Sadly I found myself getting progressively more irritated and bored as it went along and was frankly delighted to make it to the deeply unsatisfactory and rather silly end. Not an author I will be pursuing further, I'm afraid. Sometimes authors become “forgotten” for a reason...
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
It's the opening night of the new show at the Grosvenor Theatre – Blue Music, produced by the great theatre impresario Douglas B Douglas and starring perennial juvenile lead and heart-throb Brandon Baker, a combination designed to guarantee box office success. The theatre is filled with the great and the good in the dear seats, and the members of the Brandon Baker Gallery Club in the cheap ones. The scene where Brandon Baker is shot takes on an unexpectedly dramatic twist when it turns out the bullet was real, and he collapses onto the stage, dead. Fortunately Inspector Wilson of the Yard is in the audience, along with his journalist son Derek, so the pair are in prime position to investigate the murder.
This is billed as being “witty”. Wit can wear very thin very quickly if it's not done well. It's not done well. The Wilsons must have a claim on the title of most annoying crime fighting duo in history. Perhaps if they spent less time being “funny”, they might have been better detectives. I found myself speculating as to the mysterious lack of a Mrs Wilson – I concluded that if I were married to one of these and the mother of the other, I'd probably have run off to a different continent leaving no forwarding address, but perhaps the poor lady simply died of tedium after having to listen to them do their cross-talk act at breakfast once too often.
Realism simply doesn't exist in this novel. Inspector Wilson acts like an amateur detective, using his son as his sidekick. They don't interview any suspects or do any real investigation. They simply come up with a theory and then mangle the “facts” to fit. “Facts” is a term that must be used loosely in regard to this novel, since there are glaring continuity errors throughout, such as a man having a wife and children at one appearance and then being an unmarried loner next time he's discussed. One feels that some editor at some point in the 80-odd years since it was first published would have picked up on these issues, but perhaps they were all laughing too hysterically to concentrate.
To be fair, it starts out quite well with some gentle lampooning of the whole business of putting on light musicals. Stars, producers, theatre critics and fans all come in for their share of mockery, but it's done quite affectionately. In his introduction, Martin Edwards tells us that Melville was himself a successful playwright and this shows through in his credible, if caricatured, portrayal of the life of theatricals. It's really the arrival of the Wilson duo that brings the whole thing down – in fact, it's the attempt to make it into a crime novel that fails badly. Had Melville written some other kind of theatre based froth, then it may have come off better, but a crime novel really requires at least some pretence at a proper plot and investigation or it becomes nonsensical – and not in a good way. Edwards tells us that Dorothy L Sayers, a regular reviewer of the work of her contemporaries, had similar reservations as my own, saying Inspector Wilson “does all his detecting from his private house with the sole aid of his journalist son. Light entertainment is Mr Melville's aim, and a fig for procedure!”
So I guess it comes down to whether the reader finds this kind of arch humour entertaining. Some will, I'm sure, and will therefore be better able to overlook the major flaws in the plot and structure. Sadly I found myself getting progressively more irritated and bored as it went along and was frankly delighted to make it to the deeply unsatisfactory and rather silly end. Not an author I will be pursuing further, I'm afraid. Sometimes authors become “forgotten” for a reason...
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com