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melissa_who_reads's review
2.0
A "Golden Age" mystery by an author I had never heard of. The main characters were naive and lacked logic throughout, so it was very frustrating all the way through. The way they all leapt to assumptions without a shred of evidence that would withstand a moment's questioning; and, in one case, those unquestioning assumptions actively put the heroine in danger. She was singularly unable to help herself throughout. May read more to see if they get better as the author got more comfortable with the genre, but it was disappointing.
tee_victoria's review against another edition
3.0
This mystery novel had a very interesting premise, but needed sharper execution. I was quite certain of the murderer early on, which did detract from the suspense somewhat. On a positive note, I liked the characters of Pakenham and Inspector Collier, and will probably read more of the series for that reason. Overall, not the most thrilling mystery, but interesting enough to hold your attention until the end (which was rather good).
robinwalter's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
"Nice guys finish last" That could be the motto for this debut novel. Inspector Collier is a VERY nice guy, but sadly when he berates his own lack of detective nous he is only being completely honest. There can be no graver insult for a detective than for ME to be able to say "hey, it's them" pretty much as soon as the ultimate culprit is revealed - and be right. Meanwhile, Collier blythely ignores all the clues and is actually responsible for one of the murders by revealing crucuial information to the murderer. Even in the summation, which largely consists of Collier quite rightly lamenting his own stupidity, the fact that his cloth-eared incompetence killed someone is not mentioned at all.
Despite the dystopian nightmare world of this first novel, wherein I outsmart Scotland Yard's finest, I enjoyed reading this. It was light and fun, with the unusual opening gimmick of a supporting character (and his cat) doing all the brain work, and some of the key physical stuff too. Collier really is a nice guy, and the fact that even his given name changes in later books confirms that this book was very much a first draft. I look forward to reading more of them to see how his character develops and if his neuron ever gets company.
Despite the dystopian nightmare world of this first novel, wherein I outsmart Scotland Yard's finest, I enjoyed reading this. It was light and fun, with the unusual opening gimmick of a supporting character (and his cat) doing all the brain work, and some of the key physical stuff too. Collier really is a nice guy, and the fact that even his given name changes in later books confirms that this book was very much a first draft. I look forward to reading more of them to see how his character develops and if his neuron ever gets company.
kjcharles's review
I am on a 1920s detective binge thanks to Dean Street Press, who are republishing tons of forgotten writers at exceedingly reasonable prices. This is a very good one by an author I'm delighted to have discovered. Tontine type set up where money is to be divided between the members of a group which is, needless to say, getting rapidly smaller. Good scary Gothic feel, heroine in peril, excellent cat.
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