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james1star's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The stories come to an average rating of 4.375 ⭐️ so I’ve rounded it up to 4.5
The Mistletoe Murder - 5 ⭐️
This little story was really great. We follow an unnamed protagonist, a young widow recently subscribed to the army, who visits her grandmother’s country house for Christmas 1940 with her cousin Paul. When she arrives, there is an unknown relative Rowely, who was asked to come for Christmas and look at the potential sale of gold coins. He doesn’t give the best impression but the festivities proceed well, that is until she wakes on Boxing Day to discover a murder in the library. But who did it? How and why? The writing, in particular the settings, was very descriptive and enjoyable to read. The characters - their nuances and backstory - were really interesting and developed. The plot was intriguing, especially how the protagonist tried to piece together the murder and the ‘justification’ was not technically right but had reason and in my opinion I kinda loved how it all came together.
A Very Commonplace Murder - 3.5 ⭐️
I’m quite conflicted on how to review this story, it was good and well written but the actual plot and characters were… I dunno. We follow the MC Ernest Gabriel who goes back to the flat he used to watch sixteen years after a murder took place and he thinks back to that time. Then, he used to sneak back into the office he worked (as a clerk I think) and read ‘dirty’ books the late boss left every Friday when he sees a couple meeting at the flat opposite and watches them over a period of weeks. One time, ‘the boy’ Denis Speller arrives, knocks at the door and leaves but it turns out the woman Eileen Morrisey was killed. Only Gabriel can vouch for Denis not being the murderer and plans to save the day. But as time goes on and events unfold, he talks himself out it and… Again, the story was written well, it’s descriptive and I was very intrigued to see how the plot unfolded. That being said, the MC was horrible - I honestly hasted him so much and it was quite an annoying story so yhh I’m a bit confused on this one.
The Boxdale Inheritance - 4.25 ⭐️
This was another interesting and enjoyable story. It starts with Canon Hubert Boxdale requesting the services of his godson Adam Dalgliesh after receiving news he is to be giving the sum of £50,000 from his Great Aunt Allie’s inheritance. The canon is not a rich man and is taken advantage of by some but keeps in high spirits and so Dalgliesh believes he’s a great candidate for the money. But… Allie was trialled but found not guilty of his grandfather’s death during Christmas, six weeks after their marriage (she was 21, he 69). So Dalgliesh is tasked with determining her innocent and begins by looking over the trial notes, visiting the home where the Boxdale’s used to live and inquiring the services of a friend, Aubrey Glatt, specialising in Edwardian crimes with a keen interest in the granddaughter Miss Marguerite Goddard. He discovers that no one really had a motive for killing the grandfather and most had an alibi except for Allie… but was it her? I was a little bit shook at the revelation so yhh, you got me there. The writing, setting and characters was all enjoyable to read, I was intrigued and liked how the MC was going about finding clues, motives, theories and just general investigating. It wasn’t a great plot but certainly an interesting one.
The Twelve Clues of Christmas - 4.75 ⭐️
I really enjoyed this one. It starts with Adam Dalgliesh making his way to visit his Aunt Jane for Christmas when someone waves his car down. Despite seeming fictional, the man is real and states that his uncle Cuthbert has ‘committed suicide’ (‘died by suicide’ is a better phrasing but this is beside the point) and needs to telephone the police. After aiding him, Dalgliesh drives the man, Helmut Harkerville, home where he meets his sister Gertrude, brother Carl and the temporary cook Mrs Dagworth. Upon seeing the body, Dalgliesh begins to question the incident. A Suffolk constable comes and takes over but shortly after arriving at his aunt’s, the inspection requested Dalgliesh’s assistance. In doing so, he states the twelve clues that might it might not show this was a murder and not suicide after all. But how? And why? Wait and see. I loved how this came together, the characters were interesting and plot twists entertaining.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Death, Grief, Sexual assault, Outing, Suicide, War, and Misogyny
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