Reviews

The Lake District Murder by John Bude

shatterlings's review

Go to review page

mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

fellrnr's review

Go to review page

slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Something of a literary puzzle, rather like “the five red herring”, though not as extreme. It mostly of interest given the 1935 setting in the lake district.

kzizz's review

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Pleasant enough read set in the lakes. The mystery itself was well constructed, however I found the lack of conflict and setbacks for the protagonist to make the narrative unrealistic. 

wes1ey's review against another edition

Go to review page

slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

xander1894's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

I was drawn to this book because of its beautiful cover depicting Lakeland scenery, and expected the story to be accompanied by evocative descriptions of this beautiful part of the world. However, there are only cursory mentions of the landscape and a more accurate title might be 'The Petrol Station Murder'.

Inspector Meredith investigates an apparent suicide of a petrol station attendant and soon unearths what he thinks is an elaborate fraudulent scheme orchestrated by the petrol company owner with help from the depot manager and two lorry drivers. The middle section of the book describes in detail Meredith's investigations of the supposed racket, including minute details of how many gallons of fuel a lorry carries, how petrol stations request an order, the routes the various lorries take, how long it should take to deliver petrol to the pump, what happens to any surplus etc. After trudging through page upon page of these details I very nearly gave up.

There is little detail of Meredith's background, personality or private life. He goes about his work in an efficient and businesslike manner, his relationships with colleagues are unremarkable, and he overcomes any setbacks quickly and with little drama. The plot trundles on at a slow pace and there are few if any twists or turns. There is no dramatic climax to the investigation and the book just fizzles out in the end.

jenmulholland's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious medium-paced

3.0

iceangel9's review

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The first in the Golden Age Inspector Meredith series. The Inspector is called in when a body is found in an isolated garage. The investigation winds a complex path through a tangle of shady business dealings and murder. Fans of Golden Age mysteries will thoroughly enjoy this mystery.

krobart's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

See my review here:

http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2017/04/17/day-1066-the-lake-district-murder/

annareadsmysteries's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

It's a 3... the book knows what it did.

But in a nutshell - It's a murder mystery that escalates into something else, after which it no longer feels like a murder mystery at all.
It's a cozy read, sure - however, this could have been done in 150 pages, but the author kept banging on and on and on about the plans of how to catch the suspects.....

cimorene1558's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

So far my favourite of this author's books.