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mike_brough's review against another edition
3.0
This is the third Inspector Littlejohn story I've read in the past month and it's very different from the others. The plot is denser and the characters are all decidedly unlikeable.
In some ways, Bellairs excelled himself with this one. The scenes of quietly desperate, domestic squalor, the massively-tentacled clan at the centre of the story, the monstrous matriarchs just about holding things together, the names... it's almost Dickensian.
However, the author committed the cardinal sin of mystery writing - the twists and turns of the story itself were hard to follow, partly because I had trouble keeping the various characters clear in my mind - a cast list might have been useful - and partly because the story rambles (mostly enjoyably) down various tracks. For example, I had to re-read the first part of the book to recall who the original suspect was - and I still can't remember what happens to him.
This book isn't a frothy distraction to be read a chapter-a-night at bedtime - it needs a bit more attention than the usual Golden Age story if you're to follow the story-line and keep the characters straight.
If this were the first Littlejohn I'd read, I think I might have stopped there.
(I received a free copy of this book via the Bellairs website at http://www.georgebellairs.com/.)
In some ways, Bellairs excelled himself with this one. The scenes of quietly desperate, domestic squalor, the massively-tentacled clan at the centre of the story, the monstrous matriarchs just about holding things together, the names... it's almost Dickensian.
However, the author committed the cardinal sin of mystery writing - the twists and turns of the story itself were hard to follow, partly because I had trouble keeping the various characters clear in my mind - a cast list might have been useful - and partly because the story rambles (mostly enjoyably) down various tracks. For example, I had to re-read the first part of the book to recall who the original suspect was - and I still can't remember what happens to him.
This book isn't a frothy distraction to be read a chapter-a-night at bedtime - it needs a bit more attention than the usual Golden Age story if you're to follow the story-line and keep the characters straight.
If this were the first Littlejohn I'd read, I think I might have stopped there.
(I received a free copy of this book via the Bellairs website at http://www.georgebellairs.com/.)
cooeeaus's review against another edition
4.0
I gave this novel 4 stars.
Very much a classic mystery and I gave 4 stars because right until the end of the novel it stumped me. I had decided on one suspect as the guilty one but in a twist and confusion of chaotic happening the guilty as another entirely.
There were a lot of characters and suspects in this story but very interesting.
I was actually given this ebook for free by the George Bellairs Reading Library, so I thank them for it.
Very much a classic mystery and I gave 4 stars because right until the end of the novel it stumped me. I had decided on one suspect as the guilty one but in a twist and confusion of chaotic happening the guilty as another entirely.
There were a lot of characters and suspects in this story but very interesting.
I was actually given this ebook for free by the George Bellairs Reading Library, so I thank them for it.
verityw's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure this is my favourite of these - in fact the opening is so similar to Death of A Demented Spiv that it threw me for a second, but the mystery is good, the characters are interesting - and the central family are brilliantly awful.
blackcatlouise's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
dkscully's review against another edition
3.0
Rather like a British Maigret. Pulp detective fiction, but definitely enjoyable.
crazygoangirl's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second book I’ve read in Bellairs Inspector Littlejohn series, after reading Death of a Busybody a few days ago. I got a free download from https://www.georgebellairs.com/ and I see quite a few titles that are free to download for Kindle Unlimited members for which I’m very grateful!
While Death of a Busybody read very much like a traditional cosy English mystery, this one is rather different in its approach. Set in the little village of Enderby, we meet the Bunn family, full of quirky and for the most part unlikeable characters! Most of the Bunns are wealthy bullies, used to getting their own way except for the few who are on the fringes and struggling to make ends meet. When Ned Bunn, a particularly wealthy and nasty specimen is shot in front of his shop, Inspector Littlejohn and his deputy Cromwell are called in to get to the bottom of the mystery.
What I enjoyed in this book was how detailed Bellairs gets with the descriptions of the various Bunn family members. Aunt Sarah, Bathsheba, Bertha Bunn, the Medlicotts, Simon Edgell, Violet Mander, William Flounder, Mr. Blowitt and a host of others. He draws pictures with his words and his characterisations are equally astute and thorough. Given that the actual mystery is interesting but fairly straightforward, the descriptive narrative kept me engaged with the story, although I must confess that there were a few facts in the reveal at the end that were pretty surprising and well thought out!
I enjoyed this book more than I did Death of a Busybody primarily because of the Bunn family and its intrigues that Bellairs describes so well. This is now definitely a series that I will dip into from time to time when in need of a mystery ‘fix’ 😊
While Death of a Busybody read very much like a traditional cosy English mystery, this one is rather different in its approach. Set in the little village of Enderby, we meet the Bunn family, full of quirky and for the most part unlikeable characters! Most of the Bunns are wealthy bullies, used to getting their own way except for the few who are on the fringes and struggling to make ends meet. When Ned Bunn, a particularly wealthy and nasty specimen is shot in front of his shop, Inspector Littlejohn and his deputy Cromwell are called in to get to the bottom of the mystery.
What I enjoyed in this book was how detailed Bellairs gets with the descriptions of the various Bunn family members. Aunt Sarah, Bathsheba, Bertha Bunn, the Medlicotts, Simon Edgell, Violet Mander, William Flounder, Mr. Blowitt and a host of others. He draws pictures with his words and his characterisations are equally astute and thorough. Given that the actual mystery is interesting but fairly straightforward, the descriptive narrative kept me engaged with the story, although I must confess that there were a few facts in the reveal at the end that were pretty surprising and well thought out!
I enjoyed this book more than I did Death of a Busybody primarily because of the Bunn family and its intrigues that Bellairs describes so well. This is now definitely a series that I will dip into from time to time when in need of a mystery ‘fix’ 😊
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