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macnwords's review
4.0
I absolutely loved this book. At just 264 pages, there is so much action packed in that I felt I like I was on my toes the entire time. It has all the hallmarks of 1930s crime fiction as the genre was being re-defined with the secret service man as a dashing hero, a wealthy yet helpless heiress, blackmail and high society business men, and a neat and tidy ending where those who committed crimes against their will get away (almost) Scott free.
I’m not going to lie, I originally thought that I was diving in to a piece of historical fiction and kept thinking ‘man, these details and the dialogue seems so authentic!’ Well, duh. It was originally written and set in 1933, so I had to change my mindset to the fact that I was reading a classical thriller and after that it was impossible not to get swept up. Yes, Miss Fern was rather helpless, yes the other women in this text are either victims or emotionally driven, yes it was originally written as a serial, and yes there are a lot of characters to keep track of but it all worked together so well.
I really enjoyed the tongue-and-cheek humour that was used to break moments of tension, but more than anything I really enjoyed how Allingham dropped so many clues in every chapter that I was running in circles trying to piece them all together. By the time everything started to reach it’s pinnacle I was starting to feel like and exhausted investigator myself.
Would I recommend this book? Goodness, yes! This trip down memory lane is an absolutely delightful read. With just enough romance and damsel in distress to balance out the gore and thrill, it’s sure to please as many readers today as it did during it’s debut in 1933.
I’m not going to lie, I originally thought that I was diving in to a piece of historical fiction and kept thinking ‘man, these details and the dialogue seems so authentic!’ Well, duh. It was originally written and set in 1933, so I had to change my mindset to the fact that I was reading a classical thriller and after that it was impossible not to get swept up. Yes, Miss Fern was rather helpless, yes the other women in this text are either victims or emotionally driven, yes it was originally written as a serial, and yes there are a lot of characters to keep track of but it all worked together so well.
I really enjoyed the tongue-and-cheek humour that was used to break moments of tension, but more than anything I really enjoyed how Allingham dropped so many clues in every chapter that I was running in circles trying to piece them all together. By the time everything started to reach it’s pinnacle I was starting to feel like and exhausted investigator myself.
Would I recommend this book? Goodness, yes! This trip down memory lane is an absolutely delightful read. With just enough romance and damsel in distress to balance out the gore and thrill, it’s sure to please as many readers today as it did during it’s debut in 1933.
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