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A review by shanaqui
Murder in the Basement by Anthony Berkeley
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Anthony Berkeley was a clever writer, and never one to rest on his laurels. I'm not a fan of his detectives, nor particularly the way he wrote female characters, but Murder in the Basement was structured really interestingly, and it's not the first book by him that played around with structure. In this case, the middle section of the book is a fictionalisation of the chief suspects, written by Roger Sheringham before the crime was committed, and which allows us to begin to guess at the motives -- and identity -- of both murderer and victim.
I found it a little frustrating to go so long without being able to guess even who the victim was, and I'm not certain that part was really fair-play. But perhaps it'd have made it too obvious too soon to reveal it earlier...
Anyway, the story itself is fascinating, and Berkeley's playing around with the rules of the genre as well, so it's not the cosy and neatly contained package that some classic mysteries are. I definitely admired it, even as I wished he could just once like a woman and portray one positively!
I found it a little frustrating to go so long without being able to guess even who the victim was, and I'm not certain that part was really fair-play. But perhaps it'd have made it too obvious too soon to reveal it earlier...
Anyway, the story itself is fascinating, and Berkeley's playing around with the rules of the genre as well, so it's not the cosy and neatly contained package that some classic mysteries are. I definitely admired it, even as I wished he could just once like a woman and portray one positively!