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cimorene1558's review
5.0
One of the funniest books I have ever read. I've read it about six times, and it still cracks me up every single time. The mystery itself isn't funny, but the family involved sure is. My mother (who agrees with me about this and many other things) and I have been known to chant, in unison, the funniest lines from the book, including "I am the Bishop of Bugaloland and I want half a pound of margerine!", which, allow me to assure you, is very funny indeed, although admittedly only if you've read the book.
Now I shall have to go read it again, having reminded myself of how funny it is!
Now I shall have to go read it again, having reminded myself of how funny it is!
d_saff's review
4.0
Review: https://55booksin52weeks.wordpress.com/2016/12/30/review-murder-fantastical/
bookaneer808's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was a laugh out loud mystery; it reminded me strongly of Surfeit of Lampreys by Ngaio Marsh in that it's a portrait of an eccentric family who make sense only to each other. As I adore that book, the comparison is complimentary; in fact I practically guffawed several times during the course of this book.
It is also a gripping mystery; a disliked neighbour is mysteriously shot and killed while visiting the Manciple family residence and Chief Inspector Henry Tibbett arrives on the scene to solve the case, bringing his wife Emmy along.
Henry is sure he can solve thst riddle, but his famous "nose" tells him there is a more sinister secret afoot.
This is one of the funniest, most enjoyable books I've read in ages!
Sadly out of print, but available from your local library.
It is also a gripping mystery; a disliked neighbour is mysteriously shot and killed while visiting the Manciple family residence and Chief Inspector Henry Tibbett arrives on the scene to solve the case, bringing his wife Emmy along.
Henry is sure he can solve thst riddle, but his famous "nose" tells him there is a more sinister secret afoot.
This is one of the funniest, most enjoyable books I've read in ages!
Sadly out of print, but available from your local library.
bev_reads_mysteries's review
4.0
Patricia Moyes was a practitioner of the traditional English mystery with a focus on the solution and Chicago Tribune as “the writer who put the ‘who’ back in the whodunit.” Her Inspector Henry Tibbett is described as a man easily overlooked--"mild-looking, sandy-haired" and "middle-aged"--but his mild appearance allows him to follow his "nose" for clues without unduly ruffling any feathers along the way.
the characters rather than the crime itself and psychology of its villain. She was dubbed early on by Vivian Mort of the
However, as cozy as Moyes's stories tend to be, she occasionally makes me think of Michael Innes. Most of her plots are fairly straight-forward, traditional mysteries, but every once in a while she, like Innes in some of his more fantastic plots (see The Open House and The Weight of the Evidence), seems to take us for a ride down Alice's rabbit hole. Murder Fantastical (1967) is aptly named--for a more fantastic bunch of characters would be hard to come by. The book is worth it for the description of Bishop Manciple’s visit to a new neighbor to borrow some margarine. He arrives dressed in “an old-fashioned bathing costume... Wellington boots... carrying a flowered Japanese sunshade, a clarinet, and a string bag” while on his way to the river for a swim and a little musical practice.
The Manciples have always been known in the village of Cregwall as a very eccentric family indeed. From Great Aunt Dora, who at ninety-plus is interested in the astral manifestations of animals, to the cryptic Edwin Manciple, clarinet-playing and crossword-loving former Bishop of Bugolaland to Major George Manciple himself who loves to take potshots on his private shooting range using a home-made clay pigeon flinger of his own design, they each have their quirks and fancies. And after one conversation with any of the Manciple clan one can't help but think that the citizens of Wonderland would feel right at home at the Manciple tea table.
Tibbett is brought into the case when Raymond Mason is shot through the forehead in the Manciple driveway. Sir John Adamson, Chief Constable, and Major Manciple both feel that the situation calls for the Yard instead of local constabulary. Mason, a social-climbing bookmaker who had recently moved into the neighborhood, had set his sights on buying the Manciple estate and when turned down flat (no matter how much money he offered for it) had begun making a nuisance of himself. He had tried to get the Major's shooting range shut down as a public nuisance; he had taken the Major to court over a long disused right-of-way; he had paid unwelcome court to Maude Manciple--the youngest and most beautiful of the family. The village, while remaining loyal to their favorite wacky family and refusing to comment directly to the police, are quite certain that the Major has accidentally shot Mason in an over-exuberant bit of shooting on his range.
Tibbett's famous nose, however, leads him to suspect that this solutions will not satisfy all the questions raised by the puzzle. His search for the truth will take him through the secret files of the British government, a letter from a long-dead physician, and a hunt for a missing book of Homer. And, although he tries to arrange a happy ending for Maude, he finds that sometimes the standard happy ending isn't what one might think.
This is a fun, humorous and very cozy take on the police procedural. Yes, we're following Inspector Tibbett around, but the focus isn't on tracking down clues in the conventional way or gathering up evidence to sen to the lab. The focus of the story is on Tibbett's interactions with the Manciples and various other characters connected with the crime. A very interesting character study and a delightful read.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
the characters rather than the crime itself and psychology of its villain. She was dubbed early on by Vivian Mort of the
However, as cozy as Moyes's stories tend to be, she occasionally makes me think of Michael Innes. Most of her plots are fairly straight-forward, traditional mysteries, but every once in a while she, like Innes in some of his more fantastic plots (see The Open House and The Weight of the Evidence), seems to take us for a ride down Alice's rabbit hole. Murder Fantastical (1967) is aptly named--for a more fantastic bunch of characters would be hard to come by. The book is worth it for the description of Bishop Manciple’s visit to a new neighbor to borrow some margarine. He arrives dressed in “an old-fashioned bathing costume... Wellington boots... carrying a flowered Japanese sunshade, a clarinet, and a string bag” while on his way to the river for a swim and a little musical practice.
The Manciples have always been known in the village of Cregwall as a very eccentric family indeed. From Great Aunt Dora, who at ninety-plus is interested in the astral manifestations of animals, to the cryptic Edwin Manciple, clarinet-playing and crossword-loving former Bishop of Bugolaland to Major George Manciple himself who loves to take potshots on his private shooting range using a home-made clay pigeon flinger of his own design, they each have their quirks and fancies. And after one conversation with any of the Manciple clan one can't help but think that the citizens of Wonderland would feel right at home at the Manciple tea table.
Tibbett is brought into the case when Raymond Mason is shot through the forehead in the Manciple driveway. Sir John Adamson, Chief Constable, and Major Manciple both feel that the situation calls for the Yard instead of local constabulary. Mason, a social-climbing bookmaker who had recently moved into the neighborhood, had set his sights on buying the Manciple estate and when turned down flat (no matter how much money he offered for it) had begun making a nuisance of himself. He had tried to get the Major's shooting range shut down as a public nuisance; he had taken the Major to court over a long disused right-of-way; he had paid unwelcome court to Maude Manciple--the youngest and most beautiful of the family. The village, while remaining loyal to their favorite wacky family and refusing to comment directly to the police, are quite certain that the Major has accidentally shot Mason in an over-exuberant bit of shooting on his range.
Tibbett's famous nose, however, leads him to suspect that this solutions will not satisfy all the questions raised by the puzzle. His search for the truth will take him through the secret files of the British government, a letter from a long-dead physician, and a hunt for a missing book of Homer. And, although he tries to arrange a happy ending for Maude, he finds that sometimes the standard happy ending isn't what one might think.
This is a fun, humorous and very cozy take on the police procedural. Yes, we're following Inspector Tibbett around, but the focus isn't on tracking down clues in the conventional way or gathering up evidence to sen to the lab. The focus of the story is on Tibbett's interactions with the Manciples and various other characters connected with the crime. A very interesting character study and a delightful read.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
cmbohn's review
5.0
Henry Tibbett meets the Manciple family for the first time in investigating the murder of Raymond Mason. Mason, a bookie, had made it big and wanted entry into country society. He was determined to buy the Manciple home, Cregwell Grange. But the owner, Major George Manciple, will not sell. So when Mason is shot leaving the Manciple home, the villagers don't have to look very far for the murderer. Not that they don't sympathize, since none of them like Mason either. But Tibbett still has to get to the bottom of it all. It's not easy, since the Manciples have their own ideas of conversation and he has a hard time even getting an account of the murder, with George seeming determined to be considered chief suspect, Violet chasing every thought that comes into her mind, Aunt Dora refusing to wear her hearing aid, and the Bishop treating everything as a crossword puzzle.
This is the funniest of the Tibbett books. I love the Manciple family. They come back later in Twice in a Blue Moon and I must say, they age very well. I love this one.
This is the funniest of the Tibbett books. I love the Manciple family. They come back later in Twice in a Blue Moon and I must say, they age very well. I love this one.
pattydsf's review
3.0
Somehow, although I have read eight other books by Moyes, I did not see her as a comic writer. There are pleasant bits of humor in every book I have read, but not laugh out loud funny. This mystery is very amusing. Moyes has created a English eccentric family that did have me laughing out loud. The mystery is a bit weird and maybe forced, but the Manciples are worth every moment that Henry Tibbett spends on the crime.
I highly recommend this police procedural.
I highly recommend this police procedural.
mmathis's review
4.0
Henry Tibbett is on the case in this laugh-out-loud murder mystery featuring a family of eccentrics and a slapstick side=stitch inducing village fete.
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