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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Loved it. Young Tim adds a great deal of spark amongst a group of people who are rather dour.
"They Found Him Dead" is basically a perfect mix of Golden Age cozy detective mystery and Georgette Heyer's fun characters. From chapter 1, introducing a great cast of extended family members that managed to all have distinct voices and personalities across two family trees, I knew this was going to be good. I'm also a sucker for any whodunit that involves fancy country house murders and rich Brits. Kept me guessing and delivered.
Even at sixty, Silas Kane is not going to let a little fog keep him from his regular nightly walk before bedtime. A family celebration of his sixtieth birthday may have tired him a bit, but he still needs his constitutional to help him sleep. When morning comes and there is no Silas and his bed has not been slept in, a search is made and he is found dead at the bottom of the cliffs near his home. A verdict of death by misadventure is brought in....with the blame falling on the foggy night.
But then Clement Kane, the heir who has barely had time to settle into the family home, is shot to death and people begin to wonder if there may have been more to Silas's death than met the eye. The local police call on Scotland Yard to investigate and Superintendent Hannasyde comes to sort things out with the help of Sergeant Hemingway. There is no shortage of motives--from the wife and her lover to the business partners desperate to settle a deal to the next heir apparent. But then Jim Kane, next in line for the family fortune, falls victim to several "accidents." Is someone intent on knocking out the entire Kane family? It's up to Hannasyde and Hemingway to find out before it's too late.
This one was even better than its "sequel" Duplicate Death. Here we have the much younger "Terrible Timothy" Harte--half-brother to Jim Kane and a keen amateur detective. Timothy is sure from the beginning that there are foul deeds afoot and declares early on that Uncle Silas has been murdered. It isn't until late in the game that anyone takes him seriously. Of course, one can hardly blame them....it is hard to take a fourteen-year-old, gangster film enthusiast seriously when he seems to be seeing bad guys behind every bush.
The dialogue sparkles. It is witty and the characters are great. They are, as is quite usual with Heyer, somewhat stereotypical, but when handled well (and they are here) they make for some very fun Golden Age shenanigans. And it is very enjoyable to watch the early interactions of Hemingway and Timothy--particularly knowing how they get on in the later book. Plenty of red herrings to go 'round and a slight twist at the end makes for good reading. Four stars.
But then Clement Kane, the heir who has barely had time to settle into the family home, is shot to death and people begin to wonder if there may have been more to Silas's death than met the eye. The local police call on Scotland Yard to investigate and Superintendent Hannasyde comes to sort things out with the help of Sergeant Hemingway. There is no shortage of motives--from the wife and her lover to the business partners desperate to settle a deal to the next heir apparent. But then Jim Kane, next in line for the family fortune, falls victim to several "accidents." Is someone intent on knocking out the entire Kane family? It's up to Hannasyde and Hemingway to find out before it's too late.
This one was even better than its "sequel" Duplicate Death. Here we have the much younger "Terrible Timothy" Harte--half-brother to Jim Kane and a keen amateur detective. Timothy is sure from the beginning that there are foul deeds afoot and declares early on that Uncle Silas has been murdered. It isn't until late in the game that anyone takes him seriously. Of course, one can hardly blame them....it is hard to take a fourteen-year-old, gangster film enthusiast seriously when he seems to be seeing bad guys behind every bush.
The dialogue sparkles. It is witty and the characters are great. They are, as is quite usual with Heyer, somewhat stereotypical, but when handled well (and they are here) they make for some very fun Golden Age shenanigans. And it is very enjoyable to watch the early interactions of Hemingway and Timothy--particularly knowing how they get on in the later book. Plenty of red herrings to go 'round and a slight twist at the end makes for good reading. Four stars.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I always love Georgette Heyer's mysteries! Especially with Hannasyde and/or Hemingway. I like "Terrible Timothy" in this one, too, and I love that he comes back in a future mystery. And Adrian is always a hoot.
I've read this one many times before, but I guess I've never recorded it on Goodreads.
I've read this one many times before, but I guess I've never recorded it on Goodreads.
Another disappointing mystery from Georgette Heyer. I was pleasantly surprised by the complexities of [b:Behold, Here's Poison|311135|Behold, Here's Poison (Inspectors Hannasyde & Hemingway #2)|Georgette Heyer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320460133l/311135._SY75_.jpg|1595079], but this story falls right back into dull predictability like the others I have read. The victims are convenient and unmourned, the likeable people are never suspected, and the setting and premise are unremarkable. Heyer tokenly sets up red herrings, but the solution is pretty obvious from minute one, and Heyer studiously ignoring it throughout the book just makes it more obvious. However, the characters and dialogue are top notch. I grinned my way through domestic scenes populated with eccentric characters who annoyed each other with Sorkin-esque dialogue. Heyer also writes realistic children, which very few authors manage. The witty banter kept me engaged well enough, but without a romance subplot or any characters with strong arcs, the only drive to finish the novel was the mystery, and since the solution was patently obvious, it dragged a bit. If you like Heyers' writing style and you don't mind meandering around in a novel with no great themes or twists, then this book will pass the time well enough.
funny
mysterious
relaxing
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
Posh English family in uproar when paterfamilias dies - was it misadventure or murder? Then the heir is shot - fatally. Who will be next? And who is responsible?
1930s whodunnit, grand though not Heyer's best.
1930s whodunnit, grand though not Heyer's best.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don't think the Georgette Heyer mysteries would be for everyone. To me, they have a pretty timeless feel (despite the setting in probably the 1930s-1940s?), as well as having a very similar feel (again, to me) of an Agatha Christie-style mystery. However, they do have a somewhat frenzied feel to them, where one thing is constantly leading into the next with not a lot of breaks for stopping points. The action seems continuous and can at times be hard to follow the flow of things. I did have to re-read quite a few things several times to make sure I had them clear in my mind because of that. Also, the author interchangeably refers to her characters by so many different names that I did struggle at time to keep who's who straight.
That said, I really enjoy the writing, the humor, and the red herrings that Heyer weaved into this story. I was also pleased that Hannasyde and Hemingway, the Scotland Yard men, played a bigger role in the solution of the mystery in this book (they were a little scarce in book 1 and I haven't read book 2), although, and this seems to be unique to Heyer's style, the main focus of the story is on the main characters/suspects/victims, told more from their points of view, than the approach of the detectives' solving the case. It's interesting and lends a unique quality to the story-telling, as well as the solution of the crime(s).
This story again focuses on one family and a few of their peripheral acquaintances. They are quite a cast of characters, double-meaning on the definition of characters!! James and his fiancee Patricia, as well as his younger brother Timothy (and his obsession with American gangster/detective movies -- the setting is in England), along with his stepfather and the later appearance of his mother, were very entertaining. There are so many facets and perspectives in this story that it kept me guessing throughout the entire book. I had so many guesses of who the killer could be, but the twist at the end that reveals the killer was unexpected but not unrealistic, just a well-hidden and well-crafted surprise.
An entertaining mystery! I look forward to reading the rest of this series!!
***I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.***
That said, I really enjoy the writing, the humor, and the red herrings that Heyer weaved into this story. I was also pleased that Hannasyde and Hemingway, the Scotland Yard men, played a bigger role in the solution of the mystery in this book (they were a little scarce in book 1 and I haven't read book 2), although, and this seems to be unique to Heyer's style, the main focus of the story is on the main characters/suspects/victims, told more from their points of view, than the approach of the detectives' solving the case. It's interesting and lends a unique quality to the story-telling, as well as the solution of the crime(s).
This story again focuses on one family and a few of their peripheral acquaintances. They are quite a cast of characters, double-meaning on the definition of characters!! James and his fiancee Patricia, as well as his younger brother Timothy (and his obsession with American gangster/detective movies -- the setting is in England), along with his stepfather and the later appearance of his mother, were very entertaining. There are so many facets and perspectives in this story that it kept me guessing throughout the entire book. I had so many guesses of who the killer could be, but the twist at the end that reveals the killer was unexpected but not unrealistic, just a well-hidden and well-crafted surprise.
An entertaining mystery! I look forward to reading the rest of this series!!
***I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.***