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naluju's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
relaxing
fast-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? No
5.0
Golden Age mystery, well written, very clever plot
abandonedmegastructure's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
(something I didn't realize until I'd finished it: the literary criticism term 'Death of the Author' is from 1967, this book precedes it by more than thirty years)
A delightful little murder mystery where we find ourselves not merely wondering what happened, or who did it, but also whether the victim was even real. Detectives Bond and Warner find themselves slowly piecing together a crime whose key figure (the enigmatic Vivian Lestrange) is either dead or a figment of his clever secretary's imagination.
There's some feminist themes in here: the possibly-fake murder victim wrote crime novels, and the detectives swiftly conclude that if the man was made up by his secretary, she must've been the one writing the books. This segues into a whole discussion where various characters insist they can tell whether a book was written by a woman or man (with little success) - something E.C.R. Lorac undoubtedly found an amusing parallel to her own work's reception.
The prose was competently written, the dialogue interesting, the unfolding mystery engaging, but the ending felt mediocre at best: the facts of the case are slowly and unspectacularly unfolded until everything is plain to see, with an ultimate 'twist' that felt a bit too subdued for my tastes. I kept bracing myself for a final reveal that never came, which I consider a bad way for a book to subvert my expectations.
All in all, this fun window into the literary milieu of 1935 Britain offers a strong setup followed by a decent enough story, but the final few chapters are an undeniable disappointment.
A delightful little murder mystery where we find ourselves not merely wondering what happened, or who did it, but also whether the victim was even real. Detectives Bond and Warner find themselves slowly piecing together a crime whose key figure (the enigmatic Vivian Lestrange) is either dead or a figment of his clever secretary's imagination.
There's some feminist themes in here: the possibly-fake murder victim wrote crime novels, and the detectives swiftly conclude that if the man was made up by his secretary, she must've been the one writing the books. This segues into a whole discussion where various characters insist they can tell whether a book was written by a woman or man (with little success) - something E.C.R. Lorac undoubtedly found an amusing parallel to her own work's reception.
The prose was competently written, the dialogue interesting, the unfolding mystery engaging, but the ending felt mediocre at best: the facts of the case are slowly and unspectacularly unfolded until everything is plain to see, with an ultimate 'twist' that felt a bit too subdued for my tastes. I kept bracing myself for a final reveal that never came, which I consider a bad way for a book to subvert my expectations.
All in all, this fun window into the literary milieu of 1935 Britain offers a strong setup followed by a decent enough story, but the final few chapters are an undeniable disappointment.
maggiekms's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
kate3721's review
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.0
extraaardvark's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
ls478's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Deeply enjoyable from Lorac, with searing asides on the publishing world and the nature of literary criticism. A puzzling little mystery that keeps one on the tip of their toes right until the finish
rachelshhhh's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5