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melissa_who_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't want a mystery with guns in it this week. Also, nothing too violent.
Ernie Fletcher is murdered - sitting at the desk in his study, his head is bashed in. The investigators can't find the blunt instrument used in the crime. Turns out, most people found Ernie a charming man, but he was known to be "one for the ladies." For instance, he's been attempting to blackmail one of the neighbor's into sleeping with him - and she has no desire to cheat on her husband, so she's in a bind. In today's world, he reads like a most unpleasant type, and even given the standards of the time, one has a hard time feeling regretful he was murdered. No one grieves overmuch.
A bible-thumping constable, a nephew with no money and a casual take on the world, as well as a second murder enliven the tale.
Ernie Fletcher is murdered - sitting at the desk in his study, his head is bashed in. The investigators can't find the blunt instrument used in the crime. Turns out, most people found Ernie a charming man, but he was known to be "one for the ladies." For instance, he's been attempting to blackmail one of the neighbor's into sleeping with him - and she has no desire to cheat on her husband, so she's in a bind. In today's world, he reads like a most unpleasant type, and even given the standards of the time, one has a hard time feeling regretful he was murdered. No one grieves overmuch.
A bible-thumping constable, a nephew with no money and a casual take on the world, as well as a second murder enliven the tale.
rebroxannape's review against another edition
3.0
This is the 3rd or 4th time I've read this, so I knew "whodunnit" from the beginning. I can still appreciate the cleverness of the puzzle and enjoyed coming across the clues along the way. There was one really big one about in the middle. I listened to this one and loved Neville and Sally even more than when reading it. Neville is really one of a kind in the Heyer pantheon. I wish he had more interaction with "Ichabod" Glass. Ulli Birve did a fine job. It did get a little tedious, because Hawthorne and Hannasyde kept repeating and repeating the sequence of events and the time problem ad nauseum. If I had read it rather than listened to it, It would have been beyond tiresome.
libby_sarah's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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
1.5
I’m a massive fan of Georgette Heyer, I own all her historical and romance books so when I came across this book at my local telephone book swap, I thought I would give it a go. I’ve never really been tempted to read her detective novels, mainly because it’s not a genre I gravitate towards but when a book is free, I’m willing to read anything!
Sadly, this wasn’t the book for me. I found a lot of the characters annoying, the plot was meh and I ended up skim reading through a lot of it. I didn’t care about who was the murderer or enjoy the journey to find them. In fact, i only figured out who it was about 70 pages before the reveal and I’m not sure if it was because I just didn’t care about it enough to pick up on the clues or because I don’t read a lot of detective books.
So this one will go back to the book swap and hopefully someone else can get it and enjoy it a lot more than I did.
Sadly, this wasn’t the book for me. I found a lot of the characters annoying, the plot was meh and I ended up skim reading through a lot of it. I didn’t care about who was the murderer or enjoy the journey to find them. In fact, i only figured out who it was about 70 pages before the reveal and I’m not sure if it was because I just didn’t care about it enough to pick up on the clues or because I don’t read a lot of detective books.
So this one will go back to the book swap and hopefully someone else can get it and enjoy it a lot more than I did.
smunro's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
Such fun, and a good solution, too, although one you can never forget. Fortunately it is so much fun, and very funny, that I can live with rereading it, even though I always remember whodunnit!
louisecalder's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Rather boring with to many religious quotes. I don’t really like old style writing like this. I wouldn’t recommend this book.
blueshadow's review
4.0
I rather enjoyed this Heyer mystery. I'm not entirely sure why - the characters were (typical of Heyer) exaggerated and unrealistic, which means that none of them were relatable or likeable. But they did provide opportunity for occasional wit and lighthearted quips, which were fun and kept me reading.
The plotline was a bit tedious. There were actual, real clues (the lack of such being a huge pet peeve of mine in mysteries), so that was nice. There also was a lot of just slogging through the same facts over and over, looking for anything new, which is very tedious but also very typical of most mysteries in my experience. So I knew what I was in for when I picked it up.
Honestly, I think I enjoyed it more because I read a paper copy rather than an ebook for once. Pretty sure an ebook would have gotten only 3 stars. Although I did break down and check out an ebook copy at about 3/4 through the story, when I was sure I knew who the murderer was and no one else could figure it out at all, and there was a clue I wanted to trace down. It's much easier to find things with the "search" function of an ebook than flipping through paper pages.
Also, a touch of anti-Semitism in this book. It didn't bother me much, because it was a minor character, but I found myself disappointed that Heyer consistently portrays Jews as greasy swindlers in financial occupations.
The plotline was a bit tedious. There were actual, real clues (the lack of such being a huge pet peeve of mine in mysteries), so that was nice. There also was a lot of just slogging through the same facts over and over, looking for anything new, which is very tedious but also very typical of most mysteries in my experience. So I knew what I was in for when I picked it up.
Honestly, I think I enjoyed it more because I read a paper copy rather than an ebook for once. Pretty sure an ebook would have gotten only 3 stars. Although I did break down and check out an ebook copy at about 3/4 through the story, when I was sure I knew who the murderer was and no one else could figure it out at all, and there was a clue I wanted to trace down. It's much easier to find things with the "search" function of an ebook than flipping through paper pages.
Also, a touch of anti-Semitism in this book. It didn't bother me much, because it was a minor character, but I found myself disappointed that Heyer consistently portrays Jews as greasy swindlers in financial occupations.
markk's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
2.25
Three years ago, a group read introduced me to the novel Envious Casca. It was my first time reading one of Georgette Heyer’s novels, and I was taken instantly by the quality of her book. As I was getting into reading classic British mysteries, I decided to seek out as many of hers that I could find, in anticipation of reliving the enjoyable experience of my first read.
The journey has proven an uneven one. The second of her novels that I read, Why Shoot a Butler, not only proved that my first experience wasn’t an aberration, but it convinced me that I had discovered a new favorite author. Then I picked up Footsteps in the Dark, which proved a disappointment but a forgivable one as Heyer herself subsequently disowned it. The next two, They Found Him Dead and The Unfinished Clue, seemingly confirmed my hope that Heyer’s poor novel was an aberration in her oeuvre, while simultaneously clarifying her formula for her novels. It was when I read, Behold, Here’s Poison, however, that I started questioning my previous conclusion.
That was the context in which I read this novel. Initially I was impressed with the quality of the premise, as the story opens immediately with the discovery of the victim and the launch of the investigation. Not only was this refreshingly different from Heyer’s previous works, it allowed for more of the book to be spent following the activities of inspectors Hannasyde and Hemingway, which was hardly a bad thing. As the plot unfolded, however, a sense of annoyance took hold. Some of this was fueled by the activities of the amateur investigators and Hannasyde’s sloppy interview techniques, which seemed to serve little other purpose than to provide dramatic encounters. But my main annoyance was with my suspicions early on as to who the murderer was, as well as with how the character developments would play out. Heyer was not going to be as predictable as that, was she?
Indeed she was. Though I missed a couple of clues that hinted at the motives behind the crime, by the time I reached the end I discovered to my disappointment that I had indeed anticipated accurately the outcome. While some readers may enjoy such a process, for me it’s something of a letdown to predict accurately the identity of the culprit, as it makes the mystery seem not as clever. With the number of Heyer’s unread mysteries dwindling for me, I’m hoping that this and proves the last such result, rather than an example of an author who missed as often as she hit.
Indeed she was. Though I missed a couple of clues that hinted at the motives behind the crime, by the time I reached the end I discovered to my disappointment that I had indeed anticipated accurately the outcome. While some readers may enjoy such a process, for me it’s something of a letdown to predict accurately the identity of the culprit, as it makes the mystery seem not as clever. With the number of Heyer’s unread mysteries dwindling for me, I’m hoping that this and proves the last such result, rather than an example of an author who missed as often as she hit.
annieb123's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
A Blunt Instrument is the 4th of 4 Inspectors Hannayside & Hemingway mysteries. Originally released in 1938, this reformatting and re-release on Sourcebooks Landmark imprint is 352 pages and due out 2nd April 2019.
Golden age mysteries are my favorites. I love the settings, the characters, and the (usually) civilized dialogue. Georgette Heyer isn't my absolute favorite golden age author, but I've read (and often re-read) most of her books. Though this is the 4th book to feature Inspector Hannayside, it works well as a standalone and there are no spoilers from earlier books with the inspectors.
As other reviewers have stated, this is less of a 'whodunnit' (the culprit is heavily foreshadowed) and more of a procedural with very droll and witty dialogue. I loved Neville and Sally (a monocle wearing mystery writer!), there were several places they had me smiling and chuckling out loud.
A worthwhile and diverting read. The plotting is straightforward and the book makes a nice 'commute' read in that it can be picked up and put down without struggling to remember where you were.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes+
A Blunt Instrument is the 4th of 4 Inspectors Hannayside & Hemingway mysteries. Originally released in 1938, this reformatting and re-release on Sourcebooks Landmark imprint is 352 pages and due out 2nd April 2019.
Golden age mysteries are my favorites. I love the settings, the characters, and the (usually) civilized dialogue. Georgette Heyer isn't my absolute favorite golden age author, but I've read (and often re-read) most of her books. Though this is the 4th book to feature Inspector Hannayside, it works well as a standalone and there are no spoilers from earlier books with the inspectors.
As other reviewers have stated, this is less of a 'whodunnit' (the culprit is heavily foreshadowed) and more of a procedural with very droll and witty dialogue. I loved Neville and Sally (a monocle wearing mystery writer!), there were several places they had me smiling and chuckling out loud.
A worthwhile and diverting read. The plotting is straightforward and the book makes a nice 'commute' read in that it can be picked up and put down without struggling to remember where you were.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes+