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kelly04's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
una_macchia's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed the actual murder mystery, found a couple of the characters (mostly Neville Fletcher) wildly irritating -- shades of other Heyer heroes and heroines, but they didn't grow on me as others have. I listened to the audiobook read by Ulli Birve and she did a very good job; I probably wouldn't have finished this book if I were reading the print version.
veronian's review
1.0
If you're familiar with the structure of golden age "cozy" detective novels and Georgette Heyer's romances, the answer to Heyer's mystery "A Blunt Instrument" is clear from the beginning.
The first chapter is a dead giveaway, practically putting us in media res. The murderer stands out from the beginning for not fitting any of the conventions either of golden age mysteries or of a Heyer book. He is out of place and the fairly rote story is bent into place around him. The solution is also really obvious at the beginning with just one lie and heavy emphasis on the missing murder weapon. Neville can't be the murderer - he's protected by Heyer/romance tropes. From the very beginning though, the book never proposes a viable alternative. Leaving us with the out of place guy.
Previous Heyer mysteries tended to have fun characters and dialogue. This was a chore, with irritating characters with transparent motives. It's hard to care about anyone. The mystery itself is also paper thin. There was repetitive reviewing of the murder timeline, over and over again, changing only a few minutes each time.
1/5*
The first chapter is a dead giveaway, practically putting us in media res. The murderer stands out from the beginning for not fitting any of the conventions either of golden age mysteries or of a Heyer book. He is out of place and the fairly rote story is bent into place around him. The solution is also really obvious at the beginning with just one lie and heavy emphasis on the missing murder weapon. Neville can't be the murderer - he's protected by Heyer/romance tropes. From the very beginning though, the book never proposes a viable alternative. Leaving us with the out of place guy.
Previous Heyer mysteries tended to have fun characters and dialogue. This was a chore, with irritating characters with transparent motives. It's hard to care about anyone. The mystery itself is also paper thin. There was repetitive reviewing of the murder timeline, over and over again, changing only a few minutes each time.
1/5*
critterbee's review against another edition
2.0
I adore Georgette Heyer's works, although this one fell a tad short in the mystery department in my opinion. The characters were a bit recognizable from other Heyer books: a clueless, chattering older woman, the smart, acerbic younger woman, the flighty, beautiful, extravagant woman, the younger man who startlingly does not conform to societal expectations, and the familiar police representatives Hemingway and Hannasyde.
Overall a fun read, but not one of my favorite Heyer Mysteries. That might be because I have read many of her other mysteries, and I am detecting a little bit of repetition. But, it is still a Heyer!
Overall a fun read, but not one of my favorite Heyer Mysteries. That might be because I have read many of her other mysteries, and I am detecting a little bit of repetition. But, it is still a Heyer!
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
4.0
A Blunt Instrument is another delightful vintage 1930s mystery. Heyer is a master of witty and interesting characters. In this outing Neville Fletcher, the victim's nephew and one of the primary suspects, leads the cast in charming backchat and succinct bon mots. Although it initially looks like no one could possibly have a motive to bash Ernest Fletcher, the "perfect gentleman," over the head, Superintendent Hannasyde begins uncovering dirty little secrets right and left. Soon it becomes apparent that almost everybody had a motive, but now the difficulty lies in the fact that according to the established times and movements nobody could have done it. A pretty problem indeed. It isn't until a second murder occurs and Hannasyde realizes what the two murders have in common that all becomes clear.
In addition to Neville, who makes it his business to drag red herrings and entertaining conversation into the picture, we have a detective novelist who just wants to see how the police really operate (while doing her best to shield her sister), a police constable who quotes scripture and sees sin and corruption everywhere, and Sergeant Hemingway (Hannasyde's right-hand man) who can't help but egg the constable on. Who killed Ernest Fletcher? Was it the nephew (Fletcher's heir) who has been in debt up to the eyeballs? Or perhaps the novelist's sister who hoped to make a search for those inconvenient IOUs? Maybe it was the sister's husband--more jealous of Fletcher than he lets on? Then again, it might be the ex-boyfriend of a young starlet whose heart was broken by Fletcher--not because he cared for the girl you understand, but in an effort at blackmail that went wrong. As usual, a lot depends on who's telling the truth and what time everything really happened.
This is a fast-paced, fun little period mystery. Certainly not an intellectual challenge, but light and breezy and Heyer does have a way with words. She is adept at producing just the right atmosphere and just the right dialogue.
This review was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
In addition to Neville, who makes it his business to drag red herrings and entertaining conversation into the picture, we have a detective novelist who just wants to see how the police really operate (while doing her best to shield her sister), a police constable who quotes scripture and sees sin and corruption everywhere, and Sergeant Hemingway (Hannasyde's right-hand man) who can't help but egg the constable on. Who killed Ernest Fletcher? Was it the nephew (Fletcher's heir) who has been in debt up to the eyeballs? Or perhaps the novelist's sister who hoped to make a search for those inconvenient IOUs? Maybe it was the sister's husband--more jealous of Fletcher than he lets on? Then again, it might be the ex-boyfriend of a young starlet whose heart was broken by Fletcher--not because he cared for the girl you understand, but in an effort at blackmail that went wrong. As usual, a lot depends on who's telling the truth and what time everything really happened.
This is a fast-paced, fun little period mystery. Certainly not an intellectual challenge, but light and breezy and Heyer does have a way with words. She is adept at producing just the right atmosphere and just the right dialogue.
This review was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
juliesplotsandpages's review against another edition
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
3.0
Fun as always! Not one of my favorites, but I like a good twist. PC Glass is kind of a tedious character. But I always love Hannasyde and Hemingway together. And Neville Fletcher provided a good deal of amusement as well.
cmbohn's review against another edition
4.0
Reread this one. Nothing like a nice cozy reread of a mystery to feel like a warm blanket on a cold wet day.
nicolepeck's review against another edition
4.0
These are busy books. It's like the author took a ginormously deep breath and began talking/writing at a frantic pace and doesn't stop until she's finished at the very end of the book. The characters all are the same way as well, except for maybe Inspector Hannasyde; he seems to be the only one who is slow and methodical. The suspects, the victim's family members and acquaintances, and the other policemen all seem to talk a mile a minute. There is a lot of dialog in these books, though I don't think they're lacking in description/narration. The main form of story-telling just seems to be through dialog. None of this is to say I don't enjoy these books, because I absolutely do. The style is just very lengthy with not a lot of breaks, so, for me, that makes them just a bit harder to read as the chapters are long and it's hard to find a stopping point to be able to put the book down to, you know, go on with life. ha ha.
The mystery of who killed Ernest Fletcher winds all over the place, with a very colorful cast of suspects and characters throughout the book. There are a lot of scripture/Biblical references throughout this book, and how Sargent Hemingway and Neville Fletcher try to deal with their perceived annoyance of these constant fanatical religious declarations from Constable Glass is entertaining. Neville himself is entertaining and a unique individual, as well as his relationship with Helen and Sally (the monocle Sally wears is intriguing and I would love to see this book made into a movie just to see her and the interactions between Neville, Helen, and Sally, as well as, of course, Hannasyde and Hemingway, the recurring main characters in this series).
I did actually at one point towards the end begin to suspect who the killer ended up being but couldn't see how, until the very end when everything was explained. Ms. Heyer does a very good job, in my opinion, of hiding the solution to the mystery and keeping me guessing, with red herrings and interesting bits all along the way to keep the story moving.
Another great mystery from Ms. Heyer. I look forward to reading this entire series, as well as reading her Regency romances and other books to see how they compare to her mysteries.
***I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.***
The mystery of who killed Ernest Fletcher winds all over the place, with a very colorful cast of suspects and characters throughout the book. There are a lot of scripture/Biblical references throughout this book, and how Sargent Hemingway and Neville Fletcher try to deal with their perceived annoyance of these constant fanatical religious declarations from Constable Glass is entertaining. Neville himself is entertaining and a unique individual, as well as his relationship with Helen and Sally (the monocle Sally wears is intriguing and I would love to see this book made into a movie just to see her and the interactions between Neville, Helen, and Sally, as well as, of course, Hannasyde and Hemingway, the recurring main characters in this series).
I did actually at one point towards the end begin to suspect who the killer ended up being but couldn't see how, until the very end when everything was explained. Ms. Heyer does a very good job, in my opinion, of hiding the solution to the mystery and keeping me guessing, with red herrings and interesting bits all along the way to keep the story moving.
Another great mystery from Ms. Heyer. I look forward to reading this entire series, as well as reading her Regency romances and other books to see how they compare to her mysteries.
***I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.***
ssejig's review against another edition
4.0
Inspector Hannasyde returns again when a man is found in his study, his head bashed in by some sort of blunt instrument. There are many suspects including the man's neighbor, his nephew, and a man the police call X.
Ernest Fletcher was not a nice man. He was holding his neighbor, Helen North's, IOUs over her head. He has a rotating stable of women. Other than that, he seems to have been at least respected.
There are some great characters including Helen's mysterious husband, her mystery writer sister Sally, and Ernest's nephew, Neville. The last seems to a frippery, but he has some hidden depths and also delivers the best proposal ever when asked if he's still at large, "Oh, I'm practically cleared! I say, will you come to Bulgaria with me?" And the woman understands him right away. There are also the indomitable Sergeant Hemingway and the first constable on the scene, a rather dour, scripture quoting man named Glass.
With a cast of characters like this, how can you not enjoy this book?
Ernest Fletcher was not a nice man. He was holding his neighbor, Helen North's, IOUs over her head. He has a rotating stable of women. Other than that, he seems to have been at least respected.
There are some great characters including Helen's mysterious husband, her mystery writer sister Sally, and Ernest's nephew, Neville. The last seems to a frippery, but he has some hidden depths and also delivers the best proposal ever when asked if he's still at large, "Oh, I'm practically cleared! I say, will you come to Bulgaria with me?" And the woman understands him right away. There are also the indomitable Sergeant Hemingway and the first constable on the scene, a rather dour, scripture quoting man named Glass.
With a cast of characters like this, how can you not enjoy this book?