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pencils'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? Yes
3.75
maplessence's review against another edition
5.0
It didn't take me long to realise I have read this Heyer before, but I very much loved romping through this reread. Deftly drawn characters, sparkling dialogue & a novel method of murder - what's not to love? & Hemingway is my favourite "Watson!"
Spoiler
It's easier to guess the murderer than the male love interestmaplessence's review against another edition
5.0
This wasn't my finest moment as a moderator, but I was so sure I had a copy of this book. Fortunately TradeMe (NZ's answer to Ebay) came to the rescue & I now own all GH's mysteries. So I'm very late to the party at the Georgette Heyer Fans Group
My cover is quite charmingly retro. [bc:Behold, Here's Poison|36224460|Behold, Here's Poison|Georgette Heyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1505170578s/36224460.jpg|1595079] Unfortunately the pages were falling out as I read them, but I still enjoyed Ms Heyer's remarkable gift of bringing even the most unlikeable characters (& they were mostly very unlikeable) to life. The murder method was ingenious & the dovetailing of detail very skilled, other than one small error - plus This book represents a considerable step up from the first Hannasyde detective novel [bc:Death in the Stocks|311203|Death in the Stocks (Inspector Hannasyde, #1)|Georgette Heyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1395082975s/311203.jpg|808771] (yes I know I gave that one 5★ as well - it is a sentimental favourite of mine. Humour me!)
Only other fault is there wasn't enough Sergeant Hemingway!
My cover is quite charmingly retro. [bc:Behold, Here's Poison|36224460|Behold, Here's Poison|Georgette Heyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1505170578s/36224460.jpg|1595079] Unfortunately the pages were falling out as I read them, but I still enjoyed Ms Heyer's remarkable gift of bringing even the most unlikeable characters (& they were mostly very unlikeable) to life. The murder method was ingenious & the dovetailing of detail very skilled, other than one small error - plus
Spoiler
the amount of detail Inspector Hannasyde told one of the suspectsOnly other fault is there wasn't enough Sergeant Hemingway!
swfountaine's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
3.25
elenajohansen's review against another edition
1.0
DNF @ page 127. It's only partially the book's fault, though.
I don't enjoy mystery novels. Oddly enough, I do sometimes enjoy mystery movies, and I had my phase of watching investigative procedural shows with their mystery elements. But novels have always left me bored, frustrated, or bewildered.
This is no exception; but my dislike of the genre isn't the fault of this particular book.
My yearly reading challenges, no matter the source or the year, always include somewhere "Read a mystery." And I always put my game face on and try a new one, thinking "Maybe this time I'll enjoy it." And I never do. I should really stop trying.
So what portion of my disappointment with this is actually the book's fault? It has a huge cast of characters that are uniformly obnoxious with very little in the way of differing personalities between them; the worst of upper-crust British society at the time, I guess, and so overdone to my sensibilities that if you told me this was satire I would believe you. The first seventy pages of the book were solely devoted to these dozen or so awful people constantly slinging accusations at each other and reiterating information that I, the reader, already knew; it was a slog, and I nearly gave up before the inspectors were even introduced. When I got that far, I gamely attempted two more chapters before throwing in the towel; the constant repetition of information in conversation between different characters was simply too exhausting, and the pace of the story was glacially slow.
I'm stating it now: I have no intention of ever reading any book whose primary genre is listed as "mystery" again. I never like them and I'm tired of trying to.
I don't enjoy mystery novels. Oddly enough, I do sometimes enjoy mystery movies, and I had my phase of watching investigative procedural shows with their mystery elements. But novels have always left me bored, frustrated, or bewildered.
This is no exception; but my dislike of the genre isn't the fault of this particular book.
My yearly reading challenges, no matter the source or the year, always include somewhere "Read a mystery." And I always put my game face on and try a new one, thinking "Maybe this time I'll enjoy it." And I never do. I should really stop trying.
So what portion of my disappointment with this is actually the book's fault? It has a huge cast of characters that are uniformly obnoxious with very little in the way of differing personalities between them; the worst of upper-crust British society at the time, I guess, and so overdone to my sensibilities that if you told me this was satire I would believe you. The first seventy pages of the book were solely devoted to these dozen or so awful people constantly slinging accusations at each other and reiterating information that I, the reader, already knew; it was a slog, and I nearly gave up before the inspectors were even introduced. When I got that far, I gamely attempted two more chapters before throwing in the towel; the constant repetition of information in conversation between different characters was simply too exhausting, and the pace of the story was glacially slow.
I'm stating it now: I have no intention of ever reading any book whose primary genre is listed as "mystery" again. I never like them and I'm tired of trying to.
swfountaine's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
tee_victoria's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this instalment in the series far more than the first. The whodunnit was cleverly disguised - so much so I did not suspect them in the slightest!
The Matthews family was entirely dysfunctional - a collection of melodramatic, eccentric, and highly amusing individuals - Heyer’s characterisation is excellent. I did not find Inspector Hannasyde to be in the league of Poirot or Holmes - far from being a super sleuth he was much more uncertain, but the realism was a nice change. I cannot wait to read more of the series.
The Matthews family was entirely dysfunctional - a collection of melodramatic, eccentric, and highly amusing individuals - Heyer’s characterisation is excellent. I did not find Inspector Hannasyde to be in the league of Poirot or Holmes - far from being a super sleuth he was much more uncertain, but the realism was a nice change. I cannot wait to read more of the series.
red_ruby_ruby_ruby's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
lory_enterenchanted's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
3.0
Third in my binge on Heyer's mysteries. This one features one of her "dandy who is much smarter and more formidable than he looks" characters, which I generally find some of her most amusing. The cast of unpleasant family members with multiple motives to be the killer, but very little ability to do so, appears again. The unlikeliest suspect is always the one to suspect, and this time there is an elaborate but rather clever solution, if discouraging to one's sense of justice.