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greybeard49's review
2.0
An attempt at a ‘Wodehousian’ crime tale without the necessary precision in the rollout of plot, the failure to create an attractive and interesting cast of characters and the omission of a sharp and humorous exchange of dialogue throughout. Idea reasonably ingenious but poorly executed. An overly long melange of characters, scenarios and storylines.
nik_reads02's review against another edition
4.0
A worthy follow up to the first book. The series continues to be clever and witty with great characters and a good, solid mystery.
menniemenace's review against another edition
4.0
The highlight of the story was knowing Twitten's first name; Peregrine. Our lovely lead is called Peregrine Twitten.
There have been many ghastly murders and cons here, of course. A strange case of "It's him!" "Oh it can't be him." "It was him all along" can also be found. Steine is still the stupidest person in stupid town, Brunswick has good intentions but no actual results, and Twitten and Mrs. G are still the most amusing characters in a mystery series ever.
I honestly love this book and the series so much. I hope it goes on for many more books.
There have been many ghastly murders and cons here, of course. A strange case of "It's him!" "Oh it can't be him." "It was him all along" can also be found. Steine is still the stupidest person in stupid town, Brunswick has good intentions but no actual results, and Twitten and Mrs. G are still the most amusing characters in a mystery series ever.
I honestly love this book and the series so much. I hope it goes on for many more books.
menniemenace's review against another edition
5.0
BOOK THREE IS COMING!
This series is perfect, it's the sweetest, funniest, and most amusing set of books ever. The re-read made it even better.
This series is perfect, it's the sweetest, funniest, and most amusing set of books ever. The re-read made it even better.
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
3.0
In the summer in Brighton crime is to the fore. Whilst holidaymakers bask in the sunshine, the Brighton Belles try to lure them to spend money in the attractions and then a young man is found dead in a deckchair. Finding links to a local crime family Constable Twitten is thwarted in his attempts to investigate by his superiors and the police charlady. Twitten knows she is criminal mastermind but no-one believes him.
I found it really hard to engage with this book. Partly because I hadn't read the first instalment and that was really needed, and partly because it is very complicated and quirky. I suspect a second reading would make me change my mind!
I found it really hard to engage with this book. Partly because I hadn't read the first instalment and that was really needed, and partly because it is very complicated and quirky. I suspect a second reading would make me change my mind!
bbbarttt's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder and Gun violence
kmg365's review against another edition
4.0
4 and a half stars.
Sending out huge condolences to everyone who one-starred this book, and experiencing deep gratitude for having the goofball sense of humor (and enough knowledge of the UK) required to appreciate this entry in the laugh-out-loud funny detective series.
Also feeling a touch proud of myself for following the many (many, many) plot twists – and mostly remembering who everyone in the huge cast of characters was at the end.
I did not realize until listening to the afterword of the audio that this series is based on a radio serial (Inspector Steine) also written by Lynne Truss. Aside from a Christmas special in 2013, the last episode was broadcast in 2011, so I imagine it won't be easy tracking them down, but I'm going to give it a try.
jonathanrobert's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5