Reviews

Seven Dead by J. Jefferson Farjeon

arthabaska's review

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

fern17's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

annarella's review

4.0

A good book that stood the passing of time. Even if it was written in 1939 it is still very enjoyable. It has an unusual plot and it is quite different from the whodunnit of the Golden Age of Mystery. There are very interesting characters and it keeps guessing til the end.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Poison Press.

pgchuis's review

4.0

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

A thief discovers seven dead bodies in a locked room in a house he is burgling and the case is investigated by the police, a journalist/amateur detective Hazeldean , and later by the (extremely co-operative) French police force as the mystery spreads to Boulogne.

The set-up was intriguing and the plot moved on at a good pace. The solution to the mystery, while a little far-fetched, did hold together well. The main female lead, Dora, was a little passive and tended to be treated as a child by the detectives and "protected" from things, but she did toughen up a little by the end.

I was a little mystified and to why Hazeldean was so determined that Dora and he remain at the Pension Paula after Paula had locked him in the attic - I would have grabbed Dora and fled personally. I was not entirely sure why the murderer

returned to the island at the end (nor why the police were so sure he would), although if the detectives had not also gone there (handily arriving before him) they would never have discovered the notebook and read the full story.