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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ghost-written biographies, complex mathematics, historic quilts, megalomania and a touch of misogyny... all the complexity I've come to expect in the clever and engaging Imogen Quy mysteries. Some characters in this one are extreme almost to the point of caricature, but their exaggerated natures certainly drive a unique and unexpected mystery. Oh, yes, and there's a bog body or two thrown in for good measure. I do love the nerdy facts Walsh hides throughout her work!
I inadvertently read these out of order, so this marks my last Imoogen Quy adventure. I'm sorry that there are only four, and I'll definitely revisit Walsh's Lord Peter mysteries with a kinder eye after reading them.
I inadvertently read these out of order, so this marks my last Imoogen Quy adventure. I'm sorry that there are only four, and I'll definitely revisit Walsh's Lord Peter mysteries with a kinder eye after reading them.
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
Good detective story set in Cambridge with a likeable woman protagonist
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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
Imogen Quy, a nurse at a Cambridge college, gets involved with a mystery when her boarder and friend takes on the job of finishing a biography of a local mathematician. But the last three people who have tried to complete it have all ended up badly - dead, missing or exiled abroad - and Imogen is soon hot on their trail. The quilt details are entertaining, though PW seems to think that all quilts are made out of recycled fabric, which is not the case, and the quilt-based solution to the mystery seems a bit of a stretch (and is never really explained). Entertaining.
Unexpectedly delightful! I gave the first in the series an okay-ish three stars, but I really enjoyed this one! I think it was mostly that the mystery+mathematics+quilting combination is completely my cup of tea but added to this it was well written, mostly well plotted and had a lot of strong female characters. Will definitely be back for the rest of the series now.
A Piece of Justice by Jill Paton Walsh is the second of her Imogen Quy (rhymes with "why") mystery series. Imogen is the nurse at Cambridge's imaginary St. Agatha's College. In this particular outing another student may be in danger and this time the student is one of Imogen's boarders and friend, Fran Buillon. Fran, a graduate student in need of money, gratefully undertakes to complete a biography of a mathematician. A seemingly simple task that was begun by three other biographers but never finished. Curiosity drives Imogen to discover that all three of the previous scholars have disappeared or met untimely ends. What is it about the obscure and fairly boring life of Gideon Summerfield--now dead himself--that could drive someone to murder? During the course of her investigations, Imogen finds a trail of academic jealousy, competition, and cheating. She is also involved in a quilt-making project that ultimately helps her find some answers in Wales of all places.
This is another solid British mystery from the pen of Paton Walsh. The character of Imogen Quy is believable and interesting. I enjoy her quiet compassion and inquisitiveness which lands her in the middle of her mysteries. I also liked the way Paton Walsh was able to weave the quilt theme into her mystery. It provides a very unique solution to the crimes. As I mentioned before, I much prefer Paton Walsh's mysteries with her own characters to those she has done with Lord Peter Wimsey. These are competent mysteries with engaging characters. I thoroughly enjoy the academic setting and will continue to seek out the rest of the series.
This is another solid British mystery from the pen of Paton Walsh. The character of Imogen Quy is believable and interesting. I enjoy her quiet compassion and inquisitiveness which lands her in the middle of her mysteries. I also liked the way Paton Walsh was able to weave the quilt theme into her mystery. It provides a very unique solution to the crimes. As I mentioned before, I much prefer Paton Walsh's mysteries with her own characters to those she has done with Lord Peter Wimsey. These are competent mysteries with engaging characters. I thoroughly enjoy the academic setting and will continue to seek out the rest of the series.