Reviews

Murder In The Basement by Anthony Berkeley

thenovelbook's review against another edition

2.0

The beginning of this Golden Age mystery is a bit grisly, but it quickly moves on to matters of police procedure. Most interesting, however, is the framework about a quarter of the way into the story, which becomes a bit meta as it allows the reader to look at the situation through an additional layer of fiction, with the goal of identifying not just the culprit but also the victim.

I enjoyed the techniques on display in this novel. Ultimately, I didn't like the ending, though, which prevents me from giving it a higher rating. And judging from other reviews, it looks like I'm not alone in finding the ending objectionable.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this digital review copy!

shanaqui's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

Anthony Berkeley was a clever writer, and never one to rest on his laurels. I'm not a fan of his detectives, nor particularly the way he wrote female characters, but Murder in the Basement was structured really interestingly, and it's not the first book by him that played around with structure. In this case, the middle section of the book is a fictionalisation of the chief suspects, written by Roger Sheringham before the crime was committed, and which allows us to begin to guess at the motives -- and identity -- of both murderer and victim. 

I found it a little frustrating to go so long without being able to guess even who the victim was, and I'm not certain that part was really fair-play. But perhaps it'd have made it too obvious too soon to reveal it earlier...

Anyway, the story itself is fascinating, and Berkeley's playing around with the rules of the genre as well, so it's not the cosy and neatly contained package that some classic mysteries are. I definitely admired it, even as I wished he could just once like a woman and portray one positively!

beeeeb's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

shonaberu's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

I was going to give it 4 stars but I hated the ending 🥲

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Sexual assault

blackcatcuddles's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

3.0

ngalbani's review against another edition

4.0

Interesting novel, the part I loved better was the first but overall I liked it.
I think I will look for other novel from Anthony Berkeley
Thanks to NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for the ARC.

canadianbookaddict's review against another edition

3.0

I did enjoy this book. I did struggle too but I kept reading .

This book is different and I thought the ending was unusual .

crazygoangirl's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

3.5

Anthony Berkeley’s Roger Sheringham series is growing on me! It’s whimsically written, populated with quirky characters, not the least of which is Mr. Sheringham himself, and laced plentifully with wit, irony and humour! 

Sheringham gets on my nerves but is also fun. His duels with Inspector Moresby are at times epic and unbelievable! They always seem to be in a battle of one up man ship that keeps the narrative engaging. The amateur crime enthusiast versus Scotland Yard! Berkeley keeps it intriguing by ensuring victories and defeats for both.

Sheringham makes quite the late appearance in this one. A dead body is discovered in the basement of a house in Lewisham Road. I quite enjoyed the first part of the mystery where Moresby tries to identify the body, no mean task, considering there are no clues to speak of. No dental work, no identifying marks etc since she’s been buried for more than 6 months. Moresby does however manage to identify her after an inspired investigative guess (otherwise there would be no point to the mystery 😉), and that’s when Sheringham enters to take the narrative forward! They do not however work collaboratively and indeed the ending was quite shocking! But that’s what  Berkeley does best 😀

Enjoyable! I have read a couple of his books before but have decided to re-read this series in sequential order. Should be a hoot 😆

P.S. Disliked the narrator and switched to my digital copy on my Kindle Unlimited subscription which improved my reading experience hugely!

caroline_clementine's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

3.25

mckeanja's review against another edition

challenging lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.25