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maplessence's review
4.0
There were only two Guy Northeast mysteries and I have read them out of order. This is the first. and although I enjoyed [bc:Death at the Dog|1553448|Death at the Dog|Joanna Cannan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1185122754s/1553448.jpg|1545875], I think this is the superior book.
Cannan was a childhood friend of [a:Georgette Heyer|18067|Georgette Heyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1336748892p2/18067.jpg] & the two of them, along with nonfiction writer [a:Carola Oman|720606|Carola Oman|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] used to critique each other's work. I do wonder if this is how Cannan and GH honed their strong characterisation skills. In this novel I didn't have any trouble remembering the different characters and until a lengthy (and boring) exposition at the end, I was totally entertained. So entertained I forgot that I should be trying to solve the mystery of the vanished Cathcart sister!
I felt one clue maybe was a little late being introduced, but other than that the author played fair.
Recommended.
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshessonovel.wordpress.com
Cannan was a childhood friend of [a:Georgette Heyer|18067|Georgette Heyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1336748892p2/18067.jpg] & the two of them, along with nonfiction writer [a:Carola Oman|720606|Carola Oman|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] used to critique each other's work. I do wonder if this is how Cannan and GH honed their strong characterisation skills. In this novel I didn't have any trouble remembering the different characters and until a lengthy (and boring) exposition at the end, I was totally entertained. So entertained I forgot that I should be trying to solve the mystery of the vanished Cathcart sister!
I felt one clue maybe was a little late being introduced, but other than that the author played fair.
Recommended.
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshessonovel.wordpress.com
mystereity's review
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.0
I read the second book in the series a few years ago after its re-release and always meant to go back and read the first book. With a theme of British Cozy Mysteries for book bingo this year, I knew the time was right to dive in. There were only 2 books in the Inspector Guy Northeast series, which is a shame, I would've liked to know more about Inspector Guy Northeast; a likeable guy, part Beaton's Hamish and part Poirot, he's portrayed as being smarter and more savvy than his superiors, and yet is frequently ridiculed and admonished as not being up to the task, which he takes in stride as he works to close the case.
This was a banger of a plot though; Delia Cathcart is a spinster living with her mother and spinster sisters at Marley Grange and tending to her beloved horses. After her family realizes she's gone missing, they raise the alarm. Upon investigating, it turns out that a local resident also went missing at the same time. Did they run off together? Or did something more sinister occur?
This was rather like peeling an onion, where the layers slip off one by one until you're left with the root and Northeast does a great job of paring down to the heart of the matter. This was written in the same time period it was set, so while contemporary at the time of publication, it now reads as a quaint, almost civilized murder mystery, and that was a lot of its charm for me and I found it easy to time travel back to England in the 1930s.
If you love classic mysteries, don't miss this gem of a series!
This was a banger of a plot though; Delia Cathcart is a spinster living with her mother and spinster sisters at Marley Grange and tending to her beloved horses. After her family realizes she's gone missing, they raise the alarm. Upon investigating, it turns out that a local resident also went missing at the same time. Did they run off together? Or did something more sinister occur?
This was rather like peeling an onion, where the layers slip off one by one until you're left with the root and Northeast does a great job of paring down to the heart of the matter. This was written in the same time period it was set, so while contemporary at the time of publication, it now reads as a quaint, almost civilized murder mystery, and that was a lot of its charm for me and I found it easy to time travel back to England in the 1930s.
If you love classic mysteries, don't miss this gem of a series!
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