Scan barcode
A review by maplessence
The Floating Admiral by John Rhode, Clemence Dane, Dorothy L. Sayers, David Timson, Anthony Berkeley, Agatha Christie, The Detection Club, Simon Brett, Ronald Knox, G. D. H. Cole, G.K. Chesterton, Henry Wade, Edgar Jepson, Milward Kennedy, Margaret Cole, Victor L. Whitechurch, Freeman Wills Crofts
3.0
3.5★
The Detection Club must have been the coolest club around.
A group of highly successful mystery writers getting together sharing their love of mysteries & detective fiction over regular dinners in London.
The idea of a group of the members each writing a chapter to a murder mystery was intriguing - & with writers as skilled as [a:Agatha Christie|123715|Agatha Christie|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1321738793p2/123715.jpg] & [a:Dorothy L. Sayers|8734|Dorothy L. Sayers|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1519840173p2/8734.jpg] involved - what could go wrong?
Unfortunately quite a bit.
After [a:G.K. Chesterton|7014283|G.K. Chesterton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1365860649p2/7014283.jpg]'s introduction (which I have already forgotten) [a:Victor L. Whitechurch|1035041|Victor L. Whitechurch|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] got the story off to a cracking start. & all the writer's kept to a similar tone. But [a:Milward Kennedy|610903|Milward Kennedy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1363130100p2/610903.jpg] "read"completely different than the other writers. It really didn't flow well at all! Dorothy L. Sayers did her best to get the story on track, but unfortunately the writer that followed her, [a:Ronald A. Knox|17830840|Ronald A. Knox|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] followed with an incredibly dry list of questions & possible suspects. Able writing by the rest of the writers (including a wonderful twist from [a:Clemence Dane|425398|Clemence Dane|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1473576863p2/425398.jpg]) couldn't save this book for me after that. I would recommend skipping Knox's chapter altogether. It does nothing but drag the book down. A problem with writing with your mates I guess. Sayers wasn't ruthless enough as an editor.
& the appendix where each writer gave their solution? Another disappointment as for me the most interesting person to hear from would have been the writer of Chapter 1, but Whitechurch & the writers of Chapter 2 (The Coles) didn't give their solutions. I would have loved to have read where he thought the story would go. & Knox gave another dull list before offering his solution. No surprise here but I liked Christie's ideas the best!
So in Whitechurch, Dane & [a:John Rhode|280354|John Rhode|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1320143165p2/280354.jpg] I have found new writers I want to try & others I will quite definitely avoid.
The Detection Club must have been the coolest club around.
A group of highly successful mystery writers getting together sharing their love of mysteries & detective fiction over regular dinners in London.
The idea of a group of the members each writing a chapter to a murder mystery was intriguing - & with writers as skilled as [a:Agatha Christie|123715|Agatha Christie|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1321738793p2/123715.jpg] & [a:Dorothy L. Sayers|8734|Dorothy L. Sayers|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1519840173p2/8734.jpg] involved - what could go wrong?
Unfortunately quite a bit.
After [a:G.K. Chesterton|7014283|G.K. Chesterton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1365860649p2/7014283.jpg]'s introduction (which I have already forgotten) [a:Victor L. Whitechurch|1035041|Victor L. Whitechurch|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] got the story off to a cracking start. & all the writer's kept to a similar tone. But [a:Milward Kennedy|610903|Milward Kennedy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1363130100p2/610903.jpg] "read"completely different than the other writers. It really didn't flow well at all! Dorothy L. Sayers did her best to get the story on track, but unfortunately the writer that followed her, [a:Ronald A. Knox|17830840|Ronald A. Knox|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] followed with an incredibly dry list of questions & possible suspects. Able writing by the rest of the writers (including a wonderful twist from [a:Clemence Dane|425398|Clemence Dane|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1473576863p2/425398.jpg]) couldn't save this book for me after that. I would recommend skipping Knox's chapter altogether. It does nothing but drag the book down. A problem with writing with your mates I guess. Sayers wasn't ruthless enough as an editor.
& the appendix where each writer gave their solution? Another disappointment as for me the most interesting person to hear from would have been the writer of Chapter 1, but Whitechurch & the writers of Chapter 2 (The Coles) didn't give their solutions. I would have loved to have read where he thought the story would go. & Knox gave another dull list before offering his solution. No surprise here but I liked Christie's ideas the best!
So in Whitechurch, Dane & [a:John Rhode|280354|John Rhode|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1320143165p2/280354.jpg] I have found new writers I want to try & others I will quite definitely avoid.