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A review by crazygoangirl
The Floating Admiral by The Detection Club
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
An experiment gone haywire in my opinion. 13 British authors, members of The Detection Club come together to write this mystery. I’d not heard or read any of them except three - Chesterton, Christie and Sayers - who are on their own experts at their craft. An admiral is dead and his body comes floating down the river in the vicar’s boat. A great premise that sinks quickly from over-plotting, over-writing and dismal characterisations. The vicar’s sons held promise but disappeared halfway through the narrative. After a while, I just didn’t care!
This collaboration just didn’t work for me. It was slow, repetitive and frankly just tedious. It didn’t seem like the authors were invested in the story and it showed in their writing. Thirty nine Articles of Doubt by Ronald Knox in which he lists 39 points that Inspector Rudge needs to solve was perhaps the most boring chapter in an extremely boring book! The characters were ill defined and flat - none of the liveliness and intelligence that characterises Christie’s and Sayer’s books. I read in her biography that Christie wasn’t too keen on the project and refused to do it a second time - I can understand why! The disinterest shows in the writing.
This one is an excellent example of how individual talent doesn’t guarantee collective glory 🤷♀️😬
This collaboration just didn’t work for me. It was slow, repetitive and frankly just tedious. It didn’t seem like the authors were invested in the story and it showed in their writing. Thirty nine Articles of Doubt by Ronald Knox in which he lists 39 points that Inspector Rudge needs to solve was perhaps the most boring chapter in an extremely boring book! The characters were ill defined and flat - none of the liveliness and intelligence that characterises Christie’s and Sayer’s books. I read in her biography that Christie wasn’t too keen on the project and refused to do it a second time - I can understand why! The disinterest shows in the writing.
This one is an excellent example of how individual talent doesn’t guarantee collective glory 🤷♀️😬