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Robert Amiss #10
Carnage on the Committee
As the judges of a literary prize chip away at the author list,
someone else is chipping away at them....
When the chairperson of the prestigious Knapper-Warburton Literary Prize dies in suspicious circumstances, Robert Amiss (the token sane member of the judging panel) wastes no time in summoning Baroness "Jack" Troutbeck to step into the chair.
Speculation that a killer may be targeting the judges worries the baroness not in the slightest - it's the prospect of immersing herself in modern literature that fills her with dread. But noblesse must oblige, even when it means joining the ranks of the superciliati sitting in judgement of the literati.
With the baroness at the helm, the judges resume the task of whittling away at the short-list. But the killer, too, has resumed work and is whittling away at the judges one by one.
someone else is chipping away at them....
When the chairperson of the prestigious Knapper-Warburton Literary Prize dies in suspicious circumstances, Robert Amiss (the token sane member of the judging panel) wastes no time in summoning Baroness "Jack" Troutbeck to step into the chair.
Speculation that a killer may be targeting the judges worries the baroness not in the slightest - it's the prospect of immersing herself in modern literature that fills her with dread. But noblesse must oblige, even when it means joining the ranks of the superciliati sitting in judgement of the literati.
With the baroness at the helm, the judges resume the task of whittling away at the short-list. But the killer, too, has resumed work and is whittling away at the judges one by one.
246 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
5 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Dudley Edwards
36 books39 followersAfter being a Cambridge postgraduate, a teacher, a marketing executive and a civil servant, Ruth Dudley Edwards became a full-time writer. A journalist, broadcaster, historian and prize-winning biographer who lives in London, her recent non-fiction includes books about The Economist, the Foreign Office, the Orange Order and Fleet Street. The first of her ten satirical mysteries, Corridors of Death, was short-listed for the CWA John Creasey Memorial Dagger; two others were nominated for the CWA Last Laugh Award. Her two short stories appeared respectively in The Economist and the Oxford Book of Detective Stories.
Series:
* Robert Amiss Mystery
Series:
* Robert Amiss Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 22, 2025
Irish author and scholar Ruth Dudley Edwards does not write fiction for the faint-hearted reader. Her mysteries all feature English civil-servant Robert Amiss, as well as a cast of supporting characters. Her best known supporting character is Lady Ida "Jack" Troutbeck, a booze guzzling, cigar-smoking, bi-sexual, un-"PC", head of a woman's college at Cambridge. Jack Troutbeck says what she thinks, and what she thinks is often at odds with Britain's "New Labour", which was in power when Dudley Edwards wrote and published "Carnage on the Committee".
The "committee" is the "Knapper-Warburton Committee", a Booker-like committee, whose nine members - including Robert Amiss - are charged with getting together to select one novel as that year's honoree of the prize. And the clever Dudley Edwards has made the eight members caricatures of the prevailing literary elite who people the real prize selection committees. Several murders occur and Robert Amiss enlists Jack Troutbeck's help by taking over the committee's chairmanship, left vacant by one of the murder victims. Dudley Edwards does not stint in poking fun at the pompousness of the literary insiders nor at the worthlessness of the books under consideration for the Knapper-Warburton. There are several laugh-out-loud scenes, for those who enjoy the un-PCness with which Dudley Edwards writes. Dudley Edwards has long satirized the British Establishment - brilliantly in "Publish and be Murdered", another Amiss/Troutbeck mystery, set a the "Wrangler", a suspiciously "Economist"-like magazine.
But if Dudley Edwards satirizes, she also points out truths. Her two page piece in her latest book, "Murdering Americans", gives the most beautiful explanation of America and her place in history and in the world I've ever read. Please seek out Dudley Edwards' fiction. She writes wonderfully, and often has some wonderful "truths" in her work.
The "committee" is the "Knapper-Warburton Committee", a Booker-like committee, whose nine members - including Robert Amiss - are charged with getting together to select one novel as that year's honoree of the prize. And the clever Dudley Edwards has made the eight members caricatures of the prevailing literary elite who people the real prize selection committees. Several murders occur and Robert Amiss enlists Jack Troutbeck's help by taking over the committee's chairmanship, left vacant by one of the murder victims. Dudley Edwards does not stint in poking fun at the pompousness of the literary insiders nor at the worthlessness of the books under consideration for the Knapper-Warburton. There are several laugh-out-loud scenes, for those who enjoy the un-PCness with which Dudley Edwards writes. Dudley Edwards has long satirized the British Establishment - brilliantly in "Publish and be Murdered", another Amiss/Troutbeck mystery, set a the "Wrangler", a suspiciously "Economist"-like magazine.
But if Dudley Edwards satirizes, she also points out truths. Her two page piece in her latest book, "Murdering Americans", gives the most beautiful explanation of America and her place in history and in the world I've ever read. Please seek out Dudley Edwards' fiction. She writes wonderfully, and often has some wonderful "truths" in her work.
July 13, 2009
A great read! Katherine, will give it to you next time we go walking! I think you'll love it!
June 18, 2019
This is escapism. A politically incorrect, murderous excapist romp.
If you are looking for Patricia Cornwell forget it.
I love the Robert Amiss series. Of course for me they are brought to life by the inimitable Bill Wallis in audiobook form. Bill Wallis was a remarkable narrator and kept all his character voices sublety separated. Well except for Jack. Nothing subtle about her.
Of all the books I like this Carnage on the Committee and the Corridors of Death the best with Matricide at St Marthas well up the list. Her last one, Killing the Emperors, I didn't care for at all.
I guess I like this one because Jack handles obnoxious people in a way that I envy. Unfortunately I can't be that rude or outrageous in real life.
If you are looking for Patricia Cornwell forget it.
I love the Robert Amiss series. Of course for me they are brought to life by the inimitable Bill Wallis in audiobook form. Bill Wallis was a remarkable narrator and kept all his character voices sublety separated. Well except for Jack. Nothing subtle about her.
Of all the books I like this Carnage on the Committee and the Corridors of Death the best with Matricide at St Marthas well up the list. Her last one, Killing the Emperors, I didn't care for at all.
I guess I like this one because Jack handles obnoxious people in a way that I envy. Unfortunately I can't be that rude or outrageous in real life.
February 9, 2018
Characters are all (IMHO) caricatures. Found it a bit tedious, although I am sure it would appeal to anyone with an interest in how the upper classes in the UK might behave.
I will not read any more by this author
I will not read any more by this author
February 7, 2019
What Fun! Absolutely completely politically incorrect, and that much the merrier for it. Delightfully English in all the most amusing ways, eccentric titled characters, too much booze, and great vocabulary. I think I am hooked.
December 28, 2019
A delight for those who are tired of political correctness and identity politics!
January 30, 2021
This is a very naughty book that is right-wing in a way that makes you more right-wing. It is well worth reading and is highly satirical. I enjoyed it greatly.
June 6, 2021
satire of Brooker Prize. Several members of the Committee are killed by the butler whose daughter killed herself due to the corruption of the literary establishment. Broad humor. Not subtile.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2012
My September TBR outside-the-genre choice was Carnage on the Committee by Ruth Dudley Edwards. It was ultimately greatly disappointing. Darn it. Two comments led me to read the book. The first, a compliment from the Daily Mail: “It’s always a pleasure to welcome another iconoclastic blast against the establishment from the pen of Ruth Dudley Edwards.” And secondly, the back cover description: “When the chairperson of the prestigious Knapper Warburton Literary Prize dies in suspicious circumstances Robert Amiss wastes no time in summoning Baroness ‘Jack’ Troutbeck. Speculation that a killer may be targeting the judges worries the baroness not in the slightest. It’s the prospect of immersing herself in modern literature that fills her with dread.”
So what could be better? An English cozy in a bookish setting. Acerbic digs at sacred cows. My kind of book, right? Unfortunately no, because there were far too many judges, an inordinate number of would-be prize books and an unwieldy plot that made frequent allusions to previous books. I found it very difficult to distinguish the rather unpleasant characters. The Baroness was thoroughly unbelievable and Robert Amiss (I think perhaps he was the hero) faded into the background to the point of invisibility.
If you decide to read the book, I suggest skimming until you run into a delightful barb or bon mot. There were many of those and they were very on point and enjoyable. Let me leave you with a few (and remember to mentally read all of these sentences with lashings of scornful sarcasm).
The Baroness and Amiss discussing a “ground-breaking new novel”. “What ground was she breaking this time?” … “Christ knows. The crassness of consumerism came in to it somewhere, as did the neo-Gothic, Mother Courage, post-capitalist meta-narrative – whatever crap that is – White Goddesses, Hillary Clinton and the Ode to Joy.”
One of the suspects needs to be interviewed but the place is problematic. “Den Smith had declined to be interviewed at home (‘I will not have my privacy invaded’), at the Yard (‘I will not set foot in Gestapo headquarters’) or Milton’s club (‘I refuse to obey a dress code imposed by dinosaurs’) …”
A judge shares her private reading tastes (no surprise, not at all to the liking of the dearly departed chairwoman). “What do you like to read?’ ‘Stories. Bridget Jones. Jane Austen. Maeve Binchy. Zadie Smith. And mysteries. I love mysteries.”
Lastly, Amiss shared a particularly acrimonious exchange with his friend the Baroness. Speaking of the prize books again. ‘Oh yes, there was an enjoyable moment when we were considering the gay logger and Jack referred to Rosa’s and Ferriter’s choices as being of a particular bent, Ferriter said that proved she was homophobic and Jack said, “That, Professor Ferriter, is a fallacy, spelt ‘ p h a l l a c y’.”
There you have it – next month I’m back to rom!
So what could be better? An English cozy in a bookish setting. Acerbic digs at sacred cows. My kind of book, right? Unfortunately no, because there were far too many judges, an inordinate number of would-be prize books and an unwieldy plot that made frequent allusions to previous books. I found it very difficult to distinguish the rather unpleasant characters. The Baroness was thoroughly unbelievable and Robert Amiss (I think perhaps he was the hero) faded into the background to the point of invisibility.
If you decide to read the book, I suggest skimming until you run into a delightful barb or bon mot. There were many of those and they were very on point and enjoyable. Let me leave you with a few (and remember to mentally read all of these sentences with lashings of scornful sarcasm).
The Baroness and Amiss discussing a “ground-breaking new novel”. “What ground was she breaking this time?” … “Christ knows. The crassness of consumerism came in to it somewhere, as did the neo-Gothic, Mother Courage, post-capitalist meta-narrative – whatever crap that is – White Goddesses, Hillary Clinton and the Ode to Joy.”
One of the suspects needs to be interviewed but the place is problematic. “Den Smith had declined to be interviewed at home (‘I will not have my privacy invaded’), at the Yard (‘I will not set foot in Gestapo headquarters’) or Milton’s club (‘I refuse to obey a dress code imposed by dinosaurs’) …”
A judge shares her private reading tastes (no surprise, not at all to the liking of the dearly departed chairwoman). “What do you like to read?’ ‘Stories. Bridget Jones. Jane Austen. Maeve Binchy. Zadie Smith. And mysteries. I love mysteries.”
Lastly, Amiss shared a particularly acrimonious exchange with his friend the Baroness. Speaking of the prize books again. ‘Oh yes, there was an enjoyable moment when we were considering the gay logger and Jack referred to Rosa’s and Ferriter’s choices as being of a particular bent, Ferriter said that proved she was homophobic and Jack said, “That, Professor Ferriter, is a fallacy, spelt ‘ p h a l l a c y’.”
There you have it – next month I’m back to rom!
January 22, 2013
Robert Amiss in a member of the judging panel for the prestigious Knapper-Warburton literary prize when Lady Hermione Babcock – chairman of the judges – is found dead. Thanks to his intervention his old friend Baroness ‘Jack’ Troutbeck is asked to take over the panel. But it seems someone may have it in for the judges when another member of the panel is found dead in suspicious circumstances.
Enter Jim Milton and Ellis Pooley from Scotland Yard to investigate. I loved the characters in this book which satirises the behind the scenes activity in connection with literary prizes. Jack of course manages to cut a swathe through the pretensions and gets up to speed on the books with the aid of Mary-Lou Denslow – a colleague at St Martha’s College of which Jack is the Mistress.
The plot is complex and it will take an observant reader to identify the murderer in advance. Jack is at her most obnoxious best and some of the discussions between the judges are priceless as are the descriptions of the novels in contention for the prize. If you like your crime novels laced with humour and satire then give this series a try – they can be read in any order.
Enter Jim Milton and Ellis Pooley from Scotland Yard to investigate. I loved the characters in this book which satirises the behind the scenes activity in connection with literary prizes. Jack of course manages to cut a swathe through the pretensions and gets up to speed on the books with the aid of Mary-Lou Denslow – a colleague at St Martha’s College of which Jack is the Mistress.
The plot is complex and it will take an observant reader to identify the murderer in advance. Jack is at her most obnoxious best and some of the discussions between the judges are priceless as are the descriptions of the novels in contention for the prize. If you like your crime novels laced with humour and satire then give this series a try – they can be read in any order.
August 30, 2013
This didn't work for me at all. I get that it was supposed to be funny - and there were amusing bits here and there - but it mostly read like a giant rant about political correctness that got very tiresome after awhile. The actual mystery rather faded into the background, and the solution came out of nowhere. It felt like the author neglected the plot in favour of getting yet another jab in at some completely unrealistic caricature of a character. It was quite disappointing after reading Corridors of Death, by the same author, which got that mocking, humourous tone right and had a well-plotted mystery. This one didn't have that.
February 14, 2015
The Troutbeck/Amiss team again sets out to uncover dirty work, while dissecting another realm of British society --- this time, what seems to be a thinly disguised version of the Booker Prize. No holds barred in portraying what C. S. Lewis called the "charientocrats".
And I take exception to the description of Amiss as the "token sane member". The popstar sounds eminently sane as she asks "You mean because it's popular, it can't be good?"
And I take exception to the description of Amiss as the "token sane member". The popstar sounds eminently sane as she asks "You mean because it's popular, it can't be good?"
Read
September 2, 2012Just the usual read ... Spilling coffee because I can't put the book away time to put kettle on and crying with laughter. I love Jack so much if she wouldn't be complete if it wasn't for Amiss. What a pair. Attended committes of all sorts myself. A blessing they were not! Ruth Dudley Edwards tackles many different things she knows all about. To be so accurate yet so funny about it just shows how brilliant she is
March 16, 2016
hysterically funny although poorly written. The character development is exquisite -- like a good Monty Python program, the zany cast keeps me searching for this author's books. Hard to find in Canada; worth pestering a friend who's travelling to england, to bring you some back. I'll swap you! I've got this one & "Murder in a Cathedral"
November 8, 2010
The best bit of this book was the confession letter written in first person by the killer in the last chapter before the epilogue. The rest of it I found annoying and I really only stuck with it because I wanted to know whodunnit. A cast of detestable, annoyingly eccentric characters and a talking parrot. I know this was meant to be funny but...maybe I just wasn't in the mood.
September 25, 2014
Ruth Dudley Edwards is the empress of snarky - and it's a very English snarkiness. It's intellectual, sophisticated, snobby, and elitist. I think she's very, very funny and her perspective is correct. However, if you aren't a snarky intellectual, you probably won't like her work. Too bad for you!
February 27, 2015
After a bit of a stumble with the previous book in the series, this was nicely done return to form. I loved the humor and the outrageously over the top characters who represented the worst of the literary establishment. Listened to the audio version which was read by Bill Wallis who did a great job with all the various voices.
September 16, 2010
Enjoyed this book. The characters we wonderful, the setting so interesting (the literary world & awards committees), but the ending was a little disappointing. Like a modern, funnier Agatha Christie. Would be interested in seeing a TV series on the book series.
August 21, 2007
Bill Wallis does his usual job of reading, but I'd advise folks to start with the first book in the Robert Amiss series, not here.
September 12, 2007
A hilarious vision of literary prizes.
December 31, 2013
I found this unreadable as it was virtually all dialogue - might as well have been a play-script. Doesn't work as a novel, unfortunately.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews