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Mordecai Tremaine #5
So Pretty a Problem
Love is deadly
Adrian Carthallow, a dramatic and talented artist, is no stranger to controversy. But this time it's not his paintings that have provoked a blaze of publicity — it's the fact that his career has been suddenly terminated by a bullet to the head. Not only that, but his wife has confessed to firing the fatal shot.
Inspector Penross of the town constabulary is less than convinced by Helen Carthallow's story, but has no other explanation for the incident that occurred when the couple were alone in their clifftop house. Luckily for the Inspector, amateur criminologist Mordecai Tremaine has an uncanny habit of being in the near neighborhood whenever sudden death makes its appearance. As he mounts his investigation, Tremaine is quick to realize that however perfect a couple the Carthallows may have seemed, beneath the surface of their perfect life lay something much more sinister…
This Golden Age mystery is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers.
Adrian Carthallow, a dramatic and talented artist, is no stranger to controversy. But this time it's not his paintings that have provoked a blaze of publicity — it's the fact that his career has been suddenly terminated by a bullet to the head. Not only that, but his wife has confessed to firing the fatal shot.
Inspector Penross of the town constabulary is less than convinced by Helen Carthallow's story, but has no other explanation for the incident that occurred when the couple were alone in their clifftop house. Luckily for the Inspector, amateur criminologist Mordecai Tremaine has an uncanny habit of being in the near neighborhood whenever sudden death makes its appearance. As he mounts his investigation, Tremaine is quick to realize that however perfect a couple the Carthallows may have seemed, beneath the surface of their perfect life lay something much more sinister…
This Golden Age mystery is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers.
402 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1947
58 people are currently reading
407 people want to read
About the author
Francis Duncan
11 books63 followersFrancis Duncan is the pseudonym for William Walter Frank Underhill, who was born in 1914. He lived virtually all his life in Bristol and was a 'scholarship boy' boarder at Queen Elizabeth's Hospital school. Due to family circumstances he was unable to go to university and started work in the Housing Department of Bristol City Council. Writing was always important to him and very early on he published articles in newspapers and magazines. His first detective story was published in 1936. In 1938 he married Sylvia Henly. Although a conscientious objector, he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in World War II, landing in France shortly after D-Day. After the war he trained as a teacher and spent the rest of his life in education, first as a primary school teacher and then as a lecturer in a college of further education. In the 1950s he studied for an external economics degree from London University. No mean feat with a family to support; his daughter, Kathryn, was born in 1943 and his son, Derek, in 1949. Throughout much of this time he continued to write detective fiction from 'sheer inner necessity', but also to supplement a modest income. He enjoyed foreign travel, particularly to France, and took up golf on retirement. He died of a heart attack shortly after celebrating his fiftieth wedding anniversary in 1988.
List of published short stories:
* Enter Trigger Gallante [Trigger Gallante], (na) Detective Weekly Oct 23 1937
* Getting On in the World: Back-Yard Floriculturists, (ar) The Saturday Evening Post Apr 5 1930
* The Girl with the Million Pound Secret [Trigger Gallante], (na) Detective Weekly Jan 15 1938
* The House of the Lost Men, (na) Detective Weekly Jan 9 1937
* Househunting for Luck, (ss) Gloucester Journal Feb 8 1936
* The Man Who Shrugged [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Feb 19 1938
* The Mystery of the House Nobody Owned [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Jan 29 1938
* The Riddle of the Cheshire Cheese [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Feb 26 1938
* The Secret of the Tramp Ship [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Feb 12 1938
List of published short stories:
* Enter Trigger Gallante [Trigger Gallante], (na) Detective Weekly Oct 23 1937
* Getting On in the World: Back-Yard Floriculturists, (ar) The Saturday Evening Post Apr 5 1930
* The Girl with the Million Pound Secret [Trigger Gallante], (na) Detective Weekly Jan 15 1938
* The House of the Lost Men, (na) Detective Weekly Jan 9 1937
* Househunting for Luck, (ss) Gloucester Journal Feb 8 1936
* The Man Who Shrugged [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Feb 19 1938
* The Mystery of the House Nobody Owned [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Jan 29 1938
* The Riddle of the Cheshire Cheese [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Feb 26 1938
* The Secret of the Tramp Ship [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Feb 12 1938
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
June 9, 2018
So Pretty a Problem is the third book I've read in the Mordecai Tremaine series, and my favorite so far. Whereas you'd normally see a small set of possible suspects in a book of this genre, this time there were hardly any suspects at all. The wife admits to accidentally shooting her husband, and no one else has been seen going to their house. So case closed, right?
What follows this intriguing premise is the typical unfolding of a quintessential cozy mystery, slow and steady, with lots of clues wrapped up in seemingly everyday interactions. Suspicions are aplenty, and lots of secrets are slowly uncovered, all leading to the culmination of the big reveal, which does not disappoint.
I've really grown to enjoy this series, and I look forward to reading more about this lovable and sentimental amateur detective.
What follows this intriguing premise is the typical unfolding of a quintessential cozy mystery, slow and steady, with lots of clues wrapped up in seemingly everyday interactions. Suspicions are aplenty, and lots of secrets are slowly uncovered, all leading to the culmination of the big reveal, which does not disappoint.
I've really grown to enjoy this series, and I look forward to reading more about this lovable and sentimental amateur detective.
February 20, 2022
What happens when an amateur detective goes on vacation? Can he escape murder amongst his friends? Not likely. By having the detective know so much about the victim and suspects, the author sets up an interesting problem for his hero. Instead of just having him pick up clues from the crime scene and hearsay, he sets up the hero to delve deep into his own acquaintance with them all. It was a different pattern for a story. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that goes so deep into the action to jump back so far and work up so slowly to where they left the action paused.
It was a decent mystery, but not really that hard to solve. Maybe, it was because the author makes such a point of emphasizing the hero’s particular eccentricity that it was easy to spot the major clue.
There were a couple curse words. Throughout the story an affair is acknowledged and only very mildly disapproved.
It was a decent mystery, but not really that hard to solve. Maybe, it was because the author makes such a point of emphasizing the hero’s particular eccentricity that it was easy to spot the major clue.
There were a couple curse words. Throughout the story an affair is acknowledged and only very mildly disapproved.
December 2, 2016
Adrian Carthallow is dead. Luckily amateur sleuth Mortdecai Tremaine is present. Tremaine is a retired tobacconist who likes to read romance novels (no, really) and he is intrigued by crime. Holidaying in the vicinity of Carthallow’s domicile Tremaine is the first one the panicking widow runs into. Why didn’t she just call the police on the phone? And what on earth happened anyway?
The wife confesses that it was a game, Adrian gave her the gun asking her to point it at him, and she unaware that it was loaded pulled the trigger accidentally. Later it turns out, that the Carthallow’s marriage had been under considerable strain for some time putting Helen’s story into question. As Tremaine is friends with the police inspector investigating the case he is allowed to trot along providing insights, and of course he is the one who solves the crime at the end.
Adrian Carthallow was not a very nice man. Certain parallels can be drawn to Agatha Christie’s “Five Little Pigs”also about the murder of a selfish painter. He was an arrogant womanizer and even dabbled in art forgery as the detectives find out.
There is certainly no lack of suspects, especially since most of the men seem to be infatuated with Helen Carthallow.
The Carthallows lived in a bizarre mansion of the kind that seems to be the requisite of mystery or horror stories and the setting is brought to life evocatively by Francis Duncan:
“The house called Paradise had been built and named by a millionaire for his bride. Just what had happened there few men had learned, but there had been whispers that there had been a lover in the case and it was an undoubted fact that the mistress of the house had been found lying with a broken neck at the foot of the cliffs whither she had apparently flung herself after leaving a despairing note that had not been made public.
Paradise had been closed and the millionaire had gone away – to take an overdose of veronal two years later after his fortune had vanished in a financial crash that had brought down a continental government.
For many years the place had lain empty and neglected, with the thick mists and the driving rain closing in upon it in winter when the seas leaped in fury up the grey cliffs upon which it stood; and with the summer sun beating down upon the rank wilderness of its gardens and peeling the paint from its doors and windows and the long wooden, verandah that looked out over the Atlantic.
It possessed so many obvious disadvantages. It was situated upon a great mass of cliff that must at one time have been joined to the mainland, but that was now separated from it by a narrow but deep chasm through which when the tide was high the sea ran noisily. It could be reached only by the bridge, which was not wide enough to take a car.
And, inevitably there was its reputation that made it a place to be avoided. The local people said that sometimes you could hear the thin, unhappy crying of a tortured soul that had been driven to self-destruction; only the sceptics sneered that it was odd that the sound was heard only when the wind was sighing over the cliffs and humming between the suspension wires of the bridge.”
As you can see, the writing is fine, the detective likeable enough. The problem is pacing. So Pretty A Problem would have worked better as a novella or even a short story. There is far too much time spent in the middle part of the book interviewing suspects. This is the kind of mystery where the detective is less of a Sherlock Holmes type running around gathering clues but more someone who works with “psychology” sitting around observing people, listening to them. While there are some clever touches about the solution, I wish we would have gotten there sooner.
So, not bad, not bad at all, just not exciting enough to make me want to gobble up all the remaining Francis Duncan books at once. I think I’ll try his Christmas mystery “Murder For Christmas” next.
The wife confesses that it was a game, Adrian gave her the gun asking her to point it at him, and she unaware that it was loaded pulled the trigger accidentally. Later it turns out, that the Carthallow’s marriage had been under considerable strain for some time putting Helen’s story into question. As Tremaine is friends with the police inspector investigating the case he is allowed to trot along providing insights, and of course he is the one who solves the crime at the end.
Adrian Carthallow was not a very nice man. Certain parallels can be drawn to Agatha Christie’s “Five Little Pigs”also about the murder of a selfish painter. He was an arrogant womanizer and even dabbled in art forgery as the detectives find out.
There is certainly no lack of suspects, especially since most of the men seem to be infatuated with Helen Carthallow.
The Carthallows lived in a bizarre mansion of the kind that seems to be the requisite of mystery or horror stories and the setting is brought to life evocatively by Francis Duncan:
“The house called Paradise had been built and named by a millionaire for his bride. Just what had happened there few men had learned, but there had been whispers that there had been a lover in the case and it was an undoubted fact that the mistress of the house had been found lying with a broken neck at the foot of the cliffs whither she had apparently flung herself after leaving a despairing note that had not been made public.
Paradise had been closed and the millionaire had gone away – to take an overdose of veronal two years later after his fortune had vanished in a financial crash that had brought down a continental government.
For many years the place had lain empty and neglected, with the thick mists and the driving rain closing in upon it in winter when the seas leaped in fury up the grey cliffs upon which it stood; and with the summer sun beating down upon the rank wilderness of its gardens and peeling the paint from its doors and windows and the long wooden, verandah that looked out over the Atlantic.
It possessed so many obvious disadvantages. It was situated upon a great mass of cliff that must at one time have been joined to the mainland, but that was now separated from it by a narrow but deep chasm through which when the tide was high the sea ran noisily. It could be reached only by the bridge, which was not wide enough to take a car.
And, inevitably there was its reputation that made it a place to be avoided. The local people said that sometimes you could hear the thin, unhappy crying of a tortured soul that had been driven to self-destruction; only the sceptics sneered that it was odd that the sound was heard only when the wind was sighing over the cliffs and humming between the suspension wires of the bridge.”
As you can see, the writing is fine, the detective likeable enough. The problem is pacing. So Pretty A Problem would have worked better as a novella or even a short story. There is far too much time spent in the middle part of the book interviewing suspects. This is the kind of mystery where the detective is less of a Sherlock Holmes type running around gathering clues but more someone who works with “psychology” sitting around observing people, listening to them. While there are some clever touches about the solution, I wish we would have gotten there sooner.
So, not bad, not bad at all, just not exciting enough to make me want to gobble up all the remaining Francis Duncan books at once. I think I’ll try his Christmas mystery “Murder For Christmas” next.
May 14, 2018
Oh, it is so great to catch up with Mordecai Tremaine, amateur criminologist.
Tremaine has accompanied his good friend Scotland Yard Inspector Jonathan Boyce to Cornwall for a relaxing holiday. Nothing on the agenda but lazing around and soaking up the summer sun. So, of course, Tremaine gets caught up in the murder of a local celebrity.
Tremaine had met painter Adrian Carthallow and his wife Helen several months earlier in London and had continued his acquaintance with them here in Cornwall. It is to Tremaine that Helen confesses that she had just accidentally shot (and killed) her husband. The local policeman chief, Inspector Penross is called in; all seems in set for a quick and easy wrap-up. However, Helen's story starts leaking like a sieve, and Penross has doubts, big, big doubts. Luckily for him, Tremaine is on hand to act as an unofficial sleuth and to dig deep into the lives of the Carthallows and their friends.
Lovely, twisty mystery with a really clever solution. All the clues are there--the author plays fair about that. It is just up to the reader to spot them.
I am so glad Sourcebooks brought these books back from obscurity. It is a shame that the author published so few. Mordecai Tremaine ranks right up there with Miss Marple for me.
Tremaine has accompanied his good friend Scotland Yard Inspector Jonathan Boyce to Cornwall for a relaxing holiday. Nothing on the agenda but lazing around and soaking up the summer sun. So, of course, Tremaine gets caught up in the murder of a local celebrity.
Tremaine had met painter Adrian Carthallow and his wife Helen several months earlier in London and had continued his acquaintance with them here in Cornwall. It is to Tremaine that Helen confesses that she had just accidentally shot (and killed) her husband. The local policeman chief, Inspector Penross is called in; all seems in set for a quick and easy wrap-up. However, Helen's story starts leaking like a sieve, and Penross has doubts, big, big doubts. Luckily for him, Tremaine is on hand to act as an unofficial sleuth and to dig deep into the lives of the Carthallows and their friends.
Lovely, twisty mystery with a really clever solution. All the clues are there--the author plays fair about that. It is just up to the reader to spot them.
I am so glad Sourcebooks brought these books back from obscurity. It is a shame that the author published so few. Mordecai Tremaine ranks right up there with Miss Marple for me.
December 21, 2023
The titular problem refers both to a complicated murder and the pretty prime suspect.
Larger-than-life, avant-garde painter Adrian Carthallow has been shot dead, and his wife, pretty, lively Helen Carthallow, has already told two versions of what happened and neither stack up. Luckily for us readers, amateur sleuth Mordecai Tremaine and his pal, Scotland Yard Inspector Jonathan Boyce, are on holiday in the same Cornish village. With his pince-nez and diffident manner, Tremaine is easy to underestimate.
I’ve already devoured two of the novels in this series, and I loved this, the fifth in this series just as much. How is author Francis Duncan not better known? He puts Anthony Cox to shame, and Cox’s works have actually been turned into movies!
Here’s to hoping that Poisoned Pen Press keeps rereleasing more of Duncan’s gems!
Larger-than-life, avant-garde painter Adrian Carthallow has been shot dead, and his wife, pretty, lively Helen Carthallow, has already told two versions of what happened and neither stack up. Luckily for us readers, amateur sleuth Mordecai Tremaine and his pal, Scotland Yard Inspector Jonathan Boyce, are on holiday in the same Cornish village. With his pince-nez and diffident manner, Tremaine is easy to underestimate.
I’ve already devoured two of the novels in this series, and I loved this, the fifth in this series just as much. How is author Francis Duncan not better known? He puts Anthony Cox to shame, and Cox’s works have actually been turned into movies!
Here’s to hoping that Poisoned Pen Press keeps rereleasing more of Duncan’s gems!
June 24, 2024
I did enjoy this read, as I liked Mordecai Tremaine in the previous books. This time, he is taking a holiday in Cornwall with his friend from Scotland Yard, who is recovering from an illness. Tremaine is exploring the surroundings of the place he is staying and finds that he is acquainted with an artist who lives in a cliff house. He is disturbed by the wife of the artist, during one of his afternoon sleeps, as she tells him she has killed her husband. Naturally he follows her back to the house and stays with her, waiting for the local police arrive, but finds it difficult to believe the wife's story. The local police are very willing to let Tremaine investigate along with them.
We are then taken back in time and shown how Tremaine has been accepted by the artist and his wife, and given reasons why Tremaine is just doesn't believe the story the wife is telling. Although quite a few different characters are brought into the story, when Tremaine gathers together these people and does his "Poirot type" explanation, all becomes clear, which completely made sense to me.
I will continue to read this series in time
We are then taken back in time and shown how Tremaine has been accepted by the artist and his wife, and given reasons why Tremaine is just doesn't believe the story the wife is telling. Although quite a few different characters are brought into the story, when Tremaine gathers together these people and does his "Poirot type" explanation, all becomes clear, which completely made sense to me.
I will continue to read this series in time
April 14, 2017
Mordecai Tremaine is on holiday with his friend Chief Inspector Jonathan Boyce. Once again he is in the right place at the right time to be first on the scene when enfant terrible of the art world, Adrian Carthallow is shot dead. Mordecai has met the Carthallows in London and Helen Carthallow comes to Mordecai when he is dosing on the beach below her cliff top house saying she has killed her husband. A dramatic start to the story.
The local police in the person of Inspector Charles Penross does not believe Helen's story and it seems the facts don't seem to fit it either. Tremaine and Boyce find themselves in the investigation in something of a busman's holiday. The book starts off with the death and then provides the background to the murder and the final section is about the investigation and how the death actually happened.
I found this entertaining reading and I think it has stood the test of time extremely well. I love Mordecai - he is a marvellous character with his acute observation and knowledge of human nature - not to speak of his insatiable curiosity. The plot is intriguing and I certainly didn't work who had committed the crime though the clues are all there if you pay attention to them and interpret them correctly. If you like classic crime novels then do try Francis Duncan - you won't be disappointed.
The local police in the person of Inspector Charles Penross does not believe Helen's story and it seems the facts don't seem to fit it either. Tremaine and Boyce find themselves in the investigation in something of a busman's holiday. The book starts off with the death and then provides the background to the murder and the final section is about the investigation and how the death actually happened.
I found this entertaining reading and I think it has stood the test of time extremely well. I love Mordecai - he is a marvellous character with his acute observation and knowledge of human nature - not to speak of his insatiable curiosity. The plot is intriguing and I certainly didn't work who had committed the crime though the clues are all there if you pay attention to them and interpret them correctly. If you like classic crime novels then do try Francis Duncan - you won't be disappointed.
October 15, 2023
This was a competent mystery, and I like mysteries, so I enjoyed it. I had not encountered Mordecai Tremaine before, and there's probably a reason you don't hear his name on lists of great fictional detectives. His main characteristics are that he's a retired tobacconist, he wears a pince-nez, and he enjoys a magazine called Romantic Stories. We are reminded of these facts many, many times. They are used to present Tremaine as a kind of naif who just happens to be great at solving crimes, but no real explanation is given as to why this would be so. That said, the plotting of the mystery was quite good and the the scenery of the Cornish coast was vivid and slightly sinister.
September 8, 2016
I really loved this old fashioned gentle story.
October 31, 2017
A competent, if ponderous, classic whodunit.
The GR blurb:
"Amateur sleuth Mordecai Tremaine is back in another classic mystery from the author of Murder for Christmas
Adrian Carthallow, enfant terrible of the art world, is no stranger to controversy. But this time it’s not his paintings that have provoked a blaze of publicity – it’s the fact that his career has been suddenly terminated by a bullet to the head. Not only that, but his wife has confessed to firing the fatal shot.
Inspector Penross of the town constabulary is, however, less than convinced by Helen Carthallow’s story – but has no other explanation for the incident that occurred when the couple were alone in their clifftop house.
Luckily for the Inspector, amateur criminologist Mordecai Tremaine has an uncanny habit of being in the near neighbourhood whenever sudden death makes its appearance. Investigating the killing, Tremaine is quick to realise that however handsome a couple the Carthallows were, and however extravagant a life they led, beneath the surface there’s a pretty devil’s brew…"
The GR blurb:
"Amateur sleuth Mordecai Tremaine is back in another classic mystery from the author of Murder for Christmas
Adrian Carthallow, enfant terrible of the art world, is no stranger to controversy. But this time it’s not his paintings that have provoked a blaze of publicity – it’s the fact that his career has been suddenly terminated by a bullet to the head. Not only that, but his wife has confessed to firing the fatal shot.
Inspector Penross of the town constabulary is, however, less than convinced by Helen Carthallow’s story – but has no other explanation for the incident that occurred when the couple were alone in their clifftop house.
Luckily for the Inspector, amateur criminologist Mordecai Tremaine has an uncanny habit of being in the near neighbourhood whenever sudden death makes its appearance. Investigating the killing, Tremaine is quick to realise that however handsome a couple the Carthallows were, and however extravagant a life they led, beneath the surface there’s a pretty devil’s brew…"
January 4, 2019
There are three men in love with beautiful, tragic Helen Carthallow. Unfortunately, her overly attentive artist husband Adrian is not one of them. Retired shopkeeper and amateur detective Mordecai Tremaine happens to meet the couple in London, and then again in Cornwall where he's spending his holidays with his policeman friend, who is recuperating from an injury. And always sentimental Mordecai can't make up his mind about Helen or her talented husband, but he senses that trouble is coming for the pair. When Adrian is shot, Helen is apparently the only one in the house with him, and only her fingerprints are on the gun. Yet even the local policeman doesn't really want to arrest her.
August 12, 2018
Three and a half stars; a very enjoyable reprint of a Francis Duncan mystery who wrote well-received whodunits spanning the 1930s through the 1950s. The amateur sleuth, Mordecai Tremaine, is a retired tobacconist with a fondness for romance literature who continually readjusts his pince-nez belying his shrewd observational skills. Though always hopeful for a happy ending, he does not shy away from tracking down the guilty party while on supposed holiday on the coast of England. A true gem from the Golden Age of Mysteries!
January 2, 2020
I enjoyed the mystery and despite there being many characters, was able to keep them all straight. Although likely not unusual for the time when it was written, I did not appreciate the way the author described several female characters.
September 1, 2022
Really 3.5 stars but this was entertaining.
March 9, 2020
Eh. This ended up just okay. It's perfectly well written, and I was enjoying the first section. Then it suddenly goes into a lengthy flashback that I found unnecessary and rather boring. By the time I plodded through it I just wanted to get the thing over with. There are some nice little twists as we get back to the murder but overall it was pretty forgettable.
September 19, 2021
And it was no good trying to oppose unpalatable evidence with mere sentiment.He went over in his mind all the points Penross had brought forward, and it was undeniable that they added up to a damning indictment. Adrian Carthallow had been killed with a gun that carried only his wife’s fingerprints. The two of them had been alone in the house at the time. Helen Carthallow was known to be in love with Lester Imleyson. She had admitted that it had been the cause of a violent quarrel between her husband and herself. She had already given two versions of the way in which Adrian Carthallow had died, and neither of them was the correct one.
Inspector Penross dug his hands deep into his pockets. He heaved a long and heavy sigh. “The question is,” he said, “where do we go from here? Instead of a nice, neat little accident it looks like being as pretty a problem as I’ve struck.”
Inspector Penross dug his hands deep into his pockets. He heaved a long and heavy sigh. “The question is,” he said, “where do we go from here? Instead of a nice, neat little accident it looks like being as pretty a problem as I’ve struck.”
January 16, 2023
Автор заявляет, герои опровергают.
Читала сборник с двумя произведениями "Такое запутанное дело" и "Когда конец близок"
Ох, беда какая-то с детективами Фрэнсиса Дункана, они монотонные, главное действующее лицо не обаятельное, как бы не описывал его автор, как бы не пытался придать ему какой-то трогательности, но когда все герои ведут себя с ним не как с обаятельным человеком, понимаешь, что автор сам себе врет, не обаятельный его герой. Мало того, он еще и не интересный, потому что опять же так ведут себя герои книги, им не интересно знать о нем больше, они не преследуют его не расспрашивают о том, что у него было, они меркантильно, если есть возможность, расспрашивают о деле, то есть будь какой угодно близкий к полиции источник они делали бы тоже самое. То есть у тебя, как у читателя, нет никакого подтверждения, что герой обаятельный и все потуги автора сделать его таковым скорее выдают как раз потуги и больше раздражают преувеличенностью, потому что акценты на каких-то действиях или привычках героя никак не ведут сюжет, никак не влюбляют в героя. А ведь сама по себе идея очень интересная, там вроде как дедушка, который вроде как Марпл в брюках, но увы, не получилось дедушки Марпл. А ведь вроде бы бывший табачник, такой далекий от полиции человек, романтик, любовные романчики почитывает, в чем-то легко зациклен. Но получается пшик, как и раздуваемый автором шум вокруг него, но он, ни на чем не основан, все его дела не кажутся громкими.
Возможно, именно это главная причина, почему истории так скучно читать. Ну, еще дополнительно нет никакого сочувствия к тем, кто был убит. И даже если бывают детективы, когда нет сочувствия к убитому, есть сочувствие к тому, кого обвиняют, а тут все герои нельзя сказать что не привлекательны, просто никакие. Нет никаких интересных мыслей от героев, нет никакой социальной идеи, нет истории страны. Просто кого-то убили и ты к этому никакого отношения не имеешь, тебе за этим даже наблюдать скучно, потому что загадка строится на том, что увидели, но нам порой не показали, что-то говорится, что-то нет и ты догадываешься скорее по тому, кто громче орет, чем на том, что автор подсказками разбросал по книге, хоть он разбрасывал, да, старался.
Опять же, есть в книге акценты, которые не срабатывают. То есть ружье повесили, но не выстрелили. Это и подземные ходы, и испорченная картина, на которой так долго циклились, а потом, а понятно, ревность... Что это было, думаешь ты, но тебе про психологию тут никто не расскажет, никто не подведет итог, никто не покажет людей, опять же моменты были, но это как бабушка на двое делила. Я еще очень люблю золотой век детектива за то, что в нем закончились цирковые трюки, то есть до были зеркала, за секундочку перекрученные ручки на двери, развешанные водоросли, стреляющие из трубы пистолеты и быстро разбираемые сложные конструкции, а в золотом все стало простым, кроме того, что замышляет человек, то есть подброшенная пуля, переведенные часы, просто кто-то сбежал через окно или специально отвлек внимание надев халатик поярче, очень просто, никаких канатов на крюке, за секунду сбежать, спуститься на канате, балаган какой-то получается в такое не веришь и тебе сразу становится не интересно.
И автор в своей профессии нехорош, повторюсь, он сам выделял героя, пытался показать его обаяние, но все герои относились к нему как к необаятельному, а очень подозрительному типу, ему не доверяли, ему не умилялись, им не восхищались, о нем лично никто ничего знать не хотел, хоть он весь такой распиаренный и какие-то дела уже расследовал и полиции помогал. Ну нельзя писать, что герой был интересен и тут же по толпе рядом показывать, как люди к нему безразличны. И это еще ладно бы, но нельзя писать настоящее и не давать читателю понимание, что вот в этот момент герой начинает вспоминать. Читатель недоумевает, его взяли и пересадили неожиданно в другое место. Хоть какой-то переход должен быть, а не бац, даже без абзаца, ты в воспоминаниях, которые написаны ровно как настоящее. Нельзя сказать, что совсем такое раздражает, но неприятный эффект от книги и автора создает.
Опять же герой у нас помогает полиции... А вот во второй истории это сильно ставится под сомнение, потому что когда полиция теряет подозреваемого, а Мордекай (наш главный герой) его вот буквально минуту назад видевший об этом молчит и если он объясняет это тем, что вот сейчас не время, все нервные, то он и после, один на один своему приятелю полицейскому про это не говорит... И как это понимать? Где тут помощь, учитывая, что потом подозреваемого-то найдут, но он уже будет безмолвен...
Нельзя сказать, что детективы прям вот плохие, нет, в них есть логика, есть разбор полетов, есть история с людьми, то есть не на совсем пустом месте все построено. В конце историй они довольно бодро читаются, в отличие от начала, но это такие книги, как дождик, ты к нему сидя дома отношения не имеешь, он пройдет, и ты про него забудешь. Зацепиться в книге просто не за что, чтобы говорить, а вот она хороша, потому что там то-то, как бы, увы, нет такого.
Я читаю не первую историю про Мордекая и уже закрепилась во мнении, что мне с героем не по пути, ну как и с автором, мы с ним по разному воспринимаем мир детектива)
Читала сборник с двумя произведениями "Такое запутанное дело" и "Когда конец близок"
Ох, беда какая-то с детективами Фрэнсиса Дункана, они монотонные, главное действующее лицо не обаятельное, как бы не описывал его автор, как бы не пытался придать ему какой-то трогательности, но когда все герои ведут себя с ним не как с обаятельным человеком, понимаешь, что автор сам себе врет, не обаятельный его герой. Мало того, он еще и не интересный, потому что опять же так ведут себя герои книги, им не интересно знать о нем больше, они не преследуют его не расспрашивают о том, что у него было, они меркантильно, если есть возможность, расспрашивают о деле, то есть будь какой угодно близкий к полиции источник они делали бы тоже самое. То есть у тебя, как у читателя, нет никакого подтверждения, что герой обаятельный и все потуги автора сделать его таковым скорее выдают как раз потуги и больше раздражают преувеличенностью, потому что акценты на каких-то действиях или привычках героя никак не ведут сюжет, никак не влюбляют в героя. А ведь сама по себе идея очень интересная, там вроде как дедушка, который вроде как Марпл в брюках, но увы, не получилось дедушки Марпл. А ведь вроде бы бывший табачник, такой далекий от полиции человек, романтик, любовные романчики почитывает, в чем-то легко зациклен. Но получается пшик, как и раздуваемый автором шум вокруг него, но он, ни на чем не основан, все его дела не кажутся громкими.
Возможно, именно это главная причина, почему истории так скучно читать. Ну, еще дополнительно нет никакого сочувствия к тем, кто был убит. И даже если бывают детективы, когда нет сочувствия к убитому, есть сочувствие к тому, кого обвиняют, а тут все герои нельзя сказать что не привлекательны, просто никакие. Нет никаких интересных мыслей от героев, нет никакой социальной идеи, нет истории страны. Просто кого-то убили и ты к этому никакого отношения не имеешь, тебе за этим даже наблюдать скучно, потому что загадка строится на том, что увидели, но нам порой не показали, что-то говорится, что-то нет и ты догадываешься скорее по тому, кто громче орет, чем на том, что автор подсказками разбросал по книге, хоть он разбрасывал, да, старался.
Опять же, есть в книге акценты, которые не срабатывают. То есть ружье повесили, но не выстрелили. Это и подземные ходы, и испорченная картина, на которой так долго циклились, а потом, а понятно, ревность... Что это было, думаешь ты, но тебе про психологию тут никто не расскажет, никто не подведет итог, никто не покажет людей, опять же моменты были, но это как бабушка на двое делила. Я еще очень люблю золотой век детектива за то, что в нем закончились цирковые трюки, то есть до были зеркала, за секундочку перекрученные ручки на двери, развешанные водоросли, стреляющие из трубы пистолеты и быстро разбираемые сложные конструкции, а в золотом все стало простым, кроме того, что замышляет человек, то есть подброшенная пуля, переведенные часы, просто кто-то сбежал через окно или специально отвлек внимание надев халатик поярче, очень просто, никаких канатов на крюке, за секунду сбежать, спуститься на канате, балаган какой-то получается в такое не веришь и тебе сразу становится не интересно.
И автор в своей профессии нехорош, повторюсь, он сам выделял героя, пытался показать его обаяние, но все герои относились к нему как к необаятельному, а очень подозрительному типу, ему не доверяли, ему не умилялись, им не восхищались, о нем лично никто ничего знать не хотел, хоть он весь такой распиаренный и какие-то дела уже расследовал и полиции помогал. Ну нельзя писать, что герой был интересен и тут же по толпе рядом показывать, как люди к нему безразличны. И это еще ладно бы, но нельзя писать настоящее и не давать читателю понимание, что вот в этот момент герой начинает вспоминать. Читатель недоумевает, его взяли и пересадили неожиданно в другое место. Хоть какой-то переход должен быть, а не бац, даже без абзаца, ты в воспоминаниях, которые написаны ровно как настоящее. Нельзя сказать, что совсем такое раздражает, но неприятный эффект от книги и автора создает.
Опять же герой у нас помогает полиции... А вот во второй истории это сильно ставится под сомнение, потому что когда полиция теряет подозреваемого, а Мордекай (наш главный герой) его вот буквально минуту назад видевший об этом молчит и если он объясняет это тем, что вот сейчас не время, все нервные, то он и после, один на один своему приятелю полицейскому про это не говорит... И как это понимать? Где тут помощь, учитывая, что потом подозреваемого-то найдут, но он уже будет безмолвен...
Нельзя сказать, что детективы прям вот плохие, нет, в них есть логика, есть разбор полетов, есть история с людьми, то есть не на совсем пустом месте все построено. В конце историй они довольно бодро читаются, в отличие от начала, но это такие книги, как дождик, ты к нему сидя дома отношения не имеешь, он пройдет, и ты про него забудешь. Зацепиться в книге просто не за что, чтобы говорить, а вот она хороша, потому что там то-то, как бы, увы, нет такого.
Я читаю не первую историю про Мордекая и уже закрепилась во мнении, что мне с героем не по пути, ну как и с автором, мы с ним по разному воспринимаем мир детектива)
January 17, 2023
Written in the post-war period, the Mordecai Tremaine series has been reprinted for a new generation of English mystery fans.
Retired tobacconist Mordecai Tremaine is invited to Cornwall to spend time with his friend Jonathan Boyce, a Scotland Yard detective who was in need of some recuperation. Boyce went often to Cornwall to stay with his sister and brother-in-law, so this would be a lovely holiday for both gentlemen.
Mordecai was napping on the beach when he was summoned by the wife of an artist. It seems she had shot the man, albeit accidentally. And there is where the story unfolds.
The artist was a self-promoter and rather in love with himself. A good artist with excellent skills, his living expenses managed to outrun his income, in spite of the scandals he stirred up to remain in the public eye. It appeared only one person would miss him, but it wasn't his wife!
Mordecai cooperates with Inspector Penross of the local constabulary. (Boyce, being from the Yard, remains available as a sounding board, but because of his position, he maintains a professional distance.) Because he was involved with the artist and his milieu, Mordecai is in the position of being able to find answers to questions, and he also is able to observe behavior and take in mannerisms that offer a 'tell.'
Duncan used the Poirot conceit of Tremaine spelling out whodunit before a roomful of persons of interest, but it was still a very effective tool in his hands. The language is formal, as we would expect from a genteel layer of society, and it hearkens back to Britain before popular culture overtook a generally pleasant way of life. He did not date the book by means of the rationing that was still in effect in the late 40s, nor did he describe vehicles with any detail. Specific clothing styles were left out, but the old-fashioned use of 'bathing costume' keeps us with one foot firmly planted in the sands of time before The British Invasion of the 1960s!
I ordered this because the description in the Bas Bleu catalog sounded like a nice winter read. I wasn't disappointed. I hope I can find a few more in the library.
Retired tobacconist Mordecai Tremaine is invited to Cornwall to spend time with his friend Jonathan Boyce, a Scotland Yard detective who was in need of some recuperation. Boyce went often to Cornwall to stay with his sister and brother-in-law, so this would be a lovely holiday for both gentlemen.
Mordecai was napping on the beach when he was summoned by the wife of an artist. It seems she had shot the man, albeit accidentally. And there is where the story unfolds.
The artist was a self-promoter and rather in love with himself. A good artist with excellent skills, his living expenses managed to outrun his income, in spite of the scandals he stirred up to remain in the public eye. It appeared only one person would miss him, but it wasn't his wife!
Mordecai cooperates with Inspector Penross of the local constabulary. (Boyce, being from the Yard, remains available as a sounding board, but because of his position, he maintains a professional distance.) Because he was involved with the artist and his milieu, Mordecai is in the position of being able to find answers to questions, and he also is able to observe behavior and take in mannerisms that offer a 'tell.'
Duncan used the Poirot conceit of Tremaine spelling out whodunit before a roomful of persons of interest, but it was still a very effective tool in his hands. The language is formal, as we would expect from a genteel layer of society, and it hearkens back to Britain before popular culture overtook a generally pleasant way of life. He did not date the book by means of the rationing that was still in effect in the late 40s, nor did he describe vehicles with any detail. Specific clothing styles were left out, but the old-fashioned use of 'bathing costume' keeps us with one foot firmly planted in the sands of time before The British Invasion of the 1960s!
I ordered this because the description in the Bas Bleu catalog sounded like a nice winter read. I wasn't disappointed. I hope I can find a few more in the library.
June 17, 2024
3.5 stars, good to catch up with amateur detective Mordecai Tremaine, I’ve read one other of the Golden Age series, and find him interesting and likable.
This outing has him visiting the Cornish coast with his Scotland Yard friend, Inspector Boyce, who has been ill and needs to recuperate. The two are staying with Boyce’s sister and her husband. Tremaine becomes friendly with a group revolving around a rather infamous London artist and his wife. When the artist is found dead by a gunshot wound, Tremaine investigates alongside the local inspector. It’s personal, as he and the artist were friends; also, the wife approaches Tremaine as he dozes on the beach, and says she shot her husband! She asks him to come with her to the house on the cliff where they live.
Right away, the sleepy, rather confused Tremaine is bothered by the situation; he has felt all along things are not as they seem between the couple, and in the artist’s personal life and activities. In an interesting plot choice, the author then uses “part two” to take us back through Tremaine’s entire association in London with the artist and his wife and circle.
I thought it dragged on a bit, especially when I listened to the audiobook; my mind wandered. I also felt there were too many suspects in their circle of friends, and I wasn’t always clear who was who among them.
The writing was very good, the mystery and resolution made sense; Tremaine has a gathering of suspects at the victim’s clifftop home for the big reveal, and the twist is well done. The local inspector is there, but Tremaine does all the talking. I always have a problem with this approach, even though Christie trained me as a mystery buff to expect this scene. The amateur has no real standing with the police, yet the killer walks into a cleverly laid trap and confesses!
At least here, in the final scene, the local inspector and Tremaine agree they were concerned with the Judge’s Rules and rules of evidence at that last eventful gathering-at least acknowledging such things exist, which made it more credible for me!
This outing has him visiting the Cornish coast with his Scotland Yard friend, Inspector Boyce, who has been ill and needs to recuperate. The two are staying with Boyce’s sister and her husband. Tremaine becomes friendly with a group revolving around a rather infamous London artist and his wife. When the artist is found dead by a gunshot wound, Tremaine investigates alongside the local inspector. It’s personal, as he and the artist were friends; also, the wife approaches Tremaine as he dozes on the beach, and says she shot her husband! She asks him to come with her to the house on the cliff where they live.
Right away, the sleepy, rather confused Tremaine is bothered by the situation; he has felt all along things are not as they seem between the couple, and in the artist’s personal life and activities. In an interesting plot choice, the author then uses “part two” to take us back through Tremaine’s entire association in London with the artist and his wife and circle.
I thought it dragged on a bit, especially when I listened to the audiobook; my mind wandered. I also felt there were too many suspects in their circle of friends, and I wasn’t always clear who was who among them.
The writing was very good, the mystery and resolution made sense; Tremaine has a gathering of suspects at the victim’s clifftop home for the big reveal, and the twist is well done. The local inspector is there, but Tremaine does all the talking. I always have a problem with this approach, even though Christie trained me as a mystery buff to expect this scene. The amateur has no real standing with the police, yet the killer walks into a cleverly laid trap and confesses!
At least here, in the final scene, the local inspector and Tremaine agree they were concerned with the Judge’s Rules and rules of evidence at that last eventful gathering-at least acknowledging such things exist, which made it more credible for me!
March 5, 2019
Mordeaci, our amateur sleuth, is a retired tobacconist with a fondness for romance literature. He’s mild-mannered but a shrewd observer of people. Tremaine has accompanied his good friend Scotland Yard Inspector Jonathan Boyce to Cornwall for a relaxing holiday. So, of course, Tremaine gets caught up in the murder of a local celebrity, painter Adreian Carthallo. Tremaine had met the artist and his wife, Helen, several months earlier in London and had continued his acquaintance with them in Cornwall, where their vacation home was.
I really liked how So Pretty a Problem was structured. First, we jump right into the mystery. Adreian is dead and his wife admits to killing him – although accidentally. Of course, her story has holes galore and the local inspector isn’t buying it. Happily, Mordecai is on the spot and knows all the people involved.
Then we go back in time and learn how we got here. We meet everyone, including plenty of suspects, see how they interact, learn about their affairs and secrets. Mordecai has spent a lot of time with them but sees them from an outsiders point of view. He’s not really part of their circle but sees most of what’s going on.
Finally, there’s the investigation after the murder. Was Helen really the only other person in the house that day? Who is telling the truth and who is lying and why? Mordecai’s help is actually appreciated by the police, which is a nice change from a lot of cozy mysteries.
I tend to enjoy vintage mysteries. They’re more puzzley and less graphic. This one was good, with plenty of clues and suspects. And I enjoy Mordecai. He’s a romantic at heart, always hoping for a happy ending.
I really liked how So Pretty a Problem was structured. First, we jump right into the mystery. Adreian is dead and his wife admits to killing him – although accidentally. Of course, her story has holes galore and the local inspector isn’t buying it. Happily, Mordecai is on the spot and knows all the people involved.
Then we go back in time and learn how we got here. We meet everyone, including plenty of suspects, see how they interact, learn about their affairs and secrets. Mordecai has spent a lot of time with them but sees them from an outsiders point of view. He’s not really part of their circle but sees most of what’s going on.
Finally, there’s the investigation after the murder. Was Helen really the only other person in the house that day? Who is telling the truth and who is lying and why? Mordecai’s help is actually appreciated by the police, which is a nice change from a lot of cozy mysteries.
I tend to enjoy vintage mysteries. They’re more puzzley and less graphic. This one was good, with plenty of clues and suspects. And I enjoy Mordecai. He’s a romantic at heart, always hoping for a happy ending.
July 4, 2024
This is the fifth book in the Mordecai Tremaine series, published in 1950. I have not read all the books yet, having come across these mysteries rather haphazardly, but I would like to go back and read them in order. The central character, Mordecai Tremaine, is a typical Golden Age amateur sleuth. He is a rather romantic, older gentleman, who has found himself assisting and being befriended by the police.
There are certain things which come up again and again in GA fiction - the theatre, universities and the art world, often feature. This mystery revolves around artist Adrian Carthallow and his wife, Helen, who almost everyone seems to be in love with. Tremaine is disconcerted when he realises that the Carthallow's are not happily married and Adrian Carthallow seems to have a number of problems - financial and personal - while Helen has a lover. Having met the couple in London, Tremaine finds himself holidaying at the seaside where the Carthallow's have a house. When Adrian Carthallow dies in suspicious circumstances, it is up to Tremaine, who knows those involved, to unravel the mystery.
Overall, this is an interesting mystery, with good characters and enough suspects to make the reader interested. I will certainly read more by this author.
There are certain things which come up again and again in GA fiction - the theatre, universities and the art world, often feature. This mystery revolves around artist Adrian Carthallow and his wife, Helen, who almost everyone seems to be in love with. Tremaine is disconcerted when he realises that the Carthallow's are not happily married and Adrian Carthallow seems to have a number of problems - financial and personal - while Helen has a lover. Having met the couple in London, Tremaine finds himself holidaying at the seaside where the Carthallow's have a house. When Adrian Carthallow dies in suspicious circumstances, it is up to Tremaine, who knows those involved, to unravel the mystery.
Overall, this is an interesting mystery, with good characters and enough suspects to make the reader interested. I will certainly read more by this author.
November 10, 2023
I have to say, I thought it would never come to an end. This is the 2nd in the series that I have read (well, listened to) and I quickly lost interest.
There's a presentation of current events which I found interesting.
Then there's an abrupt rewinding to events leading up to the death. I didn't find this part interesting in the least.
Also, just a quirk of the author is his insistence on calling the character "Mordecai Tremayne" the entire way through the book with few exceptions. I found myself listening for those like Where's Waldo. The persistent use of his full name became almost a distraction.
For example: Mordecai Tremayne got up from the chair. Then, Mordecai Tremayne walked to the window. And on like this. Maybe if the character was John Lee or Martin Long or something more commonplace it would be easier to listen to.
I've read countless (no, really) books in my 49 yrs and can't recall this particular habit in any.
Anyway, I'm listening to the next one to get to sleep and I highly recommend it for that purpose. By the time Mordecai Tremayne finishes his breakfast, I'm fast asleep.
There's a presentation of current events which I found interesting.
Then there's an abrupt rewinding to events leading up to the death. I didn't find this part interesting in the least.
Also, just a quirk of the author is his insistence on calling the character "Mordecai Tremayne" the entire way through the book with few exceptions. I found myself listening for those like Where's Waldo. The persistent use of his full name became almost a distraction.
For example: Mordecai Tremayne got up from the chair. Then, Mordecai Tremayne walked to the window. And on like this. Maybe if the character was John Lee or Martin Long or something more commonplace it would be easier to listen to.
I've read countless (no, really) books in my 49 yrs and can't recall this particular habit in any.
Anyway, I'm listening to the next one to get to sleep and I highly recommend it for that purpose. By the time Mordecai Tremayne finishes his breakfast, I'm fast asleep.
July 7, 2024
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I've enjoyed the other 2 I've read so far.
I've rated it 2 stars only because of the murder itself.
Part 1 and Part 3, when the murder had occurred, were well paced, but the overall background story of Part 2 was so boring! I struggled a lot to keep on reading. I've always thought of Mordecai Tremaine as an endearing old man, but he was insufferable in Part 2 of the book. His obsession with the Carthallows was impossible to stand.
I know the book attempts to explain why Mr Carthallow was also keen of Mordecai, but I think it was far fetched at best. Anybody would have distanced themselves from Mordecai and his pathetic and poorly placed eagerness (which had no reason to exist at that point in the story).
Overall a decent murder mystery, let down by the main character who was nothing like the character I've come to enjoy in the other books of the series.
I've rated it 2 stars only because of the murder itself.
Part 1 and Part 3, when the murder had occurred, were well paced, but the overall background story of Part 2 was so boring! I struggled a lot to keep on reading. I've always thought of Mordecai Tremaine as an endearing old man, but he was insufferable in Part 2 of the book. His obsession with the Carthallows was impossible to stand.
I know the book attempts to explain why Mr Carthallow was also keen of Mordecai, but I think it was far fetched at best. Anybody would have distanced themselves from Mordecai and his pathetic and poorly placed eagerness (which had no reason to exist at that point in the story).
Overall a decent murder mystery, let down by the main character who was nothing like the character I've come to enjoy in the other books of the series.
August 21, 2020
this book does something different with the structure, as we first read about the murder and immediate aftermath, then travel back in time to see how Mordecai Tremaine came to know all of these different characters, and finally return to the solution. it's an interesting way to provide additional detail about all of the characters, although it does slow the story down. I felt the clues were fairly unsubtle, and you could get a strong sense of what was going on before the final revelation.
the stories are generally pretty gentle, but I don't find Tremaine a terribly endearing character, although he's written to be - his little quirks, with the pince nez and romance magazines. Perhaps because of the time the stories were written, his ideas seem old-fashioned and his judgments of others bother me (Roberta Fairham's "vixenish malice" or whatever).
the stories are generally pretty gentle, but I don't find Tremaine a terribly endearing character, although he's written to be - his little quirks, with the pince nez and romance magazines. Perhaps because of the time the stories were written, his ideas seem old-fashioned and his judgments of others bother me (Roberta Fairham's "vixenish malice" or whatever).
February 25, 2025
I read this via audiobook. This is the third I've read by this author. All very competent and interesting in their own way. In this one the author spins out the before-the-death section of the book in an interesting way that captures the feeling of being on a holiday and meeting a lot of people.
I have to tell you that if you "read" audiobooks to help you sleep at night, this is an excellent one for that. I don't mean that as a back-handed compliment. This one hits the sweet spot of "interesting enough, but not too interesting" combined with a narrator whose voice - for me - helps me get to sleep. I don't mean he's a bad reader, on the contrary, he's quite a good reader. I think it's the pace and timbre of his voice. Anyways, this is an excellent thing for those of us who need this for sleep.
I have to tell you that if you "read" audiobooks to help you sleep at night, this is an excellent one for that. I don't mean that as a back-handed compliment. This one hits the sweet spot of "interesting enough, but not too interesting" combined with a narrator whose voice - for me - helps me get to sleep. I don't mean he's a bad reader, on the contrary, he's quite a good reader. I think it's the pace and timbre of his voice. Anyways, this is an excellent thing for those of us who need this for sleep.
May 10, 2018
The first part was awesome; hello there, here's a corpse. The last part was awesome; here's what really happened. The middle? The middle was a letdown, a major letdown. I mean after the excitement of directly being thrown in the middle of a crime scene, taken on a trip to the past to show the initial meetings and events leading up to the murder was - to put it plainly - very boring to read. I realize it was important but that doesn't mean that I enjoyed it.
Overall, the mystery was good and even if complain about the boring middle it tied up very nicely to the conclusion. This book had a very Hercule Poirot feel and would probably appeal to Christie fans.
Overall, the mystery was good and even if complain about the boring middle it tied up very nicely to the conclusion. This book had a very Hercule Poirot feel and would probably appeal to Christie fans.
November 6, 2018
I do love Tremaine, and I’m so glad that these books are being re-issued; really, why haven’t they gotten their due? I liked the structure of this story (it was in thirds: the murder, pre-murder and then post-murder)—but I think it did slow the pace down a bit. Not necessarily bad, but just requires a bit more thought to find and understand the little details about what had happened and why. I also found some of the cast of characters/suspects a bit flat, particularly to begin with, or maybe I just didn’t really like any of them. But still a truly enjoyable, charming and clever Golden Age mystery....
May 4, 2019
About 3.5. It was a slow start, in part because it reminded me of a couple of Agatha Christie Poirot books. Also, it's one of those that start, gives you a scenario, and then backs up. Mordicai Tremaine is dozing on the beach when a woman comes to tell him she has shot her husband. The police are called, the premises inspected, and then we go back in time to "meet" the characters already in play. I had trouble getting into it until we finally hit the introduction chapters and then things went smoothly. Interesting characters, good plot.
January 3, 2021
Retired tobacconist and amateur detective Mordecai Tremaine is awakened from a nap on the Cornish coast by a woman's announcement that she has accidently shot her husband. Neither Tremaine nor the local police Inspector believe her story, and suspect that she is covering for someone. The plot never gripped me, nor was I convinced by the rather elaborate solution. I quite enjoyed the two previous Mordecai Tremaine mysteries, but found this one to be only average.
July 27, 2021
until the denouement I thought that I had found a new author whose books I could read
there are 3 parts to the book . The first part deals with the crime , the second the weeks before the crime and the third part how Mordecai Tremaine solves the crime .
The explanation of whodunnit is completely ridiculous and unrealistic and destroys the other two thirds of the book . From what I read this novel is one of the author's best . Very disappointing
there are 3 parts to the book . The first part deals with the crime , the second the weeks before the crime and the third part how Mordecai Tremaine solves the crime .
The explanation of whodunnit is completely ridiculous and unrealistic and destroys the other two thirds of the book . From what I read this novel is one of the author's best . Very disappointing
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