Reading the Detectives discussion

This is a thread for a buddy read of Information Received by E.R. Punshon, which just missed out on winning the poll for our April read.



This is a general thread, so please no spoilers here - but I will also set up a separate spoiler thread, as this has been working well with the group reads, and see how it goes.

If you're planning to join in either now or a bit later, please say so. The thread will stay open for future contributions, so anyone planning to read the book at another time can still join in. It will be great if a few people are tempted!

I've started reading the book and am enjoying it so far. It's the first in a series about young Oxford graduate turned police detective Constable Bobby Owen - I had wondered if the story would be set in Oxford, but so far it's been taking place in London.

Must admit I'd never heard of E.R. Punshon until reading The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards, which had a lot about him - also Dean Street Press has reprinted a whole load of his books in cheap Kindle editions. This book is only 66p at the moment on Kindle in the UK but I think Jan mentioned that it was more in the US.

I had never heard of him either, but I downloaded the book last night and will hopefully start reading today. Since I am not a fan of spoilers, I will probably post more on the other list. Thanks for taking the time to set up the threads.

I'm impressed so far - enough to think about getting the next book in the series.

When I've gathered my thoughts about what I've read so far I'll probably post in the spoiler thread .

(My busy weekend so far - early morning gardening due to my sister bringing me some new wooden planters, two gym classes, and now a short sit down before a spa visit for a massage and facial treat )

Betsy wrote: "I had never heard of him either, but I downloaded the book last night and will hopefully start reading today. Since I am not a fan of spoilers, I will probably post more on the other list. Thanks f..."

Thanks for joining in, Betsy. Hope you enjoy it - I'm finding it pretty good and very readable.

I picked this up when I thought it was going to win. I think I have started it but don't think I am very far into it yet.

Jay-me, that sounds like a very busy weekend! Glad to hear you are impressed so far, as I am too.

Jan, I'll be interested to hear what you think when you get a bit further in.

Here are a few links about Punshon, though I haven't managed to find a great deal on him so far!

First off, Martin Edwards has reviewed Information Received and really liked it:
http://doyouwriteunderyourownname.blo...

These are two more general pages about Punshon - the second one does include a section about Information Received.

http://gadetection.pbworks.com/w/page...

http://mikegrost.com/punshon.htm

Not being from the UK, I have a couple of questions about things I've run into in the first three chapters. Thanks for any info.
What did it mean when it mentioned that Bobby Owen only had a pass degree from Oxford?
They are always mentioning houses which are identified by names. Is that still popular today? I see it in lots of mysteries so I'm just wondering if that is still a practice in the UK?

Betsy, I believe a pass or ordinary degree at Oxford means he completed his degree, but didn't reach the standard to "take honours". So he wasn't awarded a degree graded between first and third class, which most students would get.

Houses in the UK tend to be identified by just their names if they are in an area where the road doesn't have numbers. This is often the case in the countryside where for instance there is a cottage with no immediate neighbours. There are still many houses known just by their names and some with both a name and a number. Hope this helps. :)

A degree may be awarded with or without honours, with the class of an honours degree usually based on a weighted average mark of the assessed work a candidate has completed. The degree classifications are:

First-class honours (1st)
Second-class honours, upper division (2:1)
Second-class honours, lower division (2:2)
Third-class honours (3rd)
Ordinary degree (pass)

and yes in the UK a lot of houses in older villages may only have a name

Thanks so much Judy and Hillary. I appreciate the info. I love that idea of naming houses and I can understand that it would be much more useful in areas where the streets aren't numbered.

I've finished 3 chapters so I feel like I can start contributing.

I'm just over halfway through now and really enjoying it - I love the wit of Punshon's writing style. There are quite a few very witty lines which have made me laugh!

For instance "He had some slight talent for drawing, though of course this sign of individuality had been severely repressed at the public school he had attended." (Public schools being upper-crust private schools in the UK!)

I'm also amused by Mitchell and the growing relationship between him and Bobby - I have the impression that Bobby, with the expensive school and Oxford background, is a posh boy, or an "English gentleman" as he sarcastically refers to himself, while Mitchell is possibly less so and clearly didn't go to university... but he is the boss and doesn't let Bobby forget it!

I also liked Mitchell saying "I promised my old woman a show tonight, only I wanted something jolly with lots of legs and music and she wanted Shakespeare, so we've decided to compromise on Hamlet"!

There are quite a few quotes I'd like to keep and savour.

Mitchell is a very interesting character, and it is amazing how he keeps appearing and reappearing and repeats, "bears checking on" all the time. So often the superior officers are not terribly likable, but Mitchell is a pearl beyond price.

Yes, he's great, isn't he? I've finished now and loved the book overall, especially the characters of Bobby and Mitchell. Will definitely go on to read more in the series!

I read this last week and enjoyed seeing a police investigation from the point of view of a young constable rather than from that of the lead detective.

I finally finished this. Enjoyable. I liked Bobby and Mitchell. Look forward to reading more in the series (because I defitely have more on my Kindle).

Letter is kind of an awkward device.