Mini Reviews - XXIX (Susan Carroll)

Brighton Road

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Despite the common basic theme - the reticent, brooding hero meets plain, irrepressible heroine - it turned out to be a truly hilarious, entertaining book. The heroine is an imaginative, day-dreaming author of gothic novels, and the hero is a stiff and upright baron (so correct that he has been nicknamed "Sobersides"). And therefore, they inevitably make an incongruous pair that ends up in one scrape after another. There are no mean relatives, no repulsive villains, but a cast of quirky and endearing characters, from hero's elderly valet to heroine's eccentric family and her mischievous dog.

The sequence of events, the way heroine manages to annoy the hero (intentionally and unintentionally), as well as the writing, was full of humor and left me laughing out at several points. This was my first book by this author, and I definitely look forward to reading more.

The Wooing of Miss Masters

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very enjoyable book, with several amusing moments, some of which actually had me laughing out loud. I liked that the characters are a little different from usual. The hero is not quite handsome with charming manners, but a little awkward, gruff giant. The heroine is a financially independent woman, a bookish introvert. Their first encounter is described in an entertaining manner, and their verbal and not-verbal dueling is hilarious. The way their relationship grows through their sparring is fun.

I have two quibbles about the story - The heroine behaves like a doormat, pandering to the whims of her younger sister, who is utterly selfish until the end when she does stand up for her. The responsibility is well in its place, but I don't like heroines whose kindness of nature manifests in bending over backwards for insensitive family. The character of uncle Matthew is brought in only for one purpose - to escort them to the ball, with no explanation of the previous history (why the quarrel with the aunt) and no conclusion to the arc (what happens with him afterwards).

The Bishop's Daughter

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It was tedious ... Can't believe its written by the same author whose two books I read earlier were a laugh riot. Didn't enjoy the writing style - lengthy inner monologues and descriptions were boring. The heroine is so stiff, going on an on about bishop's daughter and duty. I cannot stand such stupidity - she chooses to suppress her own feelings and ignore the hero's kindness - just because papa would have disapproved. The hero was really wonderful, charming and witty, and his amusing puns and dialogs made this bearable.

The Sugar Rose

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The book had its moments - the banter between the MC in the beginning, and some quips (sparsely scattered though) by the heroine throughout were really amusing. However, on the whole, it was predictable and problematic, and the underlying theme is more like a modern movie than a RR.

The first problem is The Ugly Duckling transformation - in the regency era, it is unbelievable that a man who is not a relative takes charge of the lady's transformation - diet (which in itself was an unhealthy extreme), clothes and appearance. The trouble here is the emphasis that one needs to be thin and very well groomed to be appreciated/loved.

The other problem is the heroine's attitude towards his original fiance, Justin, who is terribly selfish and insensitive. But the heroine never seems to realize this - despite the fact that he fails to turn up for his own engagement party, abandons her for months, does not even recognize her upon her Transformation, and only takes pride in showing her off once her appearance becomes dazzling. She should have ditched him with or without Everard, in no uncertain terms. She should have trusted her godmother rather than believing the evil scheming Suzy. But no, heroines have to be beautiful fools.

Mini Reviews - XXVIII (Mary Balogh)

The Temporary Wife

- Mary Balogh

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a typical MoC tale, full of common tropes of the genre, and yet I enjoyed it. The heroine is one of the stock characters of the genre - impoverished gentlewoman burdened with the care of her siblings, loving and generous. She not only more than overcomes the bias her husband's family has against her, but also mends his own relationship with each of them. Such a perfect heroine usually annoys me, but not here. The hero is also a typical character - a serious man with a troubled history, bearing the burden of suppressed feelings for a very long time. In a way, his emotional growth is the primary theme of the book.

I found the story heart-warming and even somewhat amusing. It is a story about emotions, family, perceptions and misunderstandings that can damage lives and relationships. And also about warmth and redemption. I liked it for some interesting complexities of human relationships it explores.
I understand that this short a book does not have the luxury to dwell too much on one particular aspect, but the issues between the hero and each one of his family members were resolved very quickly - essentially, years of resentment was addressed by just thrown them together once to talk. One thing that annoys me about these stories is the extremely foolish way the supposedly intelligent heroines behave towards the end - why else, after all is said and done, would the heroine just leave without speaking to the hero. It is, as if the authors are compelled to throw in a little misunderstanding, however unnecessary, to make it worthwhile for the readers to see them united at the end. It's my view that instead of that lost-and-found scene at the end, the page count would have been better used to repair the feelings between the family (which was somewhat rushed).

Lord Carew's Bride

  - Mary Balogh

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It started off well, with the heroine mistaking the identity of the hero, and liking him for himself. There is a wonderful warmth in the gradual development of their relationship, each of them finding an enjoyable companionship with the other. I liked the heroine's family and friends, and the relationship they have.

What I really didn't like was the portrayal of the villain of the piece. This is the second of Mary Balogh's novels with this same theme - where an utterly detestable man rejects the heroine, and years later, when she is in a happy relationship, starts stalking her. The heroine, on her part, becomes ambiguous about her feelings about this man, who she knows to be evil. Apart from the repetition, what troubles me is this "hate masks love" thread.

I am not fond of the "big misunderstanding" trope, but the way the lead pair allow the villain to mess up their lives is stupid to the core. They both know that he is mean and evil, yet they believe his lies, particularly the hero, forgetting that he is completely untrustworthy. A most troublesome aspect of this genre is the typical portrayal of masculine strength - here, the hero, who was shown as a kind and understanding man, suddenly turns rigidly authoritative and asserts his power to hurt his wife. He eventually realizes his mistakes and avenges her, but IMHO, he does not make a sufficient apology to her. Instead, she is the one who apologizes and makes the first approach towards reconciliation.

Mary Balogh's writing style involves long inner monologues of the MC, but I tend to find them boring after a point. Further, in this book (or I didn't notice it earlier), the author has inclined to too much repetition - by projecting the same events through two perspectives, or adding several phrases with repeating words for emphasis. There is also an excess of interjected qualifying phrases. More than the story, her style has put me off and I would not read more of her works any time soon.

Mini Reviews - XXVI (Joan Smith)

 Winter Wedding

  - Joan Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book had a nice premise. I liked Clara for her spunk and humor, and that even in the situation where she was left dependent on others, she managed to carve out a life of some independence. She visits only those of her friends and relatives who need her help, and never for long - it deprived her from settling roots, but also prevented her from becoming an unwelcome burden to anyone. I liked Ben for his obvious charm and even more for his feeling towards Clara, but his actions regarding his ward Nel left much to be desired. In the times when direct means of communication were not available to them, it was sad to see their drawn out longing for each other, but the efforts made by Ben were heartwarming.

It is a gentle, sweet story but marred by the antics of Nel - she is a truly selfish and spoiled girl. Her recent tragedy is not sufficient excuse for her behavior, particularly the disruption of someone else's wedding as an uninvited guest. Ben's indulgence of her rudeness is even less acceptable (not to mention his blaming others for inconveniencing her rather than reprimanding her). I understand that cast in the role of OW she provides a required tension in the story, but the space devoted to her over-the-top tantrums is too much to be enjoyable and becomes rather jarring.

Valerie

  - Joan Smith
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

It is difficult to believe this is written by the author of 'Imprudent Lady' or 'Talk of the Town'. Although the publication date of Valerie is later than these (and some other ones I really enjoyed), it felt like a very early attempt by the author. There were moments of wit, but they were sparse and few. The writing style was very immature - very short, trivial sentences, that were somehow made worse by first person narrative. The modern terms and sensibilities peeped out time to time, jarring with the time period it is set in.

Of the characters, the hero was quite good, even though something of a cardboard cut out of a RR ideal. The heroine, on the other hand, was quite foolish (She kept on wavering from one suspect to other and back, and spilling the beans to whoever she trusted at the moment. In a real mystery novel, that cuts one's life shorter immediately). I skipped a lot in the second half, just to see it end and confirm my suspicions.

Mini Reviews - XXVII (Mary Balogh)

Lady with a Black Umbrella

  - Mary Balogh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The premise of the book is not new - two sisters come from countryside to London intending to make a 'brilliant match' for one (and sometimes both) of them. In fact, I have recently read two others with the exact same theme. But they usually end up with a number of comedic situations, and therefore provide good entertainment.

It starts off quite well - the initial scene, with the eponymous umbrella, is hilarious. The heroine, with her indomitable spirit, keeps landing into scrapes and bringing the hero in with her. However, I felt her outpouring became progressively shrill, and her actions more stupid than naive. Her repeated assertions regarding the undesirability of her spinster status (by men, particularly the hero) became annoying. The hero was also more irritating than the kind soul or misunderstood gentleman that usually feature in these stories. So, given the theme and what I heard about the author, I expected it to be much better than in turned out to be.

A Certain Magic

  - Mary Balogh
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The book started off well, with a lifelong friendship between the MC and their banter. Their banter continues intermittently through the rest of the book and I enjoyed it. But I didn't like the rest of the plot. No spoilers, as its quite outlined in the blurb - they have been in love with each other forever. I find that less palatable than if they had grown to love each other, because it gives a tinge of unfaithfulness even if they believed and behaved with loyalty while their spouses were alive. Their restraint in confessing their feelings to each other is foolish but pardonable, but the hero is a big idiot for falling into a trap that he himself senses and everyone else knows, and even more so for continuing the farce after certain truths are brought home to him. Moreover, he comes across as a weakling, failing to stand up for anything he believes in.

Though I have been enjoying the genre, especially the ones with subtle, charming novel and witty banter, certain patterns of deep prejudice that keep recurring (with different authors), troubles me. One of the most prominent of these is the portrayal of the non-titled people - they are referred to as 'not gentleman', 'not genteel', or most degradingly, 'cit', and they are most often characterized as vulgar, scheming, dishonorable or immoral.

Mini Reviews - XXV (Joan smith)

Talk of the Town

  -  Joan Smith
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

The first half of the book is wonderful - one of the best repartee and a thoroughly entertaining battle of wits between the MC. I enjoyed that the hero kept ending up meeting the heroine and bested by her, despite his determination not to do so.

The heroine's character is a bit inconsistent - a young, inexperienced, country lady, moving with so much poise and confidence in the London society does not make sense. It would have been better of the author could had defined her personality in a manner that made her interactions with the top elite more believable (fun as they were!).

The second half lets the book down. The characterization of the aunt, Effie - she is supposed to be smart, but her actions contradict this - she lets people take advantage of her so much that she falls from affluence into abject poverty, she refuses to see that her "friends" are self-serving parasites, and also gets back with her unfaithful ex who continues to be a jerk. In the latter part of the book, the heroine starts behaving in an increasingly annoying manner, and the hero makes stupid mistakes, leading to a totally unnecessary misunderstanding (my least-liked trope).

In all, the premise was entertaining, but the characterization was lacking.

Lady Hathaway's House Party

  - Joan Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was not as amusing as I expected it to be - I was looking for more banter between the MC, even if it was to be a trading of insults. But it rather turned out to be domestic fights, more or less one-sided (justified as it was - I sympathized with the heroine). It was redeemed by the efforts of the hero, who made genuine attempts to understand and rectify his mistakes. There was humor in the writing though, which I enjoyed.

However, a lot of entertainment was derived from the antics of two completely inappropriate characters, which didn't work for me. I especially wonder at the characters like Lady Dempster - whose inclination to gossip goes so far as to almost manufacture it, regardless of the cost to the people involved, and who don't even shy away from barging into personal and private conversations. I suppose its a caricature, but still wonder whether the etiquette in that society went so far as to not even insult such people.

Mini Reviews - XXIV (Joan Smith)

Aunt Sophie's Diamonds

- Joan Smith

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fun romp, an entertaining farce of a plot and a good deal of humor. It has a likeable MC and a secondary pair, and a wide array of other characters. I really liked the characterization of the heroine, who showed wit and intelligence not expected by others. Aunt Sophie of the title comes across as delightfully eccentric. The standard "mean relative" is played by the heroine's mother, and her selfish and stupid behavior was one of the deterrents to the enjoyment of the book - despite knowing that this is an over-the-top farce, such behavior manages to annoy me. This was my first book by the author, and encouraged me to look out for more of her work.

Imprudent Lady

  - Joan Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has one of the wittiest banters I have read, and I have read quite a few RR books that involve witty exchanges between the MC. Moreover, the banter in this book is neither a battle of wits nor a trading of insults, just a delightful conversation between two like minds. It had me laughing out quite a bit, so that the family asked me a few times to share the funny things!

The hero and the heroine are so very likeable from the start (and well suited to each other, as we readers know ;-)), and I was really amused by his subtle flirtation. It does not even have any real villains, only the heroine's uncle who is somewhat oblivious to everything except his own purpose but is kind enough to her.

The unnecessary, avoidable misunderstanding before the HEA can be achieved, is a plot device that I don't care for, even though it is a fairly standard trope in the genre. That part of the book prevented it from being an almost 5-star read to me. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot, and encouraged to explore more works by this author.

Escapade

  - Joan Smith

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The heroine is an anonymous columnist of society, and depends on the help of her mother and aunt to 'cover all the bases'. I am not interested in celebrity gossip myself, but I don't dislike this as a premise of the novel. However, the big disconnect is the unerringly stupid way she acts, for all her intelligence we are told about - first she takes it upon himself to pull down the hero without any real insight into his character, and then she prints an unverified gossip from an unreliable source without a single thought. Her seeming to thrive upon gossip undermines both her intelligence and her likeability.

Another negative was the characterization of the potential matches for the hero - all three of them are single-dimensional stereotypes of society ladies the heroes of the genre despise. Typically, the books will have one of these in the role of the ow, but all these in the same party with the single objective of forcing the hero's hand is quite over-the-top. Which brings me to another grouse with the genre - why don't these heroes simply make their stand clear instead of being cornered into situations they despise.

Despite these drawbacks, it was fairly entertaining, with some witty dialogs and amusing incidents - which is what saved this book. And the hero is quite a honorable and sensitive gentleman, with a wonderful sense of humor making the readers root for him.

The Tenacious Miss Tamerlane

The Tenacious Miss Tamerlane

- Kasey Michaels

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It could have been entertaining, but the uppermost impression it created was that it tried too hard. The author picked some of the common plot elements of the genre, specially from Heyer, included ALL of them, and attempted to do it one better. So, the result is a book that comes across as labored on all fronts.

The prose is purported to be witty but often felt tedious, with many qualifying phrases and parenthesized clarifications (seriously, who thinks in brackets? ;-)) The banter between the MC is amusing in general, but there were quite a few points where I didn't see a reason for their "breaking out into laughter". The regency ladies are not expected to use slang (or "cant") in their speech, so the spunky ones throw a word here, a phrase there. In what looks like one-upmanship, the author has Tansy deliver two whole paragraphs of dialog exclusively in cant.

I love spunky, sassy RR heroines (I read the genre for the humor rather than romance), but Tansy started looking shrill and ill-mannered as the story progressed. Not considering that she is currently the duke's dependent, even as a guest her attitude towards her host isn't commendable - battle of wits with Ashley had her insulting him frequently (generally without reason) and calling names to his sister (with just cause). The hero was nice but not interesting, and the romance seems artificial. There are several quirky characters, but even they stopped being amusing after several repeat performances.

It appears as if the author created a checklist of the amusing elements of RR novels, and proceeded to include an instance of each and make it better than it has been done before.
- Heroine needed: impoverished, sharp-witted, unladylike - can't dance or sew, can ride and shoot, will speak in stable or boxing cant
- needs to shatter hero's ordered routine - fire the housekeeper within a couple of days upon arrival
- rescue a stray in an outrageous manner - don't stop or merely jump from carriage, manage to rip your dress and then wade through the lake, in full public view
- save her reputation - fool the public with help from no less persona than Beau Brummell
- Hero needed: clueless, prone to fall in love with argumentative cousin - will "kiss ruthlessly" every now and then, blow hot and cold, make an idiotic proposal without professing love, will tolerate impudence from everyone
- a beautiful 'airhead' - Emily, sister of duke, will not understand any jokes, will elope not once but twice
- quirky characters - superstitious valet, quote-speaking aunt, managing grandmother, unpredictable dog, irrational villain. Self-centered relative is missing, but we do have the thoughtless sister.

Mini Reviews - XXIII

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall

- Julie Klassen

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I found it too long and boring. It seems to go over same ground repeatedly, and take much time doing that. The auxiliary plots also take a lot of space, and some of them didn't make much sense. There is a lot of drama and contrivance, but no humor.

I didn't quite like the heroine, even though she is reformed very soon. The hero seems to be a sincere person, but I do not see that she gives him any reason to move beyond his earlier infatuation and disappointment. In fact, I hardly liked any of the characters, except perhaps Hudson.

An Accomplished Woman

  - Jude Morgan

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It had its moments of wit and humor, but overall it was too long and winding. The author may be commended for a writing style inspired by Jane Austen, but terribly long sentences with many clauses made me either read them a few times to make sense, or skip them altogether. The pseudo-philosophical pondering and prosy bouts of sensible advice from one character to another, bored me. I felt that the author was trying too hard.

The story was nice by itself, though predictable as expected, but the humor was scattered sparsely. I would have enjoyed it far better if the prose was more comprehensible in places, and the length was under 300 pages.

The Village Spinster

  - Laura Matthews

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was perhaps nice enough, but I didn't find anything remarkable about out it. It was quite a run-of-the-mill story, with neither humor nor much of conflict to make it interesting. The only conflict was provided by a cheerful second cousin of the heroine (whose presence the very 'proper' hero found objectionable), who turns out to not just be married but expecting a baby! I didn't warm up to the hero - he was well meaning, but not really sympathetic to people, and worse, did not realize it until the end. Development of his affection for the heroine was not well done - it seemed sudden and without much cause, except perhaps guilt. Later on, their one fleeting contact in the past was much focused on, but it seems to be to small a thing to have so much of impact after so many years; it also contradicts the heroine's initial lament that he had never noticed her.
Overall, a very average writing and forgettable story.

Lady Elizabeth's Comet

  - Sheila Simonson

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This book was more enjoyable than entertaining, and I really liked this story of two sensible people who come to regard each other deeply. This is a gentle story about family and complex feelings, and the understated romance with touch of humor is delightful.

I liked the independently minded heroine, who is more inclined towards science than social conventions. Her passion towards her interest, and her intelligence is admirable, though her conviction that her scientific pursuit is unnatural in a woman, is jarring to the modern thought. The hero is simply wonderful - honorable, intelligent, sensitive and kind, and with a sense of humor. His strength lies not in subduing others but in exerting himself. Dark, brooding, glaring heroes may be all the rage, but something is to be said about a gentle soul who respects and encourages his lady's talent and takes the trouble to befriend her gauche teenage sisters. The cast of secondary characters is wonderful too, and gets ample focus.

The first person narrative was a bit lacking in style at times, but worked well to provide emotional depth. There are some instances of telling-and-not-showing, e.g. at a point the heroine states that she and Clanross indulge in verbal sparring whenever they meet, but I did not see much of sparring matches prior to this and some amusing exchanges later on.

Mini Reviews - XXII (Carla Kelly)

Miss Grimsley's Oxford Career

  - Carla Kelly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my first book by the author, and it enchanted me. There are many things that I liked about it.

In a way this is one of the rare RRs, in having a heroine who is just not independent-minded, but also an intellectual. At the core of the story is her love for learning, in a period where education of women was decidedly frowned upon. I loved the hero, also in a different mold than usual - an eminent scholar - squeezing out a last year of studies before duty beckons. I appreciated that he encouraged the heroine in her pursuit of knowledge and admired her for her spunk as well as intellect. His courtship is sweet and unique, progressing from a friendship based on their mutual interest. One of the most wonderful aspects of the story is the heroine's growth as a person, learning a good deal about love and life.It has the usual mix bag of characters. Other than the lead pair, who are both adorable, there is her aunt, who is spirited and highly supportive. We have a toad-eating parent in her father, and a tyrannical fool in the schoolmistress. A terribly selfish relative is one of the stock characters of the genre, and here the role is played by the heroine's brother, though he redeems himself in the end.

I liked the subtle and amusing banter between the couple, and their time stolen together made possible by the unique situation. However, I did not care for the PDA in the college square at the end, which was completely uncharacteristic and unnecessary. It was lovely and enjoyable, though quite improbable (but are any romances ever believable? :D) .

Reforming Lord Ragsdale

  - Carla Kelly

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a moving story, with more substance than the usual, fluffy RRs. The hero and the heroine, both have a deeply troubled past - something of greater significance than a broken heart. I really liked the characters, and the slow development of their relationship - from trust to respect, friendship and more. Emma's character is created particularly well - strong, resourceful and intelligent - though I think making her a bit older would have been more credible. Lord Ragsdale, wasting away his life as he is, is kind and honorable, and impressed me as being more than the standard reformed rake.

The author makes the story realistic by including a glimpse of the historic event of the war, and not tying up everything neat and tidy at the end. Yet, there are some aspects that are truly unrealistic - Emma's cheerful character despite all she suffered and her sophisticated learning despite the young age she had to leave her home. The overnight cure of Ragsdale's alcoholism by simply withdrawing his supply of liquor is too optimistic (whatever about the thing called withdrawal symptoms?). Sadly, the author fell into the trap of a last-minute, filmy conclusion. I definitely prefer happy endings, but they shouldn't be so uncharacteristic and dramatic.

Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand

  - Carla Kelly

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

This wasn't much fun, and I didn't like it as much as the two books I read by this author before this. It's perhaps a cute and cozy enough romance, but that is not what was looking for. so, despite being heart warming, it left me a bit disappointed. Low on humor, rather saccharine, predictably predictable. The language and the interactions felt too modern for the era at many places.

The Lady's Companion

  - Carla Kelly

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was very different from a traditional regency - the hero is neither a peer, nor rich, nor English (he is Welsh). The setting is rural, with farm-work consuming his time and energy. The usual balls and morning visits and other pastimes of aristocracy have no place here. The instant attraction between the lead pair is not something that I digest easily, but their banter is fun.
We get glimpses into the Napoleanic wars, including some battlefield action - I found that interesting. There is also more than the usual lovemaking, and more intimate in nature, which I didn't quite care for.
It gives a significant focus to emotions and relationships, and I like that most of the characters are nice and sympathetic, and care for others. The heroine's family is cruel and despicable, but for the most part we are treated to human kindness, and the end was particularly moving.

Mini Reviews - XXI (Barbara Metzger)

An Affair of Interest

- Barbara Metzger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is perhaps one of the most entertaining story of this genre that I have come across so far. It uses several many of the usual tropes, but the sum total is absolutely hilarious. We have a young, intelligent and spunky heroine - spirited enough to devise outlandish (at least for the times!) schemes, and innocent enough to keep falling into scrapes. Then we have a stiff and sensible hero, who always ends up rescuing her. And add to the mix, a bunch of most comical villains. So what you end up with is a series of madcap adventures! The writing is very amusing, though by the end of this, the third book I read by this author, it kind of feels forced. The plot is a big hoot, and I found myself laughing out several times.

My first exposure to regency romance was through Georgette Heyer, and have only recently started exploring other authors. I am not sure if Heyer's interpretation of the language and mannerisms of the period are most authentic, but in comparison, the tone and and style of Metzger feels much more modern.

Where I certainly appreciate Metzger more is, that her heroines are much more enterprising. Sydney here shares some similarity with 'The Grand Sophy' and 'Frederica'. Like Frederica, she wants her sister to have a London season, but instead of appealing to a rich, distant relative, she tries to raise funds on her own. Like Sophy, she keeps on creating elaborate, outrageous schemes. Sophy is confident, worldy-wise, and backed by her father's support and resources, and most of her plans are prompted by doing what she believes is best for other people (meddling indeed). Whereas Sydney had nothing going for her, and all her ideas are prompted by a desire to support her family. So, I definitely find Sidney most creditable of all.

Lady Whilton's Wedding

- Barbara Metzger

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an entertaining comedy of errors - with the body of a despised uncle disappearing and reappearing, a couple of terribly inept thieves, and chaos reigning in the wedding of the lead couple's parents.

The plot is as contrived as can be, but the situational comedy and the witty dialogs make it a good fun read. I liked the heroine, sensible yet a little naive, but the hero is a bit of a jerk. Rest of the cast is quite engaging, including the bumbling villains. I would have preferred it if the hero's character had rectified his ways after his first error, but I suppose it would have been a blow to the situation created in the story.

Another downside to the book was the long time spent on relating the back story, done in an intrepid manner with only occasional witticism to break the monotony. It was about 30% mark when any events of interest take place.

A Worthy Wife

  - Barbara Metzger

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was glad to find in Barbara Metzger another regency author I like, but very soon her work has become a hit-or-miss with me.

The start of this novel is a bit strange, but not inconceivable for a regency novel - Kenyon, an earl marries a commoner Aurora in order to save her reputation. The rest of the plot consists of a sequence of predicaments that Aurora handles with great ease. She looks such an epitome of sense and perfection, that I couldn't assimilate that she landed in the trouble that she did at the beginning. Kenyon's character didn't endear himself to me, starting from his behavior towards Aurora on their wedding night. He later keeps distrusting her yet wanting her, and his laments to himself become intrepid. Eventually, there are reasons for him to appreciate Aurora, but I see no reason why she should place such confidence in his ability to settle everything.

The suspense that was, was evident since the question first arose. There are not very explicit scenes, but more sensuality that usual, or at least my expectation. There were some amusing antics, but overall I didn't much like the characters or the plot.


An Enchanted Affair

  - Barbara Metzger

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I did not like this much, particularly because there was too much of abuse (not graphic) at the hands of greedy relatives. RR as a genre have some very standard tropes, and this one employed two of my least favorite - MoC and MisUnderstanding (I feel MU has to be the most idiotic things; just a little bit of communication, even in the times of that high degree of formality should have easily avoided it).
I found it quite average, with run-of-the-mill plot and no humor to redeem it.

Mini Reviews - XX (Barbara Metzger)

Miss Lockharte's Letters

- Barbara Metzger

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

After going through nearly all the Heyer novels, and some of them twice, over last couple of years, I was looking for some authors who wrote in the similar vein - set in regency era, light/chaste romance, and lot of wit and humor. This one had been popping up on GR in a few "readers also liked ..." automated recos, had a very interesting theme or at least the start, and had highly favorable reviews.

I wasn't disappointed at all, and quite enjoyed it. The writing style is engaging - full of humor and wit, even when the heroine describes or ponders over her miseries, and the plot is a fantastic sequence of adventures and misadventures and hilarious situations. In short, a complete entertainer.

It seems to be set in the same time frame as Heyer novels, But my mind, more attuned to the flowery and formal language of Heyer, found the language and style more modern comparatively. I have, of course, no idea which one is more authentic to the time.

 Miss Treadwell's Talent

- Barbara Metzger

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

For most of the book, there is a flow of witty and sarcastic exchange of dialogues between the lead pair, which is what I was looking for. I enjoyed the banter, and thought it was going on well, until the end, where it became full of fantastic coincidences, supernatural intervention, and inexplicable tidy closures.

I would have preferred to see a greater role of Maylene's well-advertised talents in solving the mysteries than the supernatural guidance from the seances held by her mother. We hear a lot about her abilities, but see little in actual action, and even less done without the hero's assistance. I could not warm up to the hero - Hyatt keeps insulting Maylene throughout. He may be excused for his cynism, but not for failing to apologizing to her even when his presumptions are proven false.

In order to provide a cut-and-dried solution for the heroine's happily-ever-after, one innocent girl is deplorably forced to marry her lecherous cousin, Lady Crowley marries Shimpson for no reason we could see, and Lady Tremont is paired off with the duke unnecessarily (not to say weird!).

A highly unsatisfactory conclusion, for which i subtracted a point from the rating.

A Loyal Companion

 - Barbara Metzger

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

This is a simple romance, though with over-the-top action, and sometimes language, for a regency. In most regency novels of my experience, duchesses don't spout curses, and evil lords fall just short of kidnapping a high-born girl (commoners are fair game for them, with no-one raising an eyebrow).

The plot is typical - a headstrong but kind and thoughtful girl falls instantly in love with a wronged but charismatic hero (not to say titled and rich); and an impoverished nobleman (who is not really noble in his actions) wants to marry the girl for her money to pay his debts. The heroine is just too sweet and perfect, and manages to solve all of the hero's problems. And he, in turn, turns a knight in shining armor or rather a major in dress uniform, and rescues her from the nefarious villain.

What raises it above the par is the dog, who is the narrator of the book. Each chapter starts with his voice, sometimes philosophical thoughts but often sarcastic observations of the human society. What would have been a run-of-the-mill sugary romance otherwise, is lifted to a quirky adventure by this loyal companion.

Year of Wonders

 Year of Wonders

  - Geraldine Brooks

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Prior to this, there was one book I had read by the author - People of the Book. I absolutely loved it (except for one side thread) and was really impressed with the way she narrated the story of the Sarajevo Haggadah. So, I wanted to read more of her works and settled on Year of Wonders.

Given the subject matter - an outbreak of plague in the 17th century - I was prepared to read a depressing story. It is indeed bleak, yet the storytelling is so superb and the prose so evocative, that I couldn't put it down. This book is based on the true story of an English village Eyam, whose inhabitants quarantined themselves to contain the outbreak while undergoing dreadful suffering. The author has researched the known historical facts very well and woven them into a rich narrative with vivid details. Through the first-person narrative by Anna Frith, a housemaid at the village rectory, we see the disruption of the peaceful (I assume) existence by the first plague death, the slow understanding of what they were facing, superstition and collapse of faith, the terrible and heart-breaking casualties until the contagion finally fades out. We see the rector Mompellion guiding the villagers and trying to hold up their spirits through this unprecedented ordeal, supporting them beyond the point of exhaustion. We see his wife, Elinor, assisted by Anna, trying to provide as much nursing care and comfort as she can to the villagers in their unbearable grief, without the benefit of medical knowledge or supplies.

On the downside, the language and the sensibility come across as too modern. Elinor and Anna come across as highly intellectual and feminist - which one could accept in the educated high-class lady, but seeing it in an uneducated village girl with a vulgar family background stretches the imagination too hard. I was a little troubled by repeated, graphic details of the manifestations of the disease. Pain and fear can drive people to madness, but some of the cruel actions arising out of it really disturbed me. I mean, it is all believable but disturbing nevertheless.

But what quite destroyed the great story was the end.  

 

*** SPOILERS ***

The terrible mania of Anna's stepmother Aphra in all its gory detail was repulsive, and her killing of Elinor was unnecessarily dramatic. Anna, who had never seen anywhere beyond the village, traveling alone to Egypt (I think it was) and becoming the wife of a most respected doctor was uncharacteristic. However, the worst was the revelation of the rector's true nature - he, who had been the personification of calm and compassion, the voice of reason, turns out to be a misogynist and fanatic. Yes, that killed the book for me, a grudging 3-star instead of the 5-star it could have been.

Mini Reviews - XIX

A Countess Below Stairs

  - Eva Ibbotson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have heard a lot about Eva Ibbotson’s books for children, but I haven’t read them yet. In my current regency binge phase, I came across this and based on the recommendations, it seemed to be a good one. However, it left me very disappointed.

The plot is entirely predictable at every stage. The main character (the countess of the title) is a Mary Sue (a new phrase I have learnt!) type, annoyingly perfect. Anna and Muriel are both completely one-dimensional - Anna is kind to and loved by everyone, whereas Muriel is despotic and cruel to one an all, and this includes not just the adults, but a kid and a dog. For each and every person, their respective behaviors are constantly set in contrast, and I don’t think a reader needs so many reminders to understand how evil a person Muriel is. The hero, Rupert, doesn't have much to do in the book, except play a martyr to his commitment. He is willing to sacrifice everyone's life because, you know, he gave his word to Muriel. However, he also gave a promise to little Ollie, which he can't be bothered to keep - utterly despicable character, who has to be rescued by others by devious means.

It seems to include nearly all of the tropes of the genre, including the heroine being high nobility and a misunderstanding separating the lead pair. It is also too verbose, and I skipped pages of examples or illustration to make the same point.

Lord Sidley's Last Season

  - Sherry Lynn Ferguson

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I chanced upon this book, while trying to find clean regency romance with humor, besides Heyer. It certainly fulfilled my expectations, and perhaps more.

I loved that the heroine is not just an independent, sensible girl, but also a talented artist. She does aspire for love and family, but her art is a passion which she does not want to give up. This is a kind of aspiration I haven't come across in my limited view of regency era heroines. The hero is titled, wealthy and handsome (as in all the stories in this genre!), but also considerate, and he respects the lady's talent enough to promote it whether or not he is able to win her.

The witty exchanges between the couple is usually amusing, but their conversation is engaging otherwise also. However, I don't care for fall-in-love-at-first-glance, which is the case in most of such stories. Also, the resolution of conflicts was a little too tidy, even though that is what I expected in case of the heroine. Overall, an entertaining, breezy read.

The Honorable Marksley

  - Sherry Lynn Ferguson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I must say I have a thing about regency heroines who are sensitive, intelligent and witty, and heroes who are kind and honorable and have a sense of humor. I enjoyed the gradually developing trust and fondness between the leads, the subtle humor and interesting conversation, and the underlying poetry.

The misunderstanding - a quintessential trope of the romance genre - annoyed me as usual, but I found it more forgivable in this case. The premise was unrealistic - a near infatuation with the anonymous poet, so much so that the hero wanted to shut down the magazine because he felt that 'his' poet had betrayed him.

I really liked both the books I have read by this author, and it's sad that she has written so little.

Mini Reviews - XVIII (Georgette Heyer)

April Lady

  - Georgette Heyer

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The romantic plot is based on misunderstanding between a couple, a usual trope in romance novels. The misunderstanding is not particularly interesting, at least in the current times, yet better than another of her novels (The Nonesuch), where it was just plain stupid. The heroine is kind-hearted and sensible, but something of a doormat who allows everyone to walk over her. The hero is foolish, and I disliked him for not apologizing enough to his wife for his unjust and harsh remarks, and also for not chastising his sister for causing his wife so much trouble and pain. The entire plot is a big farce, but there is not much of humor, which is what I like best in Heyer novels. 

 

Why Shoot a Butler?

- Georgette Heyer

 My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Having binged on Heyer's regency books for last two years, most of which I enjoyed for their wit and humor, I wanted to give her mystery novels a try. The title and the blurb of this sounded interesting, something in the style of Christie's Poriot.

This didn't have much of humor, not even in dialogues, unless you count the sarcastic remarks of the Hero to all and sundry, specially the heroine. Then, it was quite predictable - the heroine's secret, the villain's identity, and the reason for murder(s) are evident quite early. The long chase sequence at the end, and the last-minute rescue was very theatrical, and jaded - I've read much better action sequences written in the same era. And finally, the lengthy, winding explanation of the entire plot bored me so much that I skipped most of it, just scanning to confirm what I suspected.

Okay, if you are a die-hard Heyer fan and enjoy very light mysteries. Avoid, if you are into intelligent murder mysteries or fast-paced thrillers (the non-gruesome kinds, because others are a different game altogether).

Different Class

Different Class

  - Joanne Harris

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I loved everything about 'Gentlemen and Players' - the plot, setting, format, thrill and the battle of wits. This is not really a sequel, though it is set in the same school, and the protagonist is the same elderly teacher, Mr Straitley.

The plot here is also fraught with a great tension, gradually building up as the story progresses. However, it is very dark, with a theme of abuse, sadism and psychopathy running at its core. Due to this, I found it quite disturbing.

I love the way Joanne Harris writes, but the treatment of the plot in here left me dissatisfied, annoyed even. First was deliberate misleading the reader about the identity of the author of the diary - from the reviews and questions I collected that I wasn't the only one to make that mistake. Another one is that ominous buildup - a catastrophic event in the past developing into the current tragedy, but that event is not revealed until the end. I feel both of these have become a part of the pattern, at least in this series of work.

Several questions were left unanswered, and there was some expectation to find answers to some of them in 'BlueEyedBoy', but even after reading it, I am still perplexed. [Who actually was Mousy and what happened to him? What eventually became of Spikely? What was the motive of Harrington, and that of Winter?]

Mini Reviews - XVII (Georgette Heyer)

The Toll-Gate

  - Georgette Heyer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this for the second time, while on a spree of re-reading the Heyer novels I enjoyed most. This time I revised my review of this from 4 to 3 stars.

I found it rather slow, and skipped paragraphs of mundane and irrelevant details through out the book. The romance was hardly worth the interest, though the plot - a mystery - was different from the other Heyer works I have read. I love the Heyer heroines that are strong characters with a ready wit. But Nell seems to be rather passive and subdued, though we are told that she is very efficiently managing the estate. And the basis of attraction - the larger-than-life size of the lead pair - seems rather ridiculous.

 

 

The Reluctant Widow 

  - Georgette Heyer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Quite a bland offering from GH. I find tiresome the kind of her heroine who is so 'excessively good natured' that she is not disturbed much even when she is aware that she has been manipulated and terribly imposed upon. She is upset for only a moment before dissolving into a smile or giggle. She is 'just the right sort' to agree to schemes and pranks that the least bit of common-sense will counter. And her vocabulary is limited enough to describe most people and events as 'odious' or 'horrible' (I counted 25 of the former and 20 of the latter - thanks to kindle search).

 

Frederica

  - Georgette Heyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have been re-reading some of the Georgette Heyer books I enjoyed the first time, and this is the only book that I loved as much the second time as well.

It is a thoroughly entertaining book, full of humor and witty exchanges, and a cast of many endearing characters who are not such paragons of virtue as to become insipid. Of course there are some dim-witted and repulsive ones, but the novel would be no fun without them! My favorite characters in this, or perhaps the whole of Heyer, are the irrepressible Felix and the irreplaceable Trevor - the former for his unconscious enthusiasm, and the latter for his quiet, sharp efficiency which doesn't preclude subtle humor.

Death of an Expert Witness

Adam Dalgliesh #6: Death of an Expert Witness

  - P.D. James

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is one of the better mysteries so far in the series - with a lot of suspense and tension, inevitable red herrings, and more plausible motives. However, it continues the tradition of the previous books - elements I didn't like - a full cast of unlikable characters, a detestable victim, and a rushed solution derived from intuition rather than reasoning. It deviates in the way the characters are introduced. In earlier books, the setting is introduced first, and then the backstory of the characters is built up through conversation or inner thoughts. Here, the main characters and their stories are introduced first, one after the other, and by the second or third you have a pretty clear idea of who is going to be killed. It also makes the initial 20% of the book rather bland, because it only serves to underline the depravity of the would-be victim.

Even though Dalgliesh's character is more sympathetic in this book than before, and the mystery is good, I am not inclined to continue with this series. I feel it doesn't say much for a mystery series if you cant care about the characters or even the lead. The characters are almost all mean or shallow. As for the hero, I find him inconsistent and unsympathetic, with no endearing personality traits. He may be publishing poetry, but investigating officers are no celebrities and poets are even more obscure, but in this series everyone seems to know of him and his poetic tendencies. There is no continuation of characters, not even a young subordinate or a bungling constable.
Contrast (unfair, I know!) it with the two most famous fictional detectives - despite Poirot's vanity and Holmes's detachment, they are both kind. Even though they may not respect the intelligence of Dr Watson and Captain Hastings, they have a fondness for them. They are not uncivil even to Lestrade and Japp.

The writing is good, but the solution of the mystery leaves much to be desired - critical pieces of evidence are withheld from reader and only brought out at the end, and the logical process of deduction is missing. So, I am leaving it here, and I don't think it will make it to my favorite murder mysteries list.

The Black Tower

Adam Dalgliesh #5: The Black Tower

  - P.D. James

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was quite bland and tedious. The setting and the atmosphere were both bleak, while the character cast was unlikable as ever. Dalgliesh's role is unofficial for a second time. It restricts the investigation a bit, because even though people are willing to talk for the most part, he cannot exercise his authority much. His deductions, as presented to readers, continue to lack the logical process of reasoning based on facts. The revelation of the poison-pen is totally like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, while the murderer's identity and motive are arrived at through a lengthy speculation with a theory.

The build up of the mystery is actually fine, despite the grim setting and the boring details. What pulls it down is the way the solution is presented - pages of conjecture and a gut-feel of antipathy towards the criminal. I think that is why this series has failed to impress me much, even though I like the writing - the solutions is based more on intuition than on logical deduction or pursuit of clues.
I'd have rated it 2.5-3 had the denouement been better.

Shroud for a Nightingale

Adam Dalgliesh #4: Shroud for a Nightingale

  - P.D. James

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

The mystery in this book is more intriguing than the previous books in the series. Yet, it is surprising that I liked this better than the earlier ones, because I did not find much else to like.

The author repeats her formula - a closed setting, a victim much disliked by everyone, and a number of red herrings (obviously, for otherwise it would be difficult to make a novel out of a murder mystery). Further, most of the characters are unpleasant and I didn't care for them, and this includes the detective Dalgliesh. I found him unsympathetic, cold and prejudiced; what makes it worse is the kind of people he has a bias against - sick, disabled, and even plain-looking ones. Dalgliesh, and several others, are quick to judge people based on their looks and demeanor, and are often unaccountably correct. I found his assistant on this case rather repulsive - he is a lazy sycophant, who has a derogatory attitude to women.

The modus operandi of the first murder was fairly straightforward, and I was surprised to see Dalgliesh take so long to figure it out. I had also guessed the identity of the murderer, though not the motive for it, which made me uncertain of my guess. The reason behind the second murder was tangential, and it was perhaps quite unnecessary. (view spoiler)[ The library book, if at all it was be a reasonable cause, could have been returned without the murder, with the same result. (hide spoiler)].

The author continues to withhold crucial information from the readers, at the same time revealing that the detective has obtained or inferred some vital clues (by means of his though process or discussion with the subordinate). And finally, when the mystery is disclosed to the reader, there is no insight into the process of reaching this conclusions. I feel that this is the one big reason no other author is able to match the works of Christie or Doyle - their detectives are quite likeable despite their eccentricities, their is a clear logical process to the solution and it is revealed to the reader at the end.

What I did like about it was the atmosphere and the tension throughout, that kept me on the edge. I like the way the background and nature of the characters is slowly uncovered, through their talks with the detective, or among themselves, though it becomes a bit confusing when their thoughts are related in lengthy paragraphs.

Unnatural Causes

Adam Dalgliesh #3: Unnatural Causes

  - P.D. James

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The third book in the series was a disappointment, specially because I liked the second one a lot, and expected much from the rest of the series.

This is again a closed circle murder mystery, with a limited number of possibilities and everyone under a shadow of suspicion. I think it started well, but became progressively sluggish and somewhat bizarre. I liked the author's patience in building up the atmosphere in previous books, but I began to feel like it was too much of a good thing - lengthy descriptions of surroundings or oblong thoughts of the characters are not holding up my interest any more. I am more interested in people - so I like to read about their back history and how it shapes their personality and motives, as well as the detective's talks and observations with them.

Once again, nearly all the characters were unlikable, and one of them was stereotypical shallow and insensitive. In fact, I couldn't develop a great liking for Dalgliesh's character either. Further, it is not his case; so his unofficial role in the investigation caused the plot to suffer, while his mutual dislike towards the official investigator was unnecessary and uninteresting. And sad to see that the quiet but intelligent Marin is missing.

I had guessed early who committed the murder and how it was carried out, and felt a satisfaction to find that I was at least partly correct. However, the main culprit's identity and the motive was quite unsatisfactory and far-fetched to me. But what is most disappointing (and definitely not a mark of of a good mystery/thriller IMHO) is the way the great reveal is handled. Dalgliesh "knows" the who and how, and explains it to the official police in charge some way from the end, but the readers are privy neither to the information, nor to the process of arriving at it. I positively loathe it when the reader as well as the other characters get the full picture from a confession. In this case it was in the form of a tape, but from a readers' perspective it was several pages too long, and very unrealistic in tone. I don't know if it would sound better on audio, but I definitely didn't enjoy reading it.

A Mind To Murder

Adam Dalgliesh #2: A Mind To Murder

  - P.D. James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After the first book, I was a little surprised to find that this is not reminiscent of Agatha Christie, but has a more modern setting, though still quite a ‘clean’ crime story - something which I sorely miss in contemporary works.

As in the first book, this is a closed room mystery, the victim is not particularly liked, and almost everyone has a motive. But I liked this one better. Firstly, it did not have the dated setting which felt little out of place in the previous book because of an apparent later time-frame it was set in. It was also easier to follow the characters and the story arc. I found the plot and pace tighter, and the motives more logical.

However, a large part of the solution was evident to me by 50% mark, even though it felt that the author later indulged in obscuring the plot with some red herrings, to pull the story. Once again, coincidences play a role, but it was interesting to find that the detective had not arrived at the complete and correct solution :) In a way, this fallibility humanizes him, making him more likeable.

We get to know a little more about Dalgliesh. His subordinate, Martin, is not shown prominently, but I liked whatever we get to see about him. I hoped to see more of him and his camaraderie with the detective, but sadly he doesn't feature in later books.

Cover Her Face

Adam Dalgliesh #1: Cover Her Face

  - P.D. James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I came across a recommendation for this series (on my online reading group, I think) for people who love British crime novels by authors like Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. By now, I have read four books in the series, so l have a more informed thought about the series itself, but I am going to try to limit this review to this book only.

What I liked about this book was the very Christie-like atmosphere it created - complete with a village setting where everyone knows everyone else, an elite family residing in their large home that the family has lived in for generations, their fortunes depleted over time yet their need to keep up appearances surviving, and a public event where critical events take place. Like Christie's novels, it is a closed-room kind of murder mystery with a limited set of suspects and nearly everyone having a motive.

The author takes her time to develop the characters, and you get a deeper insight into their personality gradually over the course of the story. The atmosphere is also developed well, with attention to detail to build up the background as well as a comprehensive picture of the events. I liked the prose, intelligent and infused with a dry wit.

However, I felt there also were several issues with the style as well as the plot. The beginning was very slow and confusing. For the first two days, I fell asleep after reading only a few pages - something that happens rarely to me while reading any book, let alone a murder mystery. In the initial chapters, I had a challenge keeping track of the characters. And later on, there were times when I had to go back and check whose thoughts or dialogue I was reading. Most of the major characters were unlikeable, one of them quite over the top and stereotyped.

In terms of treatment of the mystery, I was disconcerted to find the detective relying often on his intuition rather than logic or facts, particularly to determine whether or not a person was telling the truth. When he presents the final solution of the mystery, he gathers everyone (again like Christie’s Poirot). But unlike Christie, James does not describe the detective’s process of arriving at the solution, but only his conclusion. The root of the puzzle lies in a coincidence, but then even the grand dame has been known to rely on extraordinary circumstances, so one can't really fault the author on this.

Overall it was an enjoyable read and interested me enough to look out for further novels in the series.

BlueEyedBoy

Blueeyedboy

  - Joanne Harris

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have loved almost all the Joanne Harris novels I read (until recently, that is), and "Gentlemen and Players" is among my most favorite novels. Therefore, I felt terrible about hating this one.

While 'Different Class' was written in the form of diary entries, the narration of Blueeyedboy constitutes a series of blog posts. The posts, by the virtue of anonymity provided by the internet, make the distinction between fact and fiction completely fuzzy. But either way, the primary narrator comes across as a psychopath. It is a dark and disturbing tale of anger, fear, abuse, and hate, though there does not seem to be much of a plot for it to revolve around. The timelines were confusing, and it was difficult to make out what was going on. It also has an excess of philosophical musings and psycho-analysis, and I ended up skipping several of these paragraphs.

I find it annoying when an author purposefully misdirects the reader. In "Different Class" Harris misled the reader about the identity of the narrator, revealing it only at about the 60% mark. In 'Blueeyedboy' she deliberately misleads us about the identity of both the narrators, and in an even more underhanded manner. Another device she has employed more than once is to indicate a tragic event and its untold repercussions from the very beginning and continue to build upon it throughout, but reveal the actual event only towards the end. This was used to a worse effect than earlier, and I didn't just stop caring about it, I positively loathed it.

The end is not simply open-ended - we don't get to know who did what, or even if someone did anything. I also expected to find the answers to some of the questions left open in "Different Class" but they were not resolved, at least for me [What had happened to Mousy? And what eventually became of Spikely? What was Harrington's actual motive?]

Mini Reviews - XVI

The Man Who Died Twice

  - Richard Osman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I seem to be the minority here, but I did not like this very much. Murder mysteries in fiction usually require one to suspend the belief, but this is somewhat too facetious.

On the positive side, the murder mystery was tighter, and the resolution more rational than the previous book. I loved the insights into human behavior, especially his own, that Ibrahim brings in. The lead characters remain endearing, though unbelievable.

On the downside, this did not have the style reminiscent of Agatha Christie, that I found charming in the first book. It was rather sinister and gory, and somehow I can't imaging senior citizens in their 70s and 80s going about actively sleuthing such cases. They sound more like 50-something, with repeated references to frequent trip to the restroom to give an impression of an older age. I am okay with Donna, but I find the character of Chris just too ridiculous to be the chief of police.

 

The Child Finder

  - Rene Denfeld

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very well written thriller, where past and secrets are revealed layer by layer, the atmosphere is gradually built up so you can feel the beauty and menace of dense forests of upper reaches in Oregon. The background of the story is child abuse, and it gives one a sense of horrific abuse, without being gory or graphic, which I felt was a great skill on the author's part.

Skulduggery Pleasant

- Derek Landy

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had put this in my TBR, as it was showing up with high recommendations in middle-grade/YA fantasy lists, and perhaps on my virtual reading group also. I have enjoyed several books in this genre, most notably Harry Potter and The Hobbit.

The story was just about okay, but I found the writing really childish in most places. The dialogues typically go like this: A said "lets do this", so B said "its a good plan". I have read and enjoyed a lot of children's fiction in last few years so I can say that it has less to do with target audience, and more to do with the style. It could have been fun had it been better written. I finished the first book, but though I had two more on kindle, I didn't want to continue with it.