All in all, it was a good book. The start was confusing, but after the story progressed, you were able to pick up the threads and make sense of it. I'm sure this was intentional.

The story dragged just a bit in the middle but it had some excellent twists in the end. Not fantastical, but believable and yet unexpected - all the more satisfying. Well written.

I'd definitely recommend this book ( )

I really enjoyed The False Inspector Dew by Peter Lovesey. I have now read four books by this author, and have loved all of them so I am ready to add him to my list of favorite authors. This book is also one of the books listed on the H.R.F. Keating List of 100 Best Crime & Mystery Books, a list that I have been reading from and can give a big thumbs up to, as I have relished all the books I have read so far from the list.

This is a stylish, clever story that kept me guessing all the way through. A convoluted plot that includes murder among the well-to-do aboard a trans-Atlantic ocean liner in 1921. The opening of the book sets part of the puzzle with the question of who is posing as the famous Inspector Dew aboard the Mauretania. We, as the reader, think that we know exactly what is going on, but the author has mastered the art of the red herring! The book brought many smiles as I enjoyed this vintage feeling mystery that hearkens back to the crime of Dr. Crippen.

The False Inspector Dew highlights the clever plotting that Peter Lovesey is capable of, and with it’s surprising ending, well developed characters and great setting was a read that I was sorry to see end. I’ve tried to be as vague as I can about the plot because if you do pick up this book, half the fun is not knowing what’s going to happen next or where the author is taking you. ( )

So this book was really good. What I liked best though was that I started to put it together that the Inspector Dew was actually very famous and started reading up on him last night. And then I read up on Dr. Crippen and then I found out that Netflix's series "Murder Maps" did an actual episode on this guy and I just continued to fall down a rabbit hole.

"The False Inspector Dew" follows two people who will do anything to be together. The first character is Alma Webster who has fallen madly in love with her dentist, Walter Baranov. Walter is married to a an actress, Lydia, who doesn't really care about him. When Lydia decides to leave England in order to become an American film star with Walter also having to give up his dentist practice to follow her, Walter and Alma make moves to eliminate Lydia. With Lydia setting sail on the Mauretania, Walter books passage under a false name (Inspector Dew) in order for him and Alma to get rid of Lydia. Things get tricky though when a woman's body is found in the water and Inspector Dew (Walter) is called on to help figure out who the murderer is.

First off, I disliked Walter and Alma. I was actively rooting against them. Of course I ended up laughing though because for all of their machinations, things keep getting worse for the pair. And I have to say that Lovesey did a good job with the secondary characters since they feel like they came out of a Christie novel at times.

I did enjoy the writing and it resembled Agatha Christie a bit, though I have to say that Christie is more able to get me into people's heads. For some reason I felt slightly apart from Walter and Alma throughout the book. This is the main reason why I gave this book four stars.

The setting of this book is 1920s Europe. We have a lot going on during this time period and we hear about real life things like Dr. Crippen, Charlie Chaplin, the sinking of the Lusitania. This was a nice murder mystery on a boat and definitely reads like a golden age mystery.

I thought the ending was quite clever and thought that Lovesey did a great job with this. For those who knows what happens with the real Dr. Crippen and Inspector Dew, you can guess at what eventually happens to all parties. ( )

A good story. Not the usual sort of mystery at all. I'm glad this showed up on a Best British Mystery list.I had not heard of it before and it is a fun read. I liked the twists. Very clever! ( )

What a interesting story! This book is a wonderful mix of mystery, crime, drama, romance and comedy. It also gives a fascinating look at life and views and customs in the time in which it is set. A great read. ( )