June Thomson

"It was, on the surface, a congenial gathering in Elizabeth Hamilton's pretty drawing room the day of the party. Even her father, Felix Napier, was being friendly to the irritating Steven Bradley. Dear, disorganized Dodie had introduced an attractive new teaching colleague called Kate into their midst. Ruth, the diminutive local doctor, kept up a lively conversation, and Elizabeth's solicitor husband David completed the circle of comfortable hospitality.

"Within a few days one of this company show more would be dead -- and the rest under suspicion of murder. A murder so unexpected, brutal and calculating that even the formidable Detective Inspector Finch found it utterly baffling."
~~back cover

"A murder so unexpected" is an excellent description. Knowing you're reading a murder mystery, the reader eagerly follows the very generous clues that might possibly lead to sussing out the victim in advance. And those clues are all wrong. The victim is the least expected of all of the group.

Even worse, the murder almost certainly seems to have been done by an unknown intruder -- certainly not anyone the victim might have known, even slightly. A random burglary gone wrong? At first it appears to be the case, but then ... little details begin to add up to the murderer being known to the victim.

The plot builds slowly on these bare bones, pulling the reader into a morass of investigation that seemingly leads nowhere ... until suddenly things begin to fall into place. Since this is a murder mystery, the genre demands the murder be solved in the end, and indeed it is. But the reader (like Detective Inspector Finch) remain mostly in the dark until the very last moment, when all is revealed to the surprise of everyone involved.

An excellent mystery, that so many of the more modern ones fail to live up to. show less

This is the third collection of seven stories I have read by this author, another such collection supposedly found in a trunk by a descendant of Doctor Watson, consisting of Holmes stories unpublished during their partnership for one reason or another. Another authentic-feeling set of stories, though in a couple of them it was difficult to see why Holmes had become involved, and the reasons for several of the stories' non-disclosure at the time of their happening a bit unconvincing. Overall, show more a good read though if you're a fan of Conan Doyle's original stories. show less

Another set of seven Sherlock Holmes spin off stories, this set being based on cases mentioned in throwaway lines in Conan Doyle's original works. It's a decent set of stories, though none stood out for me as particular favourites. Once again, the author's depiction of Holmes and Watson is very authentic, with one or two glaring exceptions - the most notable being in The Camberwell Poisoning, where Holmes makes a rather distasteful and anachronistic speech sympathising with a murderess he show more has exposed, saying society is responsible for her turning to crime instead of her being able to fulfill her potential, even to rise to the heights of Prime Minister. As she has not only murdered an innocent and decent old man, but had framed his equally innocent nephew, who would have been hanged for her crime, Holmes's sympathy for this woman seems misplaced - she is no Irene Adler. show less

"A Game of Cat and Mouse
"For three days a tall, enigmatic stranger has followed Inspector Rudd's every move. Hour after hour, Rudd nervously waits for the stealthy predator to pounce. Instead, a pale-faced pickpocket fresh from gaol delivers a mysterious message -- MELLY RUDD ESSEX TRANSIT -- which reopens the unsolved murder of a young girl strangled in the bleak salt marshes of the desolate North Sea coast. But can Rudd elude his own pursuer long enough to track down the killer?

"Detective show more Inspector Rudd, Chelmsford CID
"His detective instincts are tempered by psychological insight. A most satisfactory master of British police procedure, the Inspector welcomes the challenge of a murder investigation now and again. Just as, when winter cold invades the lonely Essex countryside, even a sober, courageous man appreciates a beer at the local pub."
~~back cover

I love this series! It's a lovely, "old-fashioned" British murder mystery, with lots of character development of both the good guys and the bad guys, lots of description of the countryside, and lots of tea, and a beer at the pub. Exactly the style of thing I like best!

This one was a bit of a stretch for me: the good Inspector seemed to be following tantalizing wispy theories, some based on the turn of a phrase, some based on evidence that was ambiguous. But a delicious read for all of that. I'm sure I'll enjoy it as much when I reread it in the future. show less