E F Benson vs Tom Holt

I have just read the posts on Tom Holt. How can anyone feel that Tom Holt measures up in any way to the original E F Benson?
The original books have a sublety and an affection for his characters while delighting in their ridiculousness. Tom Holt may continue the action of the characters, but does so with maliciousness. It seems to me that he completely misses the point.
After reading all the Mapp and Lucia books, I turned to Ton Holt with pleasure because he seemed to offer continuity to something I loved. I was sadly disappointed.
Liz

I couldn't agree less! I came to Riseholme and Rye quite late in life, read the six novels as quickly as I could get hold of them, re-read them, felt desperately empty, then found the two short stories, then f.d.e. again, then was pointed in the direction of Lucia Triumphant and Lucia in Wartime. I hummed and hawed for a bit, most sequels being so dire - all those hundreds of tired Sherlock Holmes pastiches and superfluous Jane Austen what-happened-nexts (even the great P D James came a complete cropper with Death Comes to Pemberley). But needs must in a crisis so I tried first one Holt, then the other and bingo! they were brilliant. Not the real Fred, of course, but as near in spirit as one could hope for in this world.