Death in High Heels

When I think of Golden Era crime, I do tend to think in terms of country piles and cut glass accents; stiff upper lips, and the emotion unspoken.

And I love all that, but this book was a breath of fresh air!

As windows into another time, the books from this era generally offer a view into a rather restricted social paradigm. We rarely get to see and hear the language and societal norms outside of a very narrow class range. The dialogue in 'Death in High Heels' has far more natural flow than many of it's contemporaries, and gives a glimpse of a boisterous and far more liberal 'normal' life than many these days could believe existed in the mid-20C

One of two books by this author to feature young Inspector Charlesworth of Scotland Yard, Death in High Heels focuses on a murder that happens in a dress shop. Originally written in 1941, this one is a joy to read, because it is a good, old-fashioned piece of crime fiction where you are given lots of clues, a solid list of suspects and a fun mystery to try to solve. I didn't guess (I was wrong twice) so I was quite happy, and will most likely read other books by this author.

basic plot (no spoilers): A nasty murder is committed at Christophe et Cie, a fashionable dress shop. Inspector Charlesworth of Scotland Yard gets the case, and has to weave through several suspects, several motives, and secrets to try to find the murderer before show more he/she strikes again. But trying to remain objective is tough when he falls for one of the suspects! This is a fun whodunit, written totally in the classic mystery style and is good for a couple of hours of entertainment.

I think if you are into the old stuff, you'll like this; not a cozy by any means, but rather a good, old-fashioned novel of detection. If you're more of a modern book reader, you may be a bit bored (no excitement, no super-duper plot twists). I liked it, and I'm very picky about my mystery reads. show less

Christianna Brand, who died in 1988, wrote mysteries that were published between 1940 and the early 1980s. Her work thus overlapped with Christie and Marsh and she is considered by some to be their peer.

Death in High Heels (1941) was her first Inspector Charlesworth mystery and one of her earliest works, and it was my introduction to her writing. I had the feeling that Brand hadn’t quite crystallized her characters yet and, as a result, the book felt a little unanchored to me.

I was glad, however, to finally ‘meet’ Brand.
3½ stars

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