Envious Casca

That half star is because my expectations, based on previous Heyer mysteries, were completely blown away.

Envious Casca is both a text-book Country House Mystery and Locked Room Mystery, and it's far and away the best Heyer mystery I've read so far. It's a slow burn, certainly; almost half the book goes by before anyone dies, but Heyer placates her audience - at least this one - with the acerbic humour and no-holds-barred verbal warfare that takes place amongst the family members, written brilliantly by Heyer. These people are so vile to each other the only wonder is that the blades didn't come out sooner; at one point, tea was served and I thought to myself "I wouldn't drink that if I were you. Any of you."

It feels like it would be show more too easy to give away important plot points here, so I'll just say the murderer wasn't who I thought it would be (although I was close), some of the characters were a little too vile to be believed, and I'd have preferred at least one more paragraph, preferably a page, at the end. There's a small romance, because it's Heyer, but I'm not sure it isn't launched and HEA'd all on the same page, so it's really not more than a small also-ran. That it would end the way it did felt inevitable, but there was never any actual romancing.

The more I type, the closer I get to spoilers, so just read it if you like anything you've ever read by Heyer (she's hit and miss in both romance and mystery) and you're in the mood for a slow read with great, biting dialogue. I don't think you'll be disappointed. show less

It's Christmas time, and curmudgeonly Nathaniel Herriard has been cajoled into playing the host for a gathering of family and friends. A more inimical group of people could hardly be imagined, and tempers are running high . . . even before Nathaniel is found dead in his room, obviously murdered. Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard is called in to solve the case: who murdered Nathaniel Herriard (nearly everyone at the house party had a motive), and how did they do it, as the corpse was discovered in a locked room?

I have read several of Heyer's Regency romances, but this is the first of her mysteries that I have tackled. I liked the setting and the characters assembled at the house party, but thought the mystery was not as strong as show more others I've read. I also didn't care for Inspector Hemingway, who comes across as conceited -- he falls short in comparison to his contemporaries of the golden age of detective fiction: Lord Peter Wimsey, Hercule Poirot, Roderick Alleyn . . .

That's not to say that this wasn't worth reading -- I did enjoy it, and it took me perhaps longer than it should have to figure out who the murderer was. I'll probably read more of Heyer's detective stories in the future, but her real strength lies in romances, not mysteries. show less

One day in December, while scrolling through various book-related articles, I came across a list of holiday murder mysteries. Always a fan of whimsy and camp, I looked through it, not really expecting anything to catch my eye. On the list was Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer with a brief description of what sounded like a classic locked door mystery.

I am not going to say that this is high literature. It's a paperback mystery novel, and a holiday mystery on top of that. I am also not going to say that it has some great, universal truth for all readers. It is about very privileged people dealing with the specific problems of a privileged lifestyle. And despite being published in 1941 and set in early 20th century England, no one, not show more even the London cops or the lower class servants, makes a single mention of either World War. But for a cliché holiday murder mystery about privileged people dealing with privileged problems, it's a pretty good book.

The Herriards all feel like real, deeply flawed people. They are rude and nasty and downright despicable at times, but there are also moments when you can understand their rudeness, even sympathize with it. I also would not want to spend my Christmas Eve listening to a dramatic reading of a play about a prostitute, especially not if my back was hurting and my niece was demanding money for said play. The rest of the party guests are similarly fleshed out. The only characters who felt a bit forced or unnatural were the main police investigator (who only appears for the last half of the book anyway) and good old Uncle Joseph. But given that Joseph's overly cheery manner is important to the plot, I leave it up to you to figure out why.

The mystery itself is.... interesting. I certainly did not predict who the culprit would be, but looking back, it is well foreshadowed by the narrative. The murder method seemed implausible, but it was based on the historical assassination, so it gets a pass. I was not a fan of how they figured out the method, though. It was circumstantial and a bit contrived, as if Heyer got toward the end of writing and decided she wanted to be done already. If it had been handled even a few pages slower, I might have been more satisfied. The last few chapters did wrap everything up nicely and I was fine with where everyone ended up.

Ultimately, I'm glad I read this novel. It kept me occupied during some boring hours at work and did, surprisingly, lift my Christmas spirit a bit. And, frankly, the fact that this short little novel has enough cultural capital to be recommended and available 80 years down the line is amazing to me. show less

"Damn it, he was in here with the door locked!" Stephen said. "He can't have been stabbed!"

I think Heyer wrote a story about people she hated in real life, relished and had a hell of a time making them (an exaggerated version) vapid, insipid, and whiney; but oh so highly quotable. This is second in the Inspector Hemingway series and god love the man for the testimonies and evidence he has to shift through to discover the killer. As a locked door mystery, it's pretty good. The cast of characters is varied but small enough to keep track of and most work as plausible red herrings, I was wrong with my first guess as to who the villain was. The first half is mostly setting the scene with introductions and glimpses into characters' show more personalities and hints to possible murder motivations as they arrive to the house party. The second half is where the murder occurs and the whodunit gets going. It's a bit slow going as first the sergeant and then Inspector Hemingway arriving on the scene talk to everyone but then the clues start rolling in and the story starts to make headway. How the murder occurs was a little goofy but I would classify this as a cozy mystery with some romance inspirations sprinkled in, so it's all in good fun.

The following quote is a bit of a spoiler and my little comment after it, you'd know who ends up pairing up and probably figure out two characters who aren't the killer. Beware! You can pick back up at the Bonus :)

Lest you forget this is a Heyer and those romance inspirations I was talking about,

He pulled her rather roughly into his arms. "O God, Mathilda, do keep me in order!" he said, in a suddenly thickened voice. "I need you! I need you damnably!"
She found that her own voice was unsteady. "I know. You are such a fool, Stephen: such a dear impossible fool!"
"So are you, to care a damn for me," he said. "I never thought you did. I can't think why you do."
She took his face between her hands, looking up at him a little mistily. "I like savage creatures. Bull-terriers and Stephen Herriard."

Hey, you leave bull-terriers out of this! I had a contentious relationship with Stephen but he, somewhat, redeemed himself in the end. But seriously, bless her heart and all the Mathildas in the world who take these men on.

Bonus:

Heyer provides us with your next time you want to leave work early excuse. If someone accidentally brushes up against you:

Nathaniel at once became a cripple. He said: "My lumbago! Damn you, don't do that!" and tottered to a chair, one hand to the small of his back and his manly form bent with suffering.

Lumbago! Works every time. show less

What's not to like here - I mean, apart from most of the people invited to the Christmas part, of course. Looks quite like the house party from hell and that's before the murder is committed.
Nathaniel Herriard is a grumpy old man, with an argumentative family. His brother Joseph decides to host a traditional Christmas family get together, which no-one really wants to be at. As per tradition, relatives under the same roof all get on each others nerves, with Uncle Joe spreading bonhomie with abandon. All is going as well asmight be expected when Nathaniel doesn't come down to dinner and is found dead in his room, with the windows shut and the door locked.
The police are called and the stolid policeman does a good job of realising he is show more in over his head and so calls in Scotland Yard and detective Hannasyde arrives to save the day.
It's a neat little riddle. Things are not quite what they appear. All set within the tight confines of the country house, this is one party you'd want to leave at the earliest opportunity. show less

I know, I know: Georgette Heyer’s famous for her clever regency romances. But what I really love are her mysteries, which do not get the credit they deserve. She’s the equal of Ngaio Marsh, Josephine Tey and Dorothy L. Sayers — not that anyone else seems to recognize that.

As the title of this sixth novel to feature Scotland Yard Inspector Hemingway indicates, this time it’s a swank Christmas party that goes awry with a murder. The family patriarch of sorts, wealthy Uncle Nathaniel Herriard, lets his cheerful younger brother talk him into a family Christmas party. It’s not a spoiler to reveal that there’s a murder — hey, everyone knows how these cozies go! What’s amazing is that, in Heyer’s skillful hands, this show more tried-and-true scenario still leaves readers rapidly turning pages as they devour each twist and surprise. And I was blown away by the denouement! Highly recommended.

This novel was originally released with the title Envious Casca, although I can’t imagine why. show less

Very few people are happy to be attending Joseph Herriard’s Christmas party at Lexham Manor, his brother Nathaniel’s home where Joseph and his wife Maud have lived for the past two years: not nephew Stephen, nor his fiancee Valerie, nor niece Paula, nor cousin Matilda, nor the playwright Paula has invited, nor even long-time family friend and Nat’s business partner Edgar Mottisfont. Indeed, all of these people have acrimonious relations with each other in one form or another, so that when Nathaniel is murdered in his room, Detective Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard is spoiled for choice amongst suspects! Now if only he could figure out how a person could pass through a locked room, commit the murder and then disappear with no show more trace, he might be able to solve this case…. “Envious Casca” is another of Georgette Heyer’s “country house mysteries,” and one of four featuring Inspector Hemingway. I find that the fun in these books is the sheer awfulness of most of the characters, generally tremendously entitled and clueless about anything other than their own selfish interests, and the ease with which Inspector Hemingway sees through them to get at the truth. Nothing earthshaking here, but an entertaining read; mildly recommended. show less