Miss Seeton Draws the Line (1969)

by Heron Carvic

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Heron Carvic's Miss Seeton (2)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
188	5	145,356	(3.7)	27
Miss Seeton is most embarrassed . . . Her every attempt at a portrait of little Effie Goffer has become a chilling picture of a corpse. Is Miss Seeton actually drawing a clue to a series of child murders in rural England? Scotland Yard thinks so, and wants Miss Seeton to turn from sketching . . . to catching a killer skilled in a very deadly art. Retired art teacher Miss Seeton steps in where Scotland Yard stumbles. Armed with only her sketch pad and umbrella, she is every inch an eccentric English spinster and at every turn the most lovable and unlikely master of detection. What people are saying about Miss Seeton: Miss Seeton is a hoot! I was torn between laughter and eye rolling with each page turn. The characters are loveable and thoroughly British. This is a perfect specimen of classic British mystery. What a joy Miss Seeton is. Why did I wait so long to read them? Splashy characters, lovely setting, and just plain funny." I've become a Miss Ess addict. Great characters that get better with each book. A must for anyone who loves a good British cozy with a twist, and surprising revelations of what a good brollie can do in a pinch." What a great series. This is one of the best in English light reading mysteries." Miss Seeton is a delightful sendup of the amateur sleuth. If your doctor has prescribed laughter as the best medicine, run and buy the entire series as fast as you can." Editorial reviews: A most beguiling protagonist!" New York Times Miss Seeton gets into wild drama with fine touches of farce . . . This is a lovely mixture of the funny and the exciting." San Francisco Chronicle This is not so much black comedy as black-currant comedy . . . You can't stop reading. Or laughing." The Sun Depth of description and lively characters bring this English village to life." Publishers Weekly Fun to be had with a full cast of endearingly zany villagers . . . and the ever gently intuitive Miss Seeton." Kirkus Reviews Miss Seeton is the most delightfully satisfactory character since Miss Marple." Ogden Nash I think, on the whole, Miss Seeton is the most loveable and entertaining of any of today's fiction detectives. May she live forever." London Mystery Selection.… (more)

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Showing 5 of 5

This second book in the Miss Seeton series is every bit as delightful as the first, Picture Miss Seeton. Heron Carvic wrote an essay in 1977 in which he recalled how, after having first used her in a short story, 'Miss Seeton upped and demanded a book' -- and that if 'she wanted to satirize detective novels in general and elderly lady detectives in particular,' he would let her have her head. I'm so glad he did. These books are the perfect light (and absolutely hilarious) reads when readers want to forget about what ails them and their world.

Miss Seeton may be satirizing detective novels and elderly female sleuths, but at least she has Inspector Delphick ("the Oracle") who sees her worth and pays attention to her. With her unfailing good manners and distracted air-- and how on earth could I forget her umbrella? -- she unwittingly solves all the crimes in Plummergen, not that her fellow villagers appreciate it. In fact, one of the best scenes in Miss Seeton Draws the Line is one in which a group convenes to discuss village business and winds up conducting a vicious gossip session, all described by Carvic as a medieval joust. Splendid! The scene reminded me of two things: (1) why I moved from the village where I grew up, and (2) the writing of T. H. White in The Once and Future King. Since I love White's novel, this is definitely meant as a compliment.

If you need (several) good laughs, if you need to be charmed, if you need a read that draws you inexorably to the next book in the series, by all means start reading the Miss Seeton mysteries. They are wonderful! (Although I am wondering if Miss Seeton ever discovers where all the strange pillows and cushions in her cottage came from...) (

)

cathyskye | Apr 11, 2020 |

Miss Seeton returns and brings Inspector Delphick and Bob Ranger back to Plummergen. This time the police are looking for a serial killer who is killing children. And, of course, since Miss Seeton is involved the village is once again acting on the Nuts rumor-mill, the police are wiping their brows, and she is just going about her days without realizing the mayhem around her.

Great series from the 1970s that makes me smile. (

)

Bettesbooks | Oct 2, 2017 |

Scotland Yard is investigating serial murders of children and again Miss Seeton's extraordinary abilities come into use. There is a child in her village she cannot draw and when the same reactions occur when trying to draw a victim, Scotland Yard descends on her small village believing that the next victim will be this child.

The subject matter was heavy yet the author was able to carry it easily interjecting humorous situations that Miss Seeton always seems to "fal" into while brandishing her trusty umbrella.

Looking forward to the next installment.l (

)

cyderry | Mar 12, 2017 |

I read this almost a whole week ago, and I can't remember what it's about - oh, right, this is the one with the child murderer. Hmmm, I wonder if Carvic did that on purpose? I don't think of him as a punster... There are several Seeton books where the obvious description has multiple meanings, and this is one. This one is rather annoying, because it's obvious to me who are the wrong 'uns and who the decent folk among the newcomers...I don't know if that's because I remembered from before (partly it was) or just that the Nuts _must_ get it wrong. There's a book well down the line (Hamilton Crane, I think) where they get it right, and several people almost die of shock. Though of course it's for all the wrong reasons...Nice to see this being re-released; it's an old favorite. I got the book from the publisher through NetGalley. (

)

jjmcgaffey | Jun 25, 2008 |

funny (

)

otterlake | Mar 8, 2008 |

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▾Other authors

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Carvic, Heron	Author	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Adams, J.	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Nash, Phyllida	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Uhde, Anne-Marie	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

Heron Carvic's Miss Seeton (2)

Belongs to Publisher Series

Zwarte Beertjes (2423)

Is contained in

The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax | Alp Murder | Miss Seeton Draws the Line by Detective Book Club

The Miss Seeton Series: Books 1-3 by Heron Carvic

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Canonical title

Miss Seeton Draws the Line

Original title

Miss Seeton Draws the Line

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1969

People/Characters

Important places

Kent, England, UK

London, England, UK

Plummergen, Kent, England, UK

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

for Viola and Phoebe

First words

"Stop!"

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

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▾Book descriptions

Miss Seeton is most embarrassed . . . Her every attempt at a portrait of little Effie Goffer has become a chilling picture of a corpse. Is Miss Seeton actually drawing a clue to a series of child murders in rural England? Scotland Yard thinks so, and wants Miss Seeton to turn from sketching . . . to catching a killer skilled in a very deadly art. Retired art teacher Miss Seeton steps in where Scotland Yard stumbles. Armed with only her sketch pad and umbrella, she is every inch an eccentric English spinster and at every turn the most lovable and unlikely master of detection. What people are saying about Miss Seeton: Miss Seeton is a hoot! I was torn between laughter and eye rolling with each page turn. The characters are loveable and thoroughly British. This is a perfect specimen of classic British mystery. What a joy Miss Seeton is. Why did I wait so long to read them? Splashy characters, lovely setting, and just plain funny." I've become a Miss Ess addict. Great characters that get better with each book. A must for anyone who loves a good British cozy with a twist, and surprising revelations of what a good brollie can do in a pinch." What a great series. This is one of the best in English light reading mysteries." Miss Seeton is a delightful sendup of the amateur sleuth. If your doctor has prescribed laughter as the best medicine, run and buy the entire series as fast as you can." Editorial reviews: A most beguiling protagonist!" New York Times Miss Seeton gets into wild drama with fine touches of farce . . . This is a lovely mixture of the funny and the exciting." San Francisco Chronicle This is not so much black comedy as black-currant comedy . . . You can't stop reading. Or laughing." The Sun Depth of description and lively characters bring this English village to life." Publishers Weekly Fun to be had with a full cast of endearingly zany villagers . . . and the ever gently intuitive Miss Seeton." Kirkus Reviews Miss Seeton is the most delightfully satisfactory character since Miss Marple." Ogden Nash I think, on the whole, Miss Seeton is the most loveable and entertaining of any of today's fiction detectives. May she live forever." London Mystery Selection.

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