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Book Review of The Stately Home Murder (Detective Inspector Sloan, Bk 3)

The Stately Home Murder (Detective Inspector Sloan, Bk 3)
maura853 avatar reviewed on + 542 more book reviews


Very old fashioned murder mystery, which I enjoy more for a glimpse into British life in the 60s than for the writing style or the challenge of the mystery. While we might think that the Swinging 60s wrought an instant transformation on the British Isles, Aird makes it clear from the setting and context of her murders, and the attitudes of her characters, that change took time to percolate through to places like the little market towns of the fictional "Calleshire" (her version of Midsomer, for cozy mystery fans).

The weakest, by far, of the four Aird's I've read so far. "Cluedo: The Novel." Sorry if this turns out to be a spoiler (it's a while since i read it), but for all I remember, it might might as well have been Col. Mustard, in the Library, with the lead pipe. Pretty uninspired: like mystery sodduku, rather than anything emerging from character development, or sharp insights into the human condition ...