Maura (maura853) - , reviewed on 8/27/2018 + 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).

This is probably my favourite of the four Inspector Sloan novels I've read, so far, because of the attitudes to adoption that it reveals as being the norm not so long ago. Most characters -- including Henrietta herself -- find it almost impossible to think of the woman who raised her from infancy as Henrietta's "mother," once it's revealed that she didn't give birth to the child. Once again, Sloan himself is refreshingly modern in his attitudes, while being satisfyingly prickly and a bit flawed.

The mystery is more satisfying because here, the issue is more "why" than "who."

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