Bestselling
author Burton St Clair is booked to give a talk at Fethering
Library, and he invites his old friend, Jude, along. He has
a new wife and a new name since they last met twenty years
earlier, but he is still vain and self-obsessed, a man who
thinks that all women are after him. Jude expects to be bored,
but she does not expect a death; nor does she expect to be
the prime suspect in a case where the detectives do not appear
to be looking any further than her. It is up to Jude with
neighbor, Carole, in tow to investigate.
Eighteen books and counting, this is not one of the most memorable
entries in the series, but is still entertaining and very
topical. Jude and Carole spend less time together this time,
which is a pity, as they make a great “chalk and cheese”
mismatched duo. Apart they are less effective, but I do respect
the author’s desire to inject something new into a series
to keep it fresh.
The subject
under scrutiny this time is the fate of the great British
library, and the author paints a very true picture of a library
desperately trying to stay open. This is treated rightly with
poignancy rather than satire, as is a side story of Zosia’s
hapless uncle and the local Polish community. More amusing
are the sketches of various types of writers, from the conceit
of the bestseller to the self published niche author and a
description of a workshop. The plot contains plenty of suspects
and cleverly mirrors the golden age whodunits that are mentioned
by various people. All this results in a novel that manages
to be enjoyable, thought provoking, satirical and contemporary.
Just like all the other entries in this series this one is
well worth reading.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
The
Hanging in the Hotel #5
The
Witness at the Wedding #6
The
Stabbing in the Stables #7
Death
Under the Dryer #8
Blood
at the Bookies #9
The
Poisoning in the Pub # 10
The
Shooting in the Shop #
11
Bones
Under the Beach Hut #
12
Liar
in the Library #18
The
Killing in the Cafe #27
|
