REVIEW A Blunt Instrument

REVIEW × A Blunt Instrument Who would kill the perfect gentlemanWhen Ernest Fletcher is found bludgeoned to death in his study everyone is shocked and mystified Ernest was well liked and respected so who would have a motive for killing him Inspectors of Scotland Yard felt it was an unlikely crime for the London suburbs a perfectly respectable chap at home with his head bashed in It seems the real. 275 stars for this tedious Georgette Heyer mystery set in England in the 1930s I ve only read a couple of Heyer s contemporary mysteries but I think it s safe to say I prefer her historical romancecomedy of manners novels Ernest Fletcher a wealthy suave individual has been bludgeoned to death in his study A policeman PC Glass sees his body at 1005 pm Other individuals saw Fletcher alive at 10 pm Who killed Fletcher in that 5 minute period and how The eponymous blunt instrument with which he was killed is nowhere to be found The suspects main characters include Helen North a lovely if rather hen witted married woman whose IOUs Fletcher had bought up he was using them to try to blackmail her into an affair John North her possibly jealous if rather estranged husband Neville Fletcher the deceased s man s heir Ernest Fletcher s suspicious acting stockbrokerAnd a few othersI m a longtime fan of Heyer s Regency era novels which tend to be a delightful mix of romance and comedy of manners with lots of witty dialogue If I had started my Heyer experience with this mystery novel though I might have uit right there The witty dialogue was in rather short supply with Neville supplying most of the fun Every time he came into the room I perked up and paid attention Helen s sister Sally an author of improbable mystery novels gave Neville back all the attitude he was dishing out and then some although I found her use of a monocle rather distracting I m still trying to figure out if that was really a widespread thing for smart young ladies in the 30 s Helen and John with all their marital troubles and secrets were a pretty lame pair although you could sense the passion still underlying their hurt feelings and fears Superintendent Hannacyde and Sergeant Hemingway who were in charge of the investigation of the case seemed very bland although the Sergeant had a few funny lines But my least favorite character was the policeman Glass who responded to pretty much everything with a condemnatory Bible uoteForsake the foolish and live Woe to them that are wise in their own eyes Know that judgments are prepared for the scorners and stripes for the backs of foolsIt got old fast and since Glass is involved in the ongoing investigation there s no getting away from his grim pronouncements The only bright spot was when the Sergeant and Neville took to studying the Bible so they could throw some scriptural arguments back at himBetween the dreary Glass the constant harping on the impossible timeline for the murder and a fairly rote mystery there was nothing in this story to motivate me to read any of Heyer s contemporary at the time mysteries I have to admit that the reveal at the end caught me by surprise although perhaps it shouldn t have I think I just wasn t giving the mystery my full attention by that time That s my story and I m sticking to it Just like I m pretty much sticking to Heyer s historical novels from here on out Nine and a Half Weeks A Memoir of a Love Affair gentlemanWhen Ernest Fletcher is found bludgeoned to death in his study everyone is shocked and mystified Ernest was well liked and respected so who would have a motive for killing him Inspectors of Scotland Yard felt it was an unlikely crime for the London suburbs a perfectly respectable chap at home with his head bashed in It seems the real. 275 stars for this tedious Georgette Heyer mystery set in England in the 1930s I ve only read a couple of Heyer s contemporary mysteries but I think it s safe to say I prefer her historical romancecomedy of manners novels Ernest Fletcher a wealthy suave individual has been bludgeoned to death in his study A policeman PC Glass sees his body at 1005 pm Other individuals saw Fletcher alive at 10 pm Who killed Fletcher in that 5 minute period and how The eponymous blunt instrument with which he was killed is nowhere to be found The suspects main characters include Helen North a lovely if rather hen witted married woman whose IOUs Fletcher had bought up he was using them to try to blackmail her into an affair John North her possibly jealous if rather estranged husband Neville Fletcher the deceased s man s heir Ernest Fletcher s suspicious acting stockbrokerAnd a few othersI m a longtime fan of Heyer s Regency era novels which tend to be a delightful mix of romance and comedy of manners with lots of witty dialogue If I had started my Heyer experience with this mystery novel though I might have uit right there The witty dialogue was in rather short supply with Neville supplying most of the fun Every time he came into the room I perked up and paid attention Helen s sister Sally an author of improbable mystery novels The $5 Takeout Cookbook gave Neville back all the attitude he was dishing out and then some although I found her use of a monocle rather distracting I m still trying to figure out if that was really a widespread thing for smart young ladies in the 30 s Helen and John with all their marital troubles and secrets were a pretty lame pair although you could sense the passion still underlying their hurt feelings and fears Superintendent Hannacyde and Sergeant Hemingway who were in charge of the investigation of the case seemed very bland although the Sergeant had a few funny lines But my least favorite character was the policeman Glass who responded to pretty much everything with a condemnatory Bible uoteForsake the foolish and live Woe to them that are wise in their own eyes Know that judgments are prepared for the scorners and stripes for the backs of foolsIt The Reluctant got old fast and since Glass is involved in the ongoing investigation there s no Vargens lilla lamm getting away from his Looking Good Dead grim pronouncements The only bright spot was when the Sergeant and Neville took to studying the Bible so they could throw some scriptural arguments back at himBetween the dreary Glass the constant harping on the impossible timeline for the murder and a fairly rote mystery there was nothing in this story to motivate me to read any of Heyer s contemporary at the time mysteries I have to admit that the reveal at the end caught me by surprise although perhaps it shouldn t have I think I just wasn t On the Banks of Lethe giving the mystery my full attention by that time That s my story and I m sticking to it Just like I m pretty much sticking to Heyer s historical novels from here on out

REVIEW × A Blunt Instrument Fletcher was far from the gentleman he pretended to be There is in fact no shortage of people who wanted him deadSuperintendent Hannasyde and Sergeant Hemingway with consummate skill uncover one dirty little secret after another and with them a host of people who all have reasons for wanting Fletcher dead Who tiptoed into the study to do the deed The rather nefarious ne. It is an nice English cozy mystery where almost all the characters are suspects It is the forth from Inspectors Hannayside serie I will continue with the other storiesThank you Netgalley for this book Reluctant Heroes gentleman he pretended to be There is in fact no shortage of people who wanted him deadSuperintendent Hannasyde and Sergeant Hemingway with consummate skill uncover one dirty little secret after another and with them a host of people who all have reasons for wanting Fletcher dead Who tiptoed into the study to do the deed The rather nefarious ne. It is an nice English cozy mystery where almost all the characters are suspects It is the forth from Inspectors Hannayside serie I will continue with the other storiesThank you Netgalley for this book

Georgette Heyer À 1 REVIEW

REVIEW × A Blunt Instrument Phew Neville A neighbor's wandering wife A fat man in a bowler hatThe mystery's key was a blunt instrument a weapon that the police could not find and that the murderer can to use once Then a second murder is committed with striking similarities to the first giving a grotesue twist to a very unusual case and the inspectors realize they are up against a killer on a missi. I came to the work of Georgette Heyer rather recently and was taken by her sparkling and fun regency romances but I pursued her books into other historical eras and mostly lately into other genres such as her murder mysteries I find that they have the same sparkling dialogue and touch of madcap humor that her regencies possess which is a further delightMost of her mysteries take place post WWI at an English country house and feature either Superintendent Hannasyde or Hemingway as the Scotland Yard detective sent to solve the case A Blunt Instrument is no exception It is the fourth and last of the Hannasyde books with Hemingway acting as his sergeantA Blunt Instrument highlights a colorful circle of characters from laconic and witty Neville the deceased s nephew who stands to inherit to the witless and often lachrymose neighbor Mrs Helen North who is the deceased s most recent flirtation Poor Hannasyde and Hemingway are saddled with a Jeremiah like Bible uoting local constable and several would be suspects who have their own reasons for throwing shade on the investigation of a man who was supposedly too well liked to have been a victimI enjoyed this one for its historical classical feel It was a crime in a time before our later crime scene tech advancements so the investigation work was tramping around going at witnesses and shifting for hints in their statements In this one the timeline was the sticking point because witness statements were contradictory Though that said as a reader I doubt I was meant to believe Helen s statements yes she had three at least by the end Helen is too obvious for words and I had the strongest urge to pitch a bucket of ice water at her every time she showed up in a scene However she does turn out to be a necessary figure in the story She loves her husband but finds a solid hardworking man who doesn t go in for gambling or lots of cocktail parties not enough so gets into trouble to stir him up and gets into an intrigue to make him act jealous John chooses to keep his peace and wait her out because he actually loves her inspite of her antics He is even willing to frame himself to protect her Her sister Sally is much level headed and gets the lamentable task of verbally shaking her into some sense but Sally does enjoy being right in the thick of a murder investigation because she writes mysteries I had a good time whenever Neville appeared in a scene He leads people on a merry chase but he s never really obstructive and will tell the truth unlike Helen and her husband But the character who is the real corker is Constable Glass His religion runs to the hell and brimstone sort and he speaks entirely in Biblical aphorisms and not the helpful sort He drove everyone to Bedlam had had the sergeant Neville and Sally scrambling for their own Biblical uotes to shut him up I know he will annoy the Dickens out of some but he was a buffoon and I could only laugh most of the timeI figured this one out before the big reveal and even got the motive even though the author did her level best to distract with all the characters and the nonsense going on I confess that it was because of reading other mysteries that I cottoned to the truth and not because I m all that brilliantAll and all I m delighted that Sourcebooks is reprinting these old Heyer detective stories for a new generation to discover them and enjoy the antics and wit of her work Those who enjoy old style country house mysteries will be the target audience for this booksseriesMy thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark via Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review Pokémon giving a Brionne grotesue twist to a very unusual case and the inspectors realize they are up against a killer on a missi. I came to the work of Georgette Heyer rather recently and was taken by her sparkling and fun regency romances but I pursued her books into other historical eras and mostly lately into other The Discovery of New Worlds genres such as her murder mysteries I find that they have the same sparkling dialogue and touch of madcap humor that her regencies possess which is a further delightMost of her mysteries take place post WWI at an English country house and feature either Superintendent Hannasyde or Hemingway as the Scotland Yard detective sent to solve the case A Blunt Instrument is no exception It is the fourth and last of the Hannasyde books with Hemingway acting as his sergeantA Blunt Instrument highlights a colorful circle of characters from laconic and witty Neville the deceased s nephew who stands to inherit to the witless and often lachrymose neighbor Mrs Helen North who is the deceased s most recent flirtation Poor Hannasyde and Hemingway are saddled with a Jeremiah like Bible uoting local constable and several would be suspects who have their own reasons for throwing shade on the investigation of a man who was supposedly too well liked to have been a victimI enjoyed this one for its historical classical feel It was a crime in a time before our later crime scene tech advancements so the investigation work was tramping around Minha Senhora de Mim going at witnesses and shifting for hints in their statements In this one the timeline was the sticking point because witness statements were contradictory Though that said as a reader I doubt I was meant to believe Helen s statements yes she had three at least by the end Helen is too obvious for words and I had the strongest urge to pitch a bucket of ice water at her every time she showed up in a scene However she does turn out to be a necessary figure in the story She loves her husband but finds a solid hardworking man who doesn t Love: A Book of Days go in for Parlor Games: Amusements and Entertainment for Everyone gambling or lots of cocktail parties not enough so L.A.U.G.H. gets into trouble to stir him up and The Gospel Centered Life gets into an intrigue to make him act jealous John chooses to keep his peace and wait her out because he actually loves her inspite of her antics He is even willing to frame himself to protect her Her sister Sally is much level headed and The U.P. Trail gets the lamentable task of verbally shaking her into some sense but Sally does enjoy being right in the thick of a murder investigation because she writes mysteries I had a Timothy good time whenever Neville appeared in a scene He leads people on a merry chase but he s never really obstructive and will tell the truth unlike Helen and her husband But the character who is the real corker is Constable Glass His religion runs to the hell and brimstone sort and he speaks entirely in Biblical aphorisms and not the helpful sort He drove everyone to Bedlam had had the sergeant Neville and Sally scrambling for their own Biblical uotes to shut him up I know he will annoy the Dickens out of some but he was a buffoon and I could only laugh most of the timeI figured this one out before the big reveal and even Kilpikonna ja olkimarsalkka got the motive even though the author did her level best to distract with all the characters and the nonsense Nuku hyvin, Punahilkka going on I confess that it was because of reading other mysteries that I cottoned to the truth and not because I m all that brilliantAll and all I m delighted that Sourcebooks is reprinting these old Heyer detective stories for a new Omega generation to discover them and enjoy the antics and wit of her work Those who enjoy old style country house mysteries will be the target audience for this booksseriesMy thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark via Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

• Hardcover
• 288
• A Blunt Instrument
• Georgette Heyer
• English
• 05 February 2020
• 9780434328451