The Organic and Eco Bookstore

- good holiday read for fun mystery/crime book lovers

This is a very enjoyable read for anyone who likes 'country house' mystery stories, involving British aristocrats, spies and the like. Lots of 'mood' setting, and complex plot, (though not as good as Agatha Christie). I will be getting his other books as well. The Affair of the mutilated mink' and 'The 39 cufflinks' Can't wait!

- I just so love it

An old-fashioned detective story with enough humour to keep it above the average. I wish there were more to come...

- A Perfectly Engrossing read if not for . . .

I found this a thoroughly engrossing FUN read. Lots of characters and plot twists with a pace and promised kept right through to the end. If you like Agatha Christie or Geogette Heyer crime fiction, youre guaranteed to like these. Inspector Wilkins is a gem creation.

Only two small critisms: LOTS of typoes in the last 1/4 of the book which was a little distracting. And two characters who appear evenly within the first 1/4 of the book suddenly all but disappear in the rest until the very end. Odd. That made the read feel unbalanced as their absence was conspicuous to me.

Otherwise, fab. Am straight on to reading another in the series now.

- Top-hole Fun!

The cover image is a good clue to the contents of this fun book - it's a return to the 1930s, with war looming, but people still having "top-hole" fun in the country house of an English earl - a house which comes complete with a secret passage. The author has his tongue firmly in his cheek, but has written an affectionate tribute to Christie, Sayers et al and he has constructed a convoluted plot worthy of Christie at her peak. Some of the characterisation is weaker than the others, but again, I think that is very Christie-esque - as is Wilkins' repetition of "not sanguine, not sanguine at all".


An enjoyable mystery, and I'm looking forward to the other two in the series.

- Lots of fun!

I see from other reviewers that they include references to Agatha Christie et al in their notes but perhaps I read this with a different frame of mind because to be honest the book, particularly in one section, was more like a classic Brian Rix farce than an Agatha Christie mystery. I felt the writer was writing tongue-in-cheek and I loved every minute of it. When I bought The Affair of the Bloodstained Tea Cosy (don't you think the title says it all?) the lady behind the counter told me to email her once I'd finished because she loved it so much. What better recommendation but it's certainly not for those who don't like a touch of fun which luckily I do!