Mark McCrum

A dramatic description of a person's last minutes alive opens this traditional whodunit murder mystery. At this beginning point however, readers do not know the person's identity. Then crime writer Francis Meadowes finds himself in the midst of a murder investigation, tasked with solving the puzzle. He's in Umbria Italy tutoring a small group of amateur writers at a summer creative writing conference. In due course, the most obnoxious of the students is killed. The writing group becomes the suspect pool from which Francis must find the killer. Several others potential suspects are thrown into the mix for good measure: the husband-and-wife who host the conference, their household staff including the gardener and the cook. Francis is in his element, as narrator and amateur sleuth in an excellent Agatha Christie-like country house mystery story.

It's a great read, made more enjoyable by the local colour of the Italian countryside which provides the background. Francis goes about finding that the potential suspects have secrets, which become red herrings for him to pursue. Some may find the resolution contrived and a tad too cute, but it suits the story. Mrs. Christie would have approved.

This book is the third in a series featuring Francis as amateur detective. However, this one can easily stand on its own and be enjoyed. It's a good series to follow.

Recommended.
__________________
I requested and received a complementary advance reading copy of this book from the publisher, Severn House, via Netgalley. The comments about it are my own.… (altro)

Arctic-orienteering, war-wounds, support-system, English-military, friendship, Norway, journaling, nonfiction

What a fantastic undertaking! It started with two men with a mission to do something unusual for war damaged soldiers, primarily from the Afghanistan, that wasn't being done. So they came up with an idea and first discussed it with an experienced Norwegian guide who agreed to become involved, then there were backers needed as well as sponsors, and finally the military. That's just the beginning. There were difficulties with the military, grueling training, some medical issues (especially involving prosthetics), and a whole lot more. I snickered here and there about their expedition guide who thought little of the cold on his own account, only for others, because it was so like listening to Pop (true Norwegian) or to my husband who worked outside in Wisconsin winters. Absolutely astounding!
I understand that the BBC filmed and aired portions and that they are still available on YouTube. For me, I think that the book is better because it is basically comprised of the journals of all involved and more. The introduction is by fellow Afghanistan soldier Prince Harry.
Four men do the narration spectacularly.
Read the book. Donate to Walking With The Wounded. Please.
Americans might prefer The Wounded Warrior Foundation, in Australia the Bravery Trust, and in Canada there are several supportive organizations.… (altro)

This is the first in a series featuring middle-of-the-road crime writer Francis Meadowes, whose own novels feature the retired forensic science professor George Braithwaite and his ‘feisty wife and sidekick Martha’. At a literary festival in the quaintly named Mold-on-Wold, somewhere in deep Englandshire, a suitably heady mix of superstar writers rub shoulders with the not-quite-so-famous wannabes. Mark McCrum, himself an ‘insider’ – if we can call him that? – shamelessly name drops everyone and everyone in the literati, which makes this a perfect amusement for those who like their books.

Bryce Peabody is ‘the literary world’s number one hatchet man’, the main literary critic for ‘The Sentinel’ who has come to the festival to deliver a devastating talk on celebrity authors and, it is rumoured, about to destroy the career of one of them. Needless to say, he is found dead the night before his talk, and our erstwhile crime writer turned amateur sleuth, the ever-persistent Francis Meadowes, takes it upon himself to investigate the death. For fans of the traditional murder mystery, every kind of suspect is here: spurned lovers, the current glamorous girlfriend, writers who have been savaged in Peabody’s writings, a group of hangers-on involved in Class A drugs… When a second death happens, the race is on the find the culprit.

This is a breezy, self-referential and amusing story. OK, the clues are there and if you guess the identity of the killer early on, it’s all pretty obvious. But McCrum has a lot of fun with the conventions of the Golden Age crime novel, and it becomes at times a pastiche of itself. Meadowes invokes the spirit of his amateur detective to help him poke around: everyone involved opens up to him, answering his most probing questions without blinking an eye; the police are happy to share information with him that defies belief; and, of course, the classic Golden Age conclusion, where all the suspects are gathered together, is arranged by Meadowes whilst even he admits: ‘Braithwaite would have hated a set-up like this – as near as dammit to the traditional “group denouement” of the Golden Age!’

It's fun, never intended to be taken too seriously, and thoroughly enjoys itself with its nods to the absurdity of the festival circuit so prevalent nowadays for writers. I shamelessly enjoyed it, and look forward to more in the series. To paraphrase Eliot’s Prufrock: this is not Agatha Christie nor was meant to be. Enjoy it for what it is and just escape for a few hours. An enjoyable 3.5 stars, happily rounded up to 4.… (altro)

amateur-sleuth, England, murder, murder-investigation *****

The middle aged critic was not well loved, especially by his women, but there was no evident reason for him to be murdered. If it was a murder. The second death was assuredly murder but, again, where was the motive? The mystery writer becomes his own chief character and potters around investigating in his own way. While it does get a bit draggy occasionally, it's still a good whodunit!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Black Thorn via NetGalley. Thank you!… (altro)