Frank Richardson (6)

This is a truly bizarre book. Although presented as a classic 'detective' novel, there is very little to tie it to the genre as no ostensible crime is committed. The haphazard plot, ill-defined characters and inexplicable interpolations regarding facial hair should make 'The Mayfair Mystery' dismissable as an absurd period piece; it is, however, remarkably readable. Richardson's prose brims with Edwardian charm and offers an unexpected window on pre-war London society. The book also boasts an ending that is closer to 'Some Like it Hot' than 'Death on the Nile'. (Sadly the an angry octopus or squid suggested by the cover never emerges in the text.)… (meer)