Meh. I didn’t guess the culprit and it was revealed essentially on the last page, which I felt was a bit of a cop-out. Also too many characters; it got confusing. ( )

This got off to a quick start, and I was anticipated a fun read.

And whilst it did not completely fell away, it seemed that the number of threads and leads got in the way of a 'clean' story. It reminded me of those B class black and white moody movies of the 40s and 50s, with everyone coming and going,and the audience is concentrating to ensure that their way was not lost, for if it was, it was unlikely to be recaptured!

For some reason The Thin Man came to mind...

Worth a read.

Big Ship

1 December 2022 ( )

Everton used to work for the foreign office but after a liaison with the beautiful, amoral Lucy Bath, wife of a retired judge, he barely survived an attempted murder and was jailed for fraud. Now he is working for an organisation that rates third-rate hotels and has run into Lucy again. When Lucy invites him to her home for drinks, he ignores his misgivings and goes, to be caught up in a murder.

Mostly I was amused by Everton's humorous, sardonic observations, particularly of third-rate hotels, but sometimes the defeatism became too much. However, Everton manages to rise above his cynicism and investigate the crime, revealing the well-meaning, kind-hearted man who had been ruthlessly exploited by the conscienceless Lucy.

There are many plot strands and numerous twists, probably too many. The book was published in 1952, when there was money to be made smuggling criminals out of Europe, and food was still rationed in Britain. I was amused by the emphasis on food, which is common to other books from the same period. E C R Lorac springs to mind.

I quite liked The Widow of Bath and would recommend it as an oddity. ( )