A weekend shooting party gathers together a rich assortment of characters including Wally Carter and his wife Ermyntrude, the precocious schoolgirl Vicky, the quick-witted Mary, Sir William Dering, and Alexis Varasashvil, a Russian prince. Interests clash and a whiff of a scandalous blackmail letter hangs in the air. Unfortunately, it seems that on this occasion, the marksmen's quarry is destined to be human. Tragedy befalls the Carter family when Wally was killed. No one cared that Wally Carter was dead. Pity. But someone had cared enough to shoot him through the chest. Who the devil could it be? Hemingway/Hannasyde Book 5

The superlatively analytical Inspector Hemingway is confronted by a murder that seems impossible -- no one was near the murder weapon at the time the shot was fired. But everyone on the scene seems to have a motive, not to mention the wherewithal to commit murder, and alibis that simply don't hold up. The inspector is sorely tried by a wide variety of suspects, including the neglected rich widow, Ermyntrude, the neighbor who's in love with her, her resentful daughter, and a patently phony Russian prince preying on the widow's emotional vulnerability and social aspirations. And then there's the blackmail plot that may -- or may not -- be at the heart of the case... The inspector reveals his unnerving talent for solving a fiendish difficult problem, like such as how to shoot a man crossing a narrow bridge without being near the murder weapon when it is fired... Hemingway #1 ( )

This review is for the audiobook edition only.

Ulli Birve did a fine job narrating this mystery overall. In particular, her voice for Ermentrude was excellent. However, for a few of the male characters (such as the butler Peake and Inspector Cook), her narration was at times wooden. ( )

This was an enjoyable book with a lot going on. It mostly takes place in only one location, the estate of a former actress and her husband (a disagreeable man most people do not like), her step-daughter from a previous marriage, and her husband's cousin and ward (one of the few seemingly sane characters of the lot).

The woman is a bit high-strung, but likable woman who is mostly liked in the town, and who puts up with her husband's antics pretty well. Her daughter, a college-aged beautiful girl is very entertaining and gets along with her step-mother very well. She's pretty likable and funny, but you're never sure what she's up to. The husband's cousin is also very likable, but pretty straight-forward and honest.

But then the woman invites some semi-prince from some Russian country (Georgia?) for a visit, which irks the husband - well, most everything irks him, but nobody pays much attention, until he gets murdered. Of course, there are lots of suspects, but no proof for any of them, and it looks hopeless until Scotland Yard is called in.

A fun read, I thought, especially the dialog from the step-daughter. ( )

Vicky's my favorite in this one. I wouldn't necessarily want to know her, but boy is she entertaining to read. ( )

There are dozens of Georgette Heyer books on our bookshelves, much read and reread by my wife, Judy. “You might like this one,” Judy said. “It’s a murder mystery. Not her usual stuff.” Dubious, I began reading.
Heyer has a wry sense of humour, and a voice with echoes of Jane Austen. She writes interesting characters, some you’ll like, and some you’ll enjoy disliking. The actual murder plot is fairly straightforward but well-handled with a neat resolution in the last few pages. ( )