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Murder by the Book is a stereotypical boiler plate mystery. The characters are one dimensional and all perform very much as expected. If you’re looking for a quick read set in an earlier British time period to kill a small amount of free time, this might work for you. Hardly a page turner.
During Covid I found myself reading more and more mysteries. I guess part of the reason is that there was always an end to the story...something being solved. In most cases, I read books by authors who were at the top of their craft; books that kept my attention and that taught me new things.While this book was enjoyable, it didn't quite live up to what I had hoped. Nonetheless, it was worth reading and if you like a story set in the 50s that has a good deal of twists and turns, you might enjoy
A really well constructed and plotted mystery in the classic style. Lots of plot twists, red herrings, and dead bodies. As others have also noted, it was a bit slow moving, but never so bad as to become a DNF.
There are two unavoidable pillars on which a murder mystery novel should be built: one is its characters and the other the ingenuity of the plot. Thankfully, Murder by the Book is reasonably successful on both accounts. For this, his first foray in the genre from a extensive career in sci-fi, Brown, as is traditional, is setting up a pair of amateur sleuths to be the heroes of his series. One is a murder detective author and the other, who doubles up as the love interest, is a French literary ag...
I loved this book and I'm looking forward to what I hope is going to be a long running series featuring the characters of Langham and Dupre. The setting is 1950s London, the atmosphere of which Brown manages to evoke really well. Donald Langham is a crime writer and when his literary agent Charles Elder admits to him that he is being blackmailed Donald attempts to help him track down the culprit. Multiple murders of some of Donald's fellow crime writers ensue, it's evident that someone with a gr...
I found this mystery very good indeed. I liked the main set of characters- Donald and Maria; Charles took a bit of time for me to warm up to- not because he is homosexual but because of how he spoke sometimes but then again so did many of the characters that came through the book. Things like "Langham made his way back towards the facade, pain pounding through his skull in syncopation with his heartbeat." and "I curse myself for being such an abject, pusillanimous fool!" bugged me to no end beca...
In Murder by the Book Eric Brown introduces Donald Langham, a slightly diffident but agreeable crime writer living alone in mid-fifties London. He is soon drawn into the travails of his agent, Charles Elder. Elder is a fine, vivid character in his own right, as is his secretary, Maria Dupre and it is Maria and Donald’s burgeoning relationship that forms the core of the book. Elder’s life and freedom is threatened and the three of them are pulled into a vortex of blackmail and murder. Brown’s cha...
Who knew that in 1937 The United Kingdom started using 999 for emergencies. I thought I'd caught an anachronism but this author does his research - and writes an engaging, entertaining murder mystery to boot.
An enjoyable mystery featuring a killer that is targeting mystery writers & agents. This is set in post-WWII (1950s) but the story doesn't really convey the feel of the time to me. The plot was a bit convoluted on occasion, but overall the mystery kept my interest. I loved some of the nods to the mystery writers of that time. There was a nice chemistry between our sleuth / writer, Donald, and his agent's secretary/partner, Maria. I look forward to reading more in this series.
A good, old fashioned mystery I enjoyed the language used throughout the story, old fashioned and erudite. Murder By the Book is is a light hearted, fun mystery with surprises along the way. The action quickens towards the halfway mark with bodies being knocked off and no killer recognizable. A fun twist.
This is a delightful crime novel set in 1950’s London. Donald Langham is a forty year old author of crime mysteries, featuring his private detective Sam Brooke. Langham is widowed and lives a slightly solitary life, but is successful at what he does and enjoys his writing. His literary agent, Charles Elder, invites him to lunch and then asks him for his advice. Elder is being blackmailed after being photographed with a young man in a very compromising position. Donald Langham had worked briefly
Very garden-variety murder mystery of the "cozy" species. One plot twist. The guy never quite gets around to, um, doing his French girlfriend. And now they are to be the next Odd Couple of brilliant private investigators, in post-war England? No thanks.
For me, Eric Brown's Murder By The Book began slowly, too slowly for my taste. Perhaps it was the often stilted language, or the lack of a character one could grasp hold of, or perhaps just the seeming difficulty the book had in gaining its initial traction for me. My general rule of reading is to give a book 40 pages, or an hour of my time. if I'm not engaged by then, chances are I won't be. There are plenty of other books lined up waiting to be opened.Well, the book teetered on being put down,...
I really enjoyed this one. It was a fun read. Not too dark, not too light, not too cute, not too trite…hey…I just made a rhyme and didn’t even mean to! Anyways, one of the reasons that I will put a book down and not pick it back up again is when it is clichéd. This story was very original. The plot was original, clever, well paced, with just enough twists and a little bit of romance.The characters are intelligently written. I really enjoyed the relationship between three primary characters. Dona...
I absolutely hate to get buy a book that says it's about book or bookstores and then find out the books are only props. This book was a wonderful surprise, in that not only the problem of begin a writer; but the mean back biting of the publishing industry, was laid bare for all. A great plot and true to historical setting. I'll be buying the rest of this set for sure.
I'm not a big fan of mysteries but I am a big fan of Eric Brown's science fiction so I thought I would give his mystery series a try. This first book was pretty good though a couple of the secondary characters seemed over the top in their portrayal. But it was a good enough read that I will eventually read the others.
It is the 1950’s in London. The War is so recent it is still a part of everyone’s thoughts. Donald is a mystery writer. His books are good reading. He makes a living with his writing and that gives him pleasure. His war experiences are far enough behind him that he can put them far in the back of his mind. But, some of those skills may come in handy. When Donald’s agent, Charles, asks for his help, of course he will help. There is a blackmailer who has pictures. This was during a time when being...
I wasn't sure if I would like this. Crime fiction really isn't my thing but what I am is a huge Eric Brown fan. I shouldn't have been concerned, like his sci-fi the story was about the characters not the settling.
Most enjoyable!Initially I had doubts about this book but it turned out to be quite well done. I enjoyed the characters very much and the story was believable. Loved the setting and time period as well. Very, very British.