Colin Dexter. The Riddle of the Third Mile (1983)

 

    Colin Dexter. The Riddle of the Third Mile (1983) A headless torso, academic hatreds, sleazy Soho massage parlours, and revenge for ancient slights fuel this investigation by Morse and Lewis. Well done as usual, although the puzzle creaks a bit. This book was one of the early TV episodes, and worked very well in that medium. Dexter’s sense of evil is almost as acute as Ruth Rendell’s. **½ (2004)

W. J. Burley. Wycliffe and the Redhead (1997)

     W. J. Burley. Wycliffe and the Redhead (1997) An old murder causes trouble, as the daughter of the convicted man takes a job with the man whose evidence put her father away. Her body is found in a quarry, and Wycliffe’s investigation reveals more secrets, etc, until the true perp is unmasked. Well crafted, but forgettable (I’m writing this some three weeks after I read the book, and I can’t remember much, even with the help of the cover blurb.) I’m finding other Wycliffe books and reading them, but I probably won’t keep them. the TV series based on these books was/is above average. This often happens with merely good genre fiction. ** (2004)

Andre Norton. Uncharted Stars (1969)

     Andre Norton. Uncharted Stars (1969) A picaresque adventure story, in which shape shifting, hyperspace, mind-reading, narrow escapes, etc, figure prominently. A swords’n’scorcerers fantasy transposed into a technological universe, in other words. Murdoc Jern continues his quest for the zero stones with the help of Eet, a mutant pussy cat who teaches Murdoc to use what little ESP powers he possesses. The ending promises further adventures, as Eet is transformed into a human-type female of spectacular beauty. I don’t know if Norton produced more stories in this series; but as the characters don’t drive the plot, I don’t feel any real loss if she didn’t. The cover blurbs praise the book rather extravagantly. ** (2004)

M. C. Beaton. Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell (2001)

     M. C. Beaton. Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell (2001) Agatha and James have married (I missed the book(s) in which this happened), but they are not as compatible as they thought they might be. James takes up with a local hoyden, is attacked by person(s) unknown, and disappears. A few days later, the hoyden turns up very dead, and both James and Agatha are the obvious suspects. The tale focuses on Agatha’s attempts to clear her name by finding the murderer, with the help of Sir Charles Fraith. They succeed of course, but not without the usual near-death experience that Agatha suffers in every case. James and Agatha agree to a divorce, so we will see her as a single middle-aged woman in future. I suspect these aspects of the story relate to M C Beaton’s own life, but whether as reflections or variations is impossible to tell. Better plotted than others, somewhat more characterisation, too, but still basically fluff. ** (2004)

M. C. Beaton. Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage (1996)

     M. C. Beaton. Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage (1996) Agatha’s wedding to James is stopped when her long-lost drunkard husband Jimmy shows up. A day later Jimmy turns up dead in a ditch, strangled by a man, or so it seems. Wanting to clear themselves of the obvious suspicions, Agatha and James investigate, and turn up a tangled history of blackmail. Further murders complicate the case, but in the end justice triumphs, while true love languishes. Agreeable but not memorable fluff. Beaton can write better (she did in the first couple of books in this series.) *½ (2004)

M. C. Beaton Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet (1993)

     M. C. Beaton Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet (1993) This time, a new vet with googly eyes and a smooth manner disturbs the ladies of Carsely, until he is murdered. Agatha finds out that he has conned loadsadough out of his smitten victims, and of course has made enough enemies that the field of suspects is satisfyingly large, his partner among them. Both lust and money figure in the motives. Plotting is creaky, style is slapdash and superficial; Beaton is simply churning out this series. Agatha’s continuing romance with her neighbour and sleuthing partner James Lacey is tied into the plot, but isn’t really necessary. *½ (2004)

Kingsley Amis What Became of Jane Austen? (1970)

Kingsley Amis What Became of Jane Austen? (1970) Amis wrote occasional pieces, mostly book reviews it seems, and 30-odd are gathered in this collection. The overwhelming impression is that of a man with a clear sense of his own taste, and a rarely disguised contempt for those who disagree with him. Amis is also given to gratuitous insult of people he doesn’t like, such a sociologists. Much of this rudeness adds nothing to his argument or explication, but appears in the form of well-turned epigrams or similes, which must have cost him some effort to produce, hence his inability to leave them out. That being said, the essays are entertaining enough, and I do happen to agree with his (late) recognition of the pernicious influence of the Leavises. The title essay attacks Austen on the grounds that Mansfield Park fails in its moral judgments. Not having read that book, I can’t comment; but his throw-away comments on Pride and Prejudice indicate that Amis prides himself on enjoying a contrarian taste.
     The couple of personal pieces that round out the collection, especially his memoir of his father, make him appear somewhat more amiable, which suggests that his curmudgeonliness was largely a pose, a judgment that he would no doubt strenuously deny. An entertaining collection, which makes me think that I should read a couple of his novels. * to ***