The Bee's Kiss: A Detective Joe Sandlands Mystery (Joe Sandilands Murder Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Barbara Cleverly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 2006 | Series: Joe Sandilands Murder Mysteries

It's 1926, and Joe Sandilands is back from Ranipur, enjoying the frantic pleasures of Jazz Age London. Yet there is a darkness behind all the postwar gaiety. A woman has been discovered bludgeoned to death in her suite at the Ritz. A broken window and missing emerald necklace suggest that it is a burglary gone wrong. But the corpse is that of a much respected member of the British establishment, Dame Beatrice Joliffe, one of the founders of the Wrens; so Scotland Yard sends Joe to conduct a swift enquiry. Then, Joliffe's companion, an ex-chorus girl, falls from Waterloo Bridge at twilight, and two of the Dame's clique of eager young Wrens commit suicide. Although these deaths make Joe suspect that Beatrice has been killed by someone close to her, he suddenly finds that the case is closed, and he is asked by his superiors to surrender his files. Against the background of a looming general strike and pressure from unseen governmental presence, Joe struggles on, picking his way through the political panic and rebelling against authority. The fifth title in the Golden Dagger Award-winning series, The Bee's Kiss builds to a shattering solution.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Set in 1926, Cleverly's stellar fifth Commander Joe Sandilands novel finally brings the Scotland Yarder home to England from India. The empathy and shrewdness Sandilands showed in previous books (The Palace Tiger, etc.) is very much on display when he receives a late night summons to probe the murder of a prominent establishment figure, Dame Beatrice Joliffe, viciously bludgeoned to death in her room at the Ritz Hotel. Aided by a new pair of assistants, a former army subordinate, Sergeant Armitage, and Constable Tilly Westhorpe, the commander finds reason to believe that the crime was more complicated than a jewel theft gone bad. And though Britain is at peace, Sandilands can't ignore the anxious political undercurrents that suggest the murder may have ramifications for national security. As always, the author scrupulously plays fair, and the careful reader who puts the pieces together will be gratified with a logical and chilling explanation. (Aug.)
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From Booklist

Cleverly's Joseph Sandilands (The Palace Tiger, 2005) is back home from India enjoying the nightlife of Jazz Age London. After returning home late from a disappointing date, he is called to the posh Ritz Hotel, where Dame Beatrice Joliffe, the socially prominent founder of the Wrens (Women' s Royal Navy Society), lies dead. A broken window and a missing necklace point to a burglary gone wrong, and Scotland Yard wants Sandilands to resolve the case quickly and discreetly. When Dame Beatrice's companion, a former chorus girl, falls from Waterloo Bridge, and two other young Wrens commit suicide, it becomes clear that this case is no simple burglary. As always, Cleverly combines a colorful historical setting (London standing in this time for India) with a complex plot and well-developed characters. The Sandilands series, now five books old, would make a natural for fans of Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf; 1ST edition (August 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078671736X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786717361
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,308,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara Cleverly is a former teacher and a graduate of Durham University who now lives in Cambridge. Her debut, The Last Kashmiri Rose, was a New York Times Notable Book of 2002.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a fascinating and enjoyable read, August 8, 2006

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bee's Kiss: A Detective Joe Sandlands Mystery (Joe Sandilands Murder Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Barbara Cleverly exchanges the lush and colourful India of the British Raj for the frantic and decadent London of the Jazz age in this latest Joe Sandilands mystery novel; and while there is no doubt that she has written another very intriguing and riveting mystery novel, I have to own that like the previous entries in this fascinating series, I'm still having problems with the manner in which she portrays her characters.

It's 1926 and London seems to be under the grip of two threats: that of a looming general worker's strike and the exploits of a dashing jewel thief that seems to be preying on rich and beautiful people of the upper classes. And when Dame Beatrice Jagow-Joliffe, one of the founders of the WRENS (the Women's Royal Naval Service), is found savagely bludgeoned to death in her suite at the Ritz, the natural assumption is that it was a jewel robbery gone terribly wrong. But there is something very personal about the savagery at which Dame Beatrice was attacked that leads Commander Joe Sandlilands to suspect that the motive for her murder was very personal indeed, and that it had nothing to do with her missing jewels. Briskly he starts to delve into the lady's life, only to be confronted with the lady's unconventional lifestyle and orders from the powers that be to close the case as quickly and as quietly as possible...

"The Bee's Kiss" was a wonderfully swift paced and very absorbing read. ONce I started, I found that I really had to finish it in one go. Barbara Cleverly did a wonderful job, I thought, of sustiaing the suspense and smooth flow of the book. Also well done was the manner in which she depicted the darker and more sinister aspects of London social life during the Jazz Age, as well as all the prejudices that the upper classes and government had towards the workers that were threatening to go on strike if their demands weren't met -- all this gave a wonderful dark and atmospheric feel to "The Bee's Kiss." I also thought that all the plot twists and turns were very well executed as well. The only problem I had with "The Bee's Kiss" was that the characters SOMETIMES came across as caricatures, and as such were not very credible -- esp when, inevitably, one compares it with Charles Todd's Ian Rutledge mystery series. All in all though, this was still a very riveting and intriguing read, and well worth the money spent.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of her Best, November 3, 2006

By 

Stephen B. Wells (CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bee's Kiss: A Detective Joe Sandlands Mystery (Joe Sandilands Murder Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This was one of the best of the Joe Sandilands series. I counldn't put it down and I look forward enthusiastically to the next in the series. I found it to be a real page turner; full of appropriate color of an interesting time in England. She captured the essence just right. And even though I have read all her other Sandilands books, and knew her style and techniques, I couldn't guess the ending. Great book.