Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.