Customer Reviews

Blotto, Twinks and the Ex-King's Daughter

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I enjoyed most of Simon Brett's Charles Paris mysteries but I was incredibly disappointed by this book. Blotto, Twinks and the Ex-King's Daughter is a cavalcade of stereotypical buffoons (the plodding policeman, the clueless British Lord, etc.), filled with stupid idioms and saddled with a creaking plot. It's just horrible. Don't waste your money.

I listened to the audiobook version read by Simon Brett himself, and I smiled through all 6 CDs without stopping. It reminded me of the old Carol Burnett spoofs where the deliciousness is in the *intentional* ridiculousness. Those who are criticizing it might have enjoyed it more if they were not expecting the Simon Brett they are used to - this is Brett on caffeine and Dexadrine, laughing it up late at night after reading one too many Peter Winsey novels. Enjoy the spoof, please! If you want to enjoy it to its fullest, listen to the audio -- no one does proper inflections and knows exactly what to emphasize better than a book's author. I hope Mr. Brett continues this series - if you love his BBC show where two actors play out mysteries while the guests must figure out the murderer, you will adore this series.

Fun book. Moved quickly but got caught up in jargon and euphemisms of, I guess, the timeframe of the era. I didn't like that part.