A Blunt Instrument [Paperback]

Georgette Heyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2010

"Ranks alongside such incomparable whodunnit authors as Christie,
Marsh, Tey, and Allingham."
-San Francisco Chronicle

Who would kill the perfect gentleman?

When Ernest Fletcher is found bludgeoned to death in his study, everyone is shocked and mystified: Ernest was well liked and respected, so who would have a motive for killing him?

Superintendent Hannasyde, with consummate skill, uncovers one dirty little secret after another, and with them, a host of people who all have reasons for wanting Fletcher dead. Then, a second murder is committed, giving a grotesque twist to a very unusual case, and Hannasyde realizes he's up against a killer on a mission...

"Given the chance I could happily devour a stack of her novels one after the other."
-A Work In Progress

"A few things that you are guaranteed when you pick up a Georgette Heyer novel of any kind are unique characters and a fast-paced plot."
-We Be Reading

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The late Georgette Heyer was a very private woman. Her historical novels have charmed and delighted millions of readers for decades, though she rarely reached out to the public to discuss her works or private life. It is known that she was born in Wimbledon in August 1902, and her first novel, The Black Moth, was published in 1921.

Heyer published 56 books over the next 53 years, until her death from lung cancer in 1974. Heyer's large volume of works included Regency romances, mysteries and historical fiction. Known also as the Queen of Regency romance, Heyer was legendary for her research, historical accuracy and her extraordinary plots and characterizations. Her last book, My Lord John, was published posthumously in 1975. She was married to George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer, and they had one son together, Richard.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark; Reissue edition (March 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402218001
• ISBN-13: 978-1402218002
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #294,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Author of over fifty books, Georgette Heyer is the best-known and best-loved of all historical novelists, making the Regency period her own. Her first novel, "The Black Moth," published in 1921, was written at the age of fifteen to amuse her convalescent brother; her last was My Lord John. Although most famous for her historical novels, she also wrote eleven detective stories. Georgette Heyer died in 1974 at the age of seventy-one.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilariously ridiculously funny., February 7, 2008

By 

NoNamePlease (California) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Blunt Instrument (Paperback)

Hilariously ridiculously funny. Again, Georgette Heyer's characters and dialogues are highly entertaining and witty. The plot is very well thought out too. I disagree with those who think this book is dull. Dull is never the word for this book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Bash on the Head, August 5, 2007

By 

Nash Black "Troubadour" (Jamestown, KY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: A Blunt Instrument (Paperback)

"A Blunt Instrument" is below the style expected of Ms. Heyer. Too many characters have a reason to kill Ernest Fletcher, a ladies man drawn to the fine line of repulsive, it makes a modern reader wonder why any woman would get within fifty feet of him.

The best lines are among Superintendent Hannasyde and Sargent Hemmingway as they plot the crime and its execution with a Biblical quoting local policeman who discovered the body. Other exchanges between characters seemed contrived and uncomfortable.

A good read, but not one of her best, which includes an interesting romance.

Nash Black, author of "Qualifying Laps" and "Sins of the Fathers."

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very readable but otherwise unmemorable, December 5, 2004

By 

Ron "[e-mail]" (Whidbey Island, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Blunt Instrument (Hardcover)

An old-fashioned murder mystery set in the days when life was simpler. I hardly ever figure out 'whodunit', and thus probably enjoy these types of books more than more discerning readers. But even I figured this one out fairly quickly. Maybe I've finally read enough to see the clues. Still, I recommend this as a lite-snack for the brain.