An Embarrassment of Corpses [Hardcover]

Alan Beechey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YAAYAs will enjoy the humor as well as the twists and turns of this plot in which a zodiac killer is apparently carrying out cleverly planned serial murders in central London. The lead police detective and his nephew, who writes a popular book series for children and who has a crush on his uncle's pretty but cool assistant, team up to solve the crime. Lines such as "(S)he thought the Irish Question was rhetorical" and a character who is "one dormouse short of a tea party" show the flavor of the writing. Witty dialogue; unusual vocabulary; a light, sophisticated air among the young people with whom the nephew lives; and a sly plot combine to form a book that falls between the works of Wodehouse, Anthony Boucher, and S.J. Perelman. A delightful debut mystery.AJudy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

When up-and-coming children's author Oliver Swithin finds a famous writer's body in a Trafalgar Square fountain, he relays his suspicions about the presumed accident to Scotland Yard by way of his uncle. Detective Superintendent Tim Mallard at first scoffs but then uses Oliver's intelligence to solve what becomes a series of murders in public places throughout London. While not particularly literate or deep, this first novel succeeds in large part because of its humor, light tone, imaginative characters, and fascinating murder scenes. A pleasant distraction.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 265 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (December 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312169361
• ISBN-13: 978-0312169367
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,807,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real charmer, May 23, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: An Embarrassment of Corpses (Hardcover)

After a night of snark-hunting, Sir Harry Random, a well-known children's author, turns up dead in a fountain in Trafalger Square. His body is found by his friend Oliver Swithin, a fellow snark-hunter and part-time children's author who has created one of the most malevolent characters in all of children's literature, the ferret Finsbury. Sir Harry is but the first in a series of corpses, all of whom seem to be the work of a zodiac serial killer. Oliver's uncle Mallard is a Detective Superintendent in the New Scotland Yard whose attractive young assistant Effie Strongitharm is a budding love interest of Oliver's. The story of their search for the murderer is a cleverly written and twisting tale, fast-paced and most of all, FUN!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humerous and refreshingly different., July 20, 1998

By 

Bill Diaper (Boston, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Embarrassment of Corpses (Hardcover)

I have read many, many mysteries and there are precious few that stand out. This is one of those few. It has a very readable style, believable characters, is very humerous, and has twists and turns which will fool even the most experienced armchair detectives. Plus, all of the clues are right there in the story if you can see them.

I hope there are many more to come like this from Mr. Beechey!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant--hilarious, August 20, 2003

By 

E Rice (western ny state) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Embarrassment of Corpses (Hardcover)

this is some of the best writing i've enjoyed since terry pratchett's earlier discworld novels. the plotting is superior to most serious mysteries, the thumbnail descriptions of minor characters are amazing (and the major characters are incredibly well drawn), and the humor is of the put the book down and laugh out loud for several minutes variety.

alan beechey has only one other book listed here on amazon, written in 1999. after that, nothing. why, oh why not??? two is not enough. perhaps he will emulate 'the cat who' author and resume, though i hope he won't take twenty years to do so.

maybe he went back to england. i think i'll check the brit amazon site....