A Knife at the Opera (Superintendent Bone Mystery) [Paperback]

Susannah Stacey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1994 | Series: Superintendent Bone Mystery

Backstage at the Turnbridge Wells girls' school production of The Beggar's Opera, all was bedlam. Miss Claire Fairlie, the pretty English teacher, was found with a knife plunged into her back. The Superintendent was in the audience, and as he dug deeper in the case, he discovered there was a lot more to Miss Fairlie than met the eye. HC: Summit.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two gifted British authors, writing as Stacey, present a sequel to their first novel, Goodbye, Nanny Gray , which introduced Inspector Bone. A widower and father, the detective attends a performance of The Beggar's Opera at his daughter's school. Backstage, someone stabs to death a teacher, Claire Fairlie, and Bone takes charge of the case. The investigation uncovers unsavory facts about the victim, who had been resented by wimpy, ineffectual Miss Wallace, by competitive Miss Lambert and by other staff members. Bone finds many suspects among students whom Fairlie first favored and then ignored, as well as her discarded lovers. Working through a maze of true and false stories, the inspector gathers evidence and identifies the surprising killer. The adroit mix of high comedy, tension and sensitivity--in the tenderness between Bone and his daughter--holds the reader in thrall and virtually assures the success of the authors' planned series.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Pocket Books (Mm) (September 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671705083
• ISBN-13: 978-0671705084
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,460,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A good mystery with a well-rounded protagonist, October 20, 2011

By 

Charlene Vickers (Winnipeg, Manitoba) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Knife at the Opera (Superintendent Bone Mystery) (Paperback)

I enjoyed "A Knife at the Opera" both for its realistic but sympathetic view of young people and for the well-conceived mystery. The slang didn't bother me - the English do use far more slang than we Canadians, but it wasn't hard to figure out - and I liked how the writers developed the character of Inspector Bone subtly and slowly. I also liked the relationship between Bone and his daughter, Charlotte, and her recovery from a serious car accident (done very realistically, by the way).

This was an enjoyable short mystery, and I'm actively looking for the sequels. I wish I'd have heard of these books before now, especially since the writers have apparently retired.

4.0 out of 5 stars Rocky start, good ending, August 28, 2011

By 

karen s russo - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Knife at the Opera (Superintendent Bone Mystery) (Paperback)

I almost gave up on this book -- my first Susannah Stacey -- which seemed, at the beginning, to be too clever by half.

The first part of the book is nearly incomprehensible. I've been a huge fan of British mysteries for decades, think I can handle most of the slang and jargon, but this book almost did me in. Part of the problem, I think, is that it's set in a girls school, and there is an astonishing amount of slang being thrown around -- I'd go page after page, not really sure what anyone was saying. Worse was that all the girls had several different nicknames for each other and for their teachers -- it was a guessing game who was speaking, or who they were talking about. Made 'War and Peace' read like 'Dick and Jane'.

I did like the Superintendent Bone character, though, so I stuck with it -- and by the end, once he gets away from the school itself, it started to make sense. A great ending saved it.

I might even look for another book by these authors.