Customer Reviews

The Loudwater Mystery

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

 

 

If you have not tried robotic reading before, it will take some time for you to adjust. Some people never do. Over time, my mind has trained itself to hear what it should sound like rather than what it does sound like....well, perhaps, not entirely.
The book, written shortly after the end of the First World War, features in its casting, two characters invalided out of the British army for medical reasons. Stylistically, in many ways, it is a classical Lord of the Manor murder mystery. There is an eminently lovable wife and an utterly boorish Aristocratic husband, with a wounded serviceman active in the wings. There is a mystery woman being paid a monthly sum by the Lord of the Manor, who has a bright young playwright want-to-be as secretary. There is a boorish valet and his parlor maid sweetheart. Other assorted characters appropriate to an aristocratic setting make their appearance to enliven the plot. There is the detective, a shrewd cookie who is adequately deferential to the lovable wife seeking to protect her from scandal mongering.
Jepson is a witty writer in the fashion of his day, still eminently readable today.The characters, while playing stereotypical roles, are quite human and are made to play their parts satisfactorily. All in all, quite a worthy title for kindle at a very good price.

Usually in a murder mystery, you want the murderer to get caught. Well, with Lord Loudwater (what a name!) I was really rooting for the killer to get away with it.

Was it the suffering wife? The wife's boyfriend? The ex-fiance? Did the butler do it? Great motivations and a detective who is amusing to watch (got to avoid those scandals!)

This is set in post WW1 England.

Short, as many of the time were, and free for the Kindle.

The only reason for not giving it 5 stars is the atrocious ending. I really hate it when an author uses a sledgehammer to make their point.

I am reading this book at the present moment and finding it slow in plot and not able to understand so of what is going on. It seem like the premise is good but lacks something at least for the moment.