Tour de Force [Hardcover]

Christianna Brand (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1996

Inspector Cockrill''s opinion of things forei gn has never been high; & that he should find himself on a '' conducted tour'' filled him with astonishment & regret. Then to top it all, a young woman is murdered & the police name h im as number one suspect. '

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: San Val (June 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417810785
• ISBN-13: 978-1417810789
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,157,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tour De Force is a Treat, December 8, 2000

By 

seventeen degrees - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tour de Force (Brand, Christianna) (Mass Market Paperback)

A well-plotted, clever, fun tale of a British tour group's visit to an island near Italy but governed by Spain. One of the tourists is murdered, naturally. The local police just want to arrest *someone*; they can always arrange to hire some "witnesses" later. So Inspector Cockrill's vacation turns into a busman's holiday and he investigates, after informing the local officers "Me--Scotalanda Yard!". Lots and lots of clues, and plenty of red herrings. I correctly guessed the solution, but Brand almost convinced me I was wrong. I was impressed by the non-judgmental depiction of a gay character, pretty progressive considering that the book was first published in 1955. A witty book, and (hooray) one of several Brands currently in print.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Twisty, Clever, and Completely Absorbing, March 3, 2008

By 

Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tour de Force (Brand, Christianna) (Mass Market Paperback)

Born in 1907 in Malaya, Mary Christianna Milne Lewis worked as everything from a governess to a nightclub dancer before discovering her niche as an author with the novel DEATH IN HIGH HEELS--and then delighting mystery lovers with the later GREEN FOR DANGER. Although she is now best known as the creator of the "Nurse Matilda" stories for children, by the time of her 1988 death she had written seventeen mystery novels; while not as well known in the United States as the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and Nygio Marsh, they have remained popular in England and Europe and are often considered classics of their kind.

Published in 1955, TOUR DE FORCE is the last of Brand's books to feature re-occuring character Inspector Cockrill--who on this occasion is taking a package tour of Italy. Unfortunately for Cockrill, the package throws him in with a group of tourists that range from a philandering and former concert pianist, his career ended by the loss of an arm; his very long suffering wife; a famous and very flamboyant novelist; a questionable tour guide; and, of course, a murderer. And the murder occurs in a most unfortunate location: an obscure Italian island where the authorities are more interested in arresting somebody to end the case than they are in catching the killer.

Brand's plot is a twisty as anything Christie created and her sense of character and location bring Marsh to mind--but she has her own distinct tone of voice, warm, witty, and pleasant. She also has a great gift for that classic of the English murder mystery, "the red herring," and where TOUR DE FORCE is concerned it will be the rare reader indeed who can draw identity, motive, and process together to fully identify the killer before Brand makes the revelation. Indeed, if TOUR DE FORCE has a flaw, it is that Brand is a shade too good at her own game, and some may find her conclusion a shade too twisty.

Even so, TOUR DE FORCE is certainly an entertaining novel, one that you begin to read at six in the evening and suddenly find yourself finishing up, after a single long sitting, several hours later. Lots of fun and recommended to all mystery fans--particularly those fond of the classic English style.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun!, October 30, 2001

By 

Deirdre M. (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tour de Force (Brand, Christianna) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was really a lot of fun. It's a classic whodunit with plenty of clues as well as some red herrings so that you can really try to figure it out for yourself. Well written as well.