Why Shoot a Butler? [Paperback]

Georgette Heyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2009

Every family has secrets, but the Fountains' are turning deadly…

On a dark night, along a lonely country road, barrister Frank Amberley stops to help a young lady in distress and discovers a sports car with a corpse behind the wheel. The girl protests her innocence, and Amberley believes her—at least until he gets drawn into the mystery and the clues incriminating Shirley Brown begin to add up…

In an English country-house murder mystery with a twist, it's the butler who's the victim, every clue complicates the puzzle, and the bumbling police are well-meaning but completely baffled. Fortunately, in ferreting out a desperate killer, amateur sleuth Amberley is as brilliant as he is arrogant, but this time he's not sure he wants to know the truth…

PRAISE FOR WHY SHOOT A BUTLER?

"If genteel mysteries are your cup of tea, you have here a steaming teapot just waiting to be poured."
Bestsellers

"Georgette Heyer is second to none."
Sunday Times

"Heyer is an author to read — this means you!"
New York Herald Tribune

"Sharp, clear, and witty"
New Yorker

(20090330)

Editorial Reviews

Review

While many of the plot elements in Why Shoot a Butler? are familiar, Heyer's light, stylish touch makes them feel classic. (Word Candy 20090518)

[A] delightful and pleasant read with plenty of clever dialogue and witty humor... (Liliana Swistek Reading Extravaganza 20090527)

This was all I could have wanted in a mystery and... there was even a bit of romance. (Kristen Meston We Be Reading 20090601)

[A] witty and funny novel. (Grace Loiacano Grace's Book Blog 20090601)

[A] clever, witty romp, the whole upstairs/downstairs thing going on, with even a touch of a romance thrown in. (K. Fitzgerald A Lovely Shore Breeze 20090623)

[I]t's the characters that really shine. They're varied, interesting, and entertaining... I enjoyed every minute I spent reading the book. (Debbie White Genre Reviews 20090626)

Why Shoot a Butler? demonstrates once again the acclaimed Queen of Regency's deftness in juggling a large cast of well-defined characters and a tangled plot-web. (Theresa Ichino Bookloons.com )

The appeal of cozies has always included well-drawn characters as well as a crime-puzzle. As befits a writer justly renowned for characterization, Georgette Heyer delivers with a vengeance in Behold, Here's Poison. (Theresa Ichino Book Loons )

...[D]raws the readers into the upper class world of the English country house. (Marg Bates Reading Adventures )

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 personal life. She was born in Wimbledon in August 1902, and her first novel, The Black Moth, published when she was 19, was an instant success.

Heyer published 56 books over the next 53 years, until her death from lung cancer in 1974. Her work included Regency novels, 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 barrister, and they had one son, Richard.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (April 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402217951
• ISBN-13: 978-1402217951
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,944 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

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars typical british manor house whodunit, July 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Why Shoot a Butler? (Hardcover)

A lot of fun, written tongue-in-cheak. Not the way most mysterys are done, but this one works. Cocky young barrister on his way to visit family finds a young woman standing next to car with a dead butler in it. The plot involves him solving the murder but only after he is begged by the local police. Good fun.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Crime Fans, Rejoice!, September 28, 2009

By 

Lisa Marie (NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why Shoot a Butler? (Paperback)

When they re-issued the dozen or so Georgette Heyer mysteries recently, I was taken in by their appealing vintage cover artwork. What I discovered - to my surprise and delight - were wonderful English manor mysteries, similar in the Agatha Christie style.

These books blend a nice, cozy, old-fashioned mystery with Ms. Heyer's wonderfully snarky and dry wit, which adds up to genuine reading pleasure. I've plowed through nearly all her mysteries and will be sorry when I read the last. I wish she wrote as many myseries as she did Regency romances!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very well-written whodunit, May 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Why Shoot a Butler? (Hardcover)

This suspenseful mystery is most enjoyable for its dialogue and character development, much like a Dorothy Sayers novel. The hero is a very realistic, dynamic young lawyer. He finds himself in love with an enigmatic young woman who is a central figure in very mysterious circumstances, including a murdered butler. The plot and pace of the book are excellent, as is the ending.