Customer Reviews

detection unlimited

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

 

 

Long famous for the historical romances that entranced the teenage girls of earlier generations, Georgette Heyer turned her hand several times to whodunits in the English countryside. Detection is Unlimited when every delightfully drawn citizen of a tiny village offers Chief Inspecter Hemingway theories as to who murdered the socially pushy newcomer. Supects, humour, and romance abound and in the end, Hemingway sees through the false clues and solves the problem with his "special flair."

"Detection Unlimited" by Georgette Heyer is the last of her mysteries. It was first published in 1953. By this time Ms. Heyer was consider one of the queens of mystery fiction, but this episode needed a good editing. Too many characters said the same thing numerous times to make a good read. I found myself turning back to make sure I knew which one was suspecting whom.
The light romance is well done, the narrative and dialogue contains some sparking wit and deep insights into human character. Unlike many of Ms. Heyer's works Inspector Hemingway, in spite of all the unsolicited help solves the crime in a very ingenious manner. At points the reader wants to give him a shove in the right direction as well-meaning individuals clutter his path.
Nash Black, author of "Qualifying Laps" and "Sins of the Fathers."

I'm a Georgette Heyer fan of more than 40 years and have loved almost everything she wrote (that I can get my hands on. I'm constantly surprised at how many of her books are hard to find or out of print.) And her mysteries have always been some of my favorites. But, frankly, I was disappointed in this one. The obligatory romance was delightfully sweet and perfectly typical, but there are several points that diminish the book's appeal: there were indeed too many characters with too little emphasis on the more interesting; the murderer wasn't fully fleshed out and came as a surprise to no one; and the denouement was a true let down, leaving me unfulfilled and at a loss. I must immediately re-read Behold, Here's Poison or Footsteps in the Dark just to regain my equilibrium.

This was just a blast to read. Fun and witty. Great plot. I loved the characters. Dorothy Heyer is one of my favorite writers. She never fails to please.

While this wasn't her very best mystery, it still rates 5 stars for the wonderful village characters and the police that have to sort through their motives, alibis and willingness to cast suspicion on each other. Chief Inspecter Hemingway shows his "flair" and gets along with everyone including a cranky old Pekinese Patriarch. The romance is fairly weak - the young couple just isn't as interesting as their elders - but the mystery keeps you guessing right up until a satisfying end. Well worth reading.