Bertie and the 7 Bodies (Mass Market Paperback)

by Peter Lovesey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
When a killer stalks a dinner-and-gameshooting party on an English country estate, the corpses drop like pheasants. High-living Albert Edward ("Bertie"), Prince of Wales, who made his detective debut in Lovesey's Bertie and the Tinman , is the fumbling sleuth and rakish narrator, loosely modeled on the real-life prince who became King Edward VII. Bertie discovers that the nursery rhyme "Monday's child is fair of face . . . " holds the key; each line of the poem points to the next victim. Among the dwindling group of party guests, one of whom is the murderer, are an Amazon explorer, a stuttering poet and a scheming actress. Half the fun of this romp lies in watching Bertie invent, then discard, one theory after another; for a while his suspicions even fall on the widowed hostess he wants to bed. The other half comes from Lovesey's light mockery of Victorian manners and sexual mores in a bright, entertaining tale whose bantering tone conceals artful plotting.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"An utterly charming series . . . what a delight!" – New York Times Book Review -- New York Times Book Review

“An utterly charming series . . . what a delight!” – New York Times Book Review --New York Times Book Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Mysterious Press (January 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0445408588
• ISBN-13: 978-0445408586
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,669,116 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Pseudo Sleuth, February 26, 2009

By	Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bertie and the Seven Bodies (Hardcover)

This is the sequel to Bertie and the Tinman, 2nd in Lovesey's Prince of Wales mysteries--followed by Bertie And the Crime of Passion (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) (Prince of Wales Mystery) (which I will read soon). This book has the same quality of ego in it but tends, IMHO, to play up the class differences more than the prior volume in the series. It is obviously more important to Bertie to be a sleuth & to protect his family name than to protect the lives of his "friends" or to obey the law. If you enjoy watching an egotist spout foolishness, this book's for you. Humor is, after all, in the ear of the beholder. This book builds on Christie's AGATHA CHRISTIE'S TEN LITTLE INDIANS theme (as do several other works). The characters are different but one hardly gets to know them.

Overall, I like Lovesey's books, esp. some of his lesser known ones & ones with interesting characters like Hen Mallin & Ingeborg Smith (e.g. The House Sitter). Of course, you can enjoy Lovesey's Bertie series as humorous mysteries; if so, I'd recommend his hilarious (& IMHO best) Keystone (Black Dagger Crime).

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Worst Lovesey Book I've read, February 15, 2003

By	Alexander Madorsky (Shaker Heights, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bertie and the Seven Bodies (Hardcover)

Pretty absurd plot. Lovesey is generally a brilliant author, but this novel is tiresome and implausible. Although the Bertie series is not his best, other stories in this series are far better. Unless you have an overwhelming interest in the parlor games played by Victorian royalty, stay away.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Prince Albert Goes Detecting, May 31, 2000

By	Larry Eischen (Joliet, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This is a hilarious mystery as Prince Albert tries to prove his deductive abilities by finding the culprit who is committing serial murders paced on the Monday's Child rhyme. Of coure, his reasoning is usually way off and part of the fun is watching others deflate his ego with the correct explanation of his deductions. Nevertheless, Bertie shows a penchant for relying on royal privilege to get his way. A great comic historical mystery.