The character descriptions are outstanding:
“There was a strong family resemblance between the two Gilderoys. They were both fair haired, with pale well-bred faces. Their necks were long and slender and their heads rather small. They both had cupid bow mouths that gave them a misleading appearance of gentleness and amiability. They both had clear, cold blue eyes. Their profiles, Harriet always thought, would have looked well on a Greek coin. In a curious way they appeared ageless, although Julian was forty-four and his sister thirty-seven.”
love it.
This book was frustrating because parts of it were so good but the execution was very sloppy. Imagine Nancy Drew and her Uncle Poirot failing to solve a Scooby Doo mystery together. In the very last chapter, shoehorn in some romantic feelings between two characters who have barely had a conversation. It was dripping with excellent visual description, but the actual story was just so-so.
So, does the heroine wander the grounds at night? Yes. Is she in a nightgown at the time? No. Alas there is mention of a torn denim pant leg. She’s also not within sight of “The Castle” as the main house is called, the mysterious light she spies in the night is actually in an abandoned chapel in the deep woods and it is very evocative.
…
Just went to log this on Goodreads and saw that it is listed there as Inspector Finch #18! Inspector Finch is a BLIP of a character. He shows up, mentally solves the mystery but doesn’t helpfully solve it and then takes someone to the hospital and is gone until the end where he explains he had figured everything out from the get-go. 🤷🏻♀️
Originally published August and September 2020
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