Fun stroll through old England during the war, as a nosy Parker, who harrasses the people of her village about their sinful ways, is found dead, face down in a cess pool. Littlejohn meets eccentric character after eccentric character in search of the killer.
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pickPublished 81 years ago with no swearing and a more sedentary lifestyle, I found this a really pleasant and satisfying police Procedural. With Insp. Littlejohn's plan detailed before the investigation into a murder begins, it gives you an insight to the detective's thinking. With today's technology there was a clue that is plainly obvious but it would not have been so evident at the time of writing. Great characters, memorable names, a good story.
so-soThis 1940s mystery was grimmer than I expected & revealed the dark underbelly of the stereotypically languid, traditional English village. Unfortunately, it's a book that came off mean-spirited. The attempts at wit left me cold; the characterisation somewhat rudimentary & elitist. Two things in particular annoyed me:
1) Inspector Littlejohn is as dull as dishwater
2) The insistence on representing working class speech via patronising dialect text
I am really not getting on Litsy enough. Too much STUFF. I am managing to read, though. So far, this one is fun. Very typical in many ways, but there's something about the writing that keeps it rolling along.
pickA good, solid mystery with enjoyable characters. There was nothing too flashy or convoluted about the plot, and the strength of this book is in the characters. A classic, small town mystery. I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
so-soThe mystery was okay, but I found the rendering of dialect in print excruciating.
Some great chapter names! I especially like II and XIII.
Death of a Busybody | 
