GoldenageCrimeClub

Lie With Me | Philippe BESSON

Tagged book second favorite of the year!!!

Thanks to #GoldenAgeCrimeClub @Mitch for The Franchise Affair and #NaturalLitsy @AllDebooks for 🦋 book.

ChaoticMissAdventures I have Like With Me at the very top of my list for next year! So glad to see you enjoyed it. Swimming In The Dark was one of my favorites this year. And I read Besson's In The Absence of Men too, such great atmosphere in all of them. 12mo

Cuilin @ChaoticMissAdventures I loved it and will reread it. I should read more by Besson. 12mo

Mitch So glad it was a hit with you 🙌🏼 12mo

44 likes3 comments

kwmg40

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

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I really enjoyed this final selection of the #goldenagecrimeclub. The mystery was intriguing, the characters had depth and the commentary on English society and politics was especially interesting. I was also amused by the fact that it was a Christmas setting but everyone was absolutely miserable! @Mitch

#wintergames #snowangels #longdarknights @Emilymdxn
#DashingDecember @Andrew65

kwmg40 #BookSpinBingo #RushAthon #Adventathon
#gottacatchemall #wintercosy #wintercleardown #AVMB23
#candylandreadathon #AtoZBingo
@TheAromaofBooks @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES @BookmarkTavern
@Puddlejumper @Jadams1776 @CatsandBooks @Texreader 12mo

BookmarkTavern Yay! 🎉🎉🎉 12mo

Ruthiella I really liked this one too! 👍 12mo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 12mo

Catsandbooks 🍭❄️❤️ 12mo

31 likes5 comments

Librarybelle

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

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I had to stay up past my bedtime to finish this! A great mystery to bring in the Christmas weekend. Snow storms. Isolation. Members of the house party dying one by one. And, I loved Dr Bottwink, whose meticulous thoughts and observations were entertaining to read.

I‘ve enjoyed reading the #GoldenAgeCrimeClub books, @Mitch ! Thanks for hosting these!

#192025 #1951

65 likes

DGRachel

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

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I listened to this in 2019, enjoyed it, and promptly forgot about it. I liked it even more on the reread. There‘s something about stories of people being stranded because of weather, cut off from the rest of civilization while bodies start piling up that I just find delightful. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Toss in an English country estate, and I‘m almost guaranteed to love it. #goldenagecrimeclub

Mitch

emz711 I'll add it to my tbr! 12mo

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Mitch

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

There were some great characters in this one - any favourites? Would you read more from Hare?

#goldenagecrimeclub

Ruthiella I would definitely read more from Hare. For sure Dr. Bottwink was a favorite. I also like the butler, Briggs. And Mrs Carstairs was awful, but perfectly portrayed, IMO. 12mo

DGRachel I enjoyed Hare‘s style, so I‘d definitely read more of his work. The characters were all great in their own way (whether wonderful or wonderfully terrible), but they felt almost more like caricatures than unique individuals. 12mo

kwmg40 Only a few of the characters were likeable, but I found them all interesting. I've enjoyed a couple of Cyril Hare's Francis Pettigrew books and I would be happy to read more. 12mo

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kwmg40 Thank you so much @Mitch for hosting the #goldenagecrimeclub this past year. I enjoyed all the selections and discovered a number of new authors! 12mo

AmyG I‘d read more of his work. I enjoyed this one. @Mitch thank you for organizing this! Will you be continuing in 2024? 12mo

Mitch @AmyG im not 100% sure - I might see what the appetite for more is from everyone x 12mo

33 likes6 comments

Mitch

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

This book - whilst feeling like a classic golden age crime novel has really met the challenges of the 1950s head on - fascists, refugees, changes in social class and feelings around national identity all make an appearance in the drawing room! I wonder if it is some of these strands and there relevance to where we are in the world today that prompted it‘s reissue?

#goldenagecrimeclub

Ruthiella I suspect you are right. And let‘s appreciate how Hare is reflecting actual contemporary values of the 50s. Not everyone was casually racist or sexist, etc. The ideals of human rights and equality have been around probably as long as humans have existed. It‘s not a new or “woke” concept. 12mo

DGRachel It is interesting how so many of these issues, social and political, continue to circle around. It‘s like we learn nothing, or worse than that, we don‘t grow or become better human beings as societies. 😔 12mo

kwmg40 I'm not sure if these factors contributed to the book's reissue, but the book did not feel as dated to me as some other crime novels from the 1950's. 12mo

AmyG And what would a Golden Age Crime book be without a sprinkle of antisemitism??? 😬🤣 (edited) 12mo

28 likes4 comments

Mitch

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

Dr Bottwink, the Czech history professor gave us a really great outsiders view of the madness of English society and customs ( & language!). What did you think of his character?

#goldenagecrimeclub

Ruthiella I adored Dr. Bottwink! Especially his expertise in reaching the solution. (edited) 12mo

DGRachel I thought he was a really interesting character. We got to see not only an outsider‘s perspective of the English guests and residents, but also a reflection of an English viewpoint on outsiders/foreigners. He also felt like a bit of a nod to Poirot, but that may have had more to do with the audiobook narrator. 12mo

Ruthiella @DGRachel I agree. I also had shades of Poirot, because he too is a detective from the outside looking in on English culture. 12mo

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Mitch Poirot was definitely channelled by Hare I think! I loved that Dr Bottwink was the only one to know enough about English systems to be useful in the end! 12mo

kwmg40 I liked Dr. Bottwink's character very much and enjoyed his observations on English customs and language. However, I'm sure that if I were one of the houseguests, I would have found him extremely annoying! 12mo

AmyG @DHRachel YES…Poirot was my thought too. I loved Bottwink‘s rational voice, piecing things together. 12mo

29 likes6 comments

Mitch

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

“ It‘s Christmas, let‘s gather together 8 people who‘ll hate each other and force them to make merry, it‘ll be fine!” How did this fair as a classic Christmas crime novel?

#goldenagecrimeclub

Ruthiella Well, as other Littens noted in their reviews , it wasn‘t particularly Christmassy-no games, crackers , carols or presents. So it actually could have taken place anytime in the winter. 12mo

DGRachel I agree with @Ruthiella It didn‘t feel particularly Christmas-y, just winter-y. 12mo

Mitch I agree - @Ruthiella and @dgrachel definitely wintery vibes - I wonder if adding Christmas into the title was done by the author or the marketing dept….🤔 12mo

kwmg40 I liked the Christmas setting paired with the utter lack of goodwill amongst the guests. I think the fact that it was set during Christmas highlighted the bitterness and hypocrisy of the characters even more. 12mo

AmyG Quite the Bah Humbug Christmas. The man who invited everyone seemed a bit curmudgeonly so I didn‘t expect a joyful holiday. Good setting for a murder, though. 12mo

21 likes5 comments

Mitch

An English Murder | Cyril Hare

Cyril Hare is a pseudonym for Gordon Clark- an English county court judge born in 1900. His name was inspired by where he lived & worked (Hare Court & Cyril Mansions). I‘d you were in need of a pseudonym what would it be and why?

#goldenagecrimeclub

Ruthiella Episodes of Friends have taught me that having a quick alias handy can be very useful. Unfortunately Regina Falangi is taken. 😂 12mo

TrishB My favourite has always been Kate Bush used to use Catherine Earnshaw when checking to hotels etc. 12mo

DGRachel I feel like this is a question that needs serious consideration. I would want mine to be clever, but not obvious. Hmm…🤔 12mo

kwmg40 I don't think I have an answer. It would depend on what I needed the pseudonym for, such as selling books or evading justice. 😂 12mo

AmyG The closest I come is AmyG as I have used it on many a music discussion board and also on social media. 12mo

23 likes5 comments

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