Scales of Justice

Rating:
Summary: Classic English mystery
Review: English countryside, aristocratic detective, quirky characters, humor -- what more does one want. This was the first Inspector Alleyn I've read and the best so far.

Rating:
Summary: Classic English mystery
Review: English countryside, aristocratic detective, quirky characters, humor -- what more does one want. This was the first Inspector Alleyn I've read and the best so far.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but Marsh has done better
Review: I really enjoy Marsh's mysteries, and this one was no exception, in that there was a clever plot with a really devious method of committing murder. However, the characters in this book were not as compelling to me as ones from previous books (_When in Rome_, _Death in a White Tie_, etc.). Still, a very enjoyable read, and a great way to pass the time.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but Marsh has done better
Review: I really enjoy Marsh's mysteries, and this one was no exception, in that there was a clever plot with a really devious method of committing murder. However, the characters in this book were not as compelling to me as ones from previous books (_When in Rome_, _Death in a White Tie_, etc.). Still, a very enjoyable read, and a great way to pass the time.

Rating:
Summary: Of Fish, Cats--And Murder
Review: Swevenings is an isolated and insular English district where nothing unpleasant ever seems to happen--until the celebrated Lord Lacklander, on his death bed, passes his memoirs into the hands of Col. Cartarette. And when Col. Cartarette is found unexpectedly murdered on the banks of the Chyne River, Inspector Roderick Alleyn of Scotland Yard must determine whether foul play arises from an unknown explosive in Lacklander's memoirs or from a less obvious but no less lethal source.

As is often the case with Marsh, the beauty of the SCALES OF JUSTICE lies not so much in the unfolding plot as it does in the characters and their setting, and Swevenings and the Chyne Valley offers her tremendous scope, ranging from the formidable Lady Lacklander to the eccentrically cat-happy Mr. Danberry-Phinn to the alcoholic archer Commander Syce. Among her most interesting creations here is Nurse Kettle, a commonsense if excessively arch woman whose pleasing personality actually tempts Alleyn's sidekick Fox to reconsider his bachelor state!

Marsh often writes in such a way as to allow the reader to anticipate the killer, but such is not the case with SCALES OF JUSTICE, and many will find the means of the crime ingenious and the solution startling, with both a legendary fish locally known as "The Old 'Un" and the wandering feline Thomasina Twitchett providing unexpected clues along the way. A thoroughly enjoyable outing from start to finish.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer