The Belting Inheritance by Julian SymonsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
In some ways, this book is a little different to most classic crime stories. There is a murder and a cast of possible suspects. Most of the action takes place in a country house, although there is a brief trip over to France. In addition to this part of the mystery, there is also the question of a missing member of the family returning to the family and the family not being sure if he is really who he says that he is. Of course, these two elements are linked and the answer to both mysteries is solved together.
The story is told from the point of view of a young member of the house, Christopher, who is there staying with his extended family for the holidays. He had lost his parents at the age of twelve and has been cared for by his mother's aunt, who he is now living with since then. I quite liked Christopher as a narrator, he is often very conscious of his role as storyteller, but on the whole, I think that this worked.
The pace of the story is possibly a little slow when compared to modern novels, but I think in this it works. It helps to create a sense of the past and places the novel in the post-war period that it was set. I think it was actually written a decade or so later than this.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read. I had figured out some of the mystery, but there were still a few surprises at the end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment