Melrose Plant rents house in Cornwall and becomes involved in local crime

Another Martha Grimes novel with Richard Jury and Melrose Plant. This story covers Melrose Plant and his landed gentry lifestyle. Two wayward young girls captivate the story: Linda Pink and Pansy Fabricant. So many lively characters such as Mona Dresser, Sergeant Alfred Wiggins, Marshall Trueblood, Beatrice Slocum, and Diane Demorney. Where does Martha Grimes find these names? The story centers on a woman professional killer and her actions. The story also enters the world of painting and the thief of a priceless painting. The art description lands a little too heavy for this simple-minded reader. This novel reiterates Jury’s failure with women and so many of his loves that have died. Melrose Plant and his journey into a “Men’s Club” provides many laughs. The Cripps family brings laughter and sadness to the reader, knowing that this type of family does exist. Martha Grimes portrays a beautiful novel loaded with wonderful characters and lengthy description. ( )

Generous at 3-stars thankyouverymuch. The plot starts off in a dreamy mode, setting the atmosphere of a Cornwallian countryside and a vanishing old-fashioned aristocracy. This measured pace brings the characters forward very effectively.

By 2/3rds into the story, there developed a lot of reader-angst about what was going on with the characters. The writing did not continue in the previous mood-setting thoughtfulness, with the reader being allowed to live in the village atmosphere of Cornwall, old houses and tea rooms. The narrative was thoroughly disrupted by unamusing side stories about Vivian and associated characters from earlier books and her dithering about marriage. These intrusions seem unrelated to the murder mysteries. The main protagonist, Melrose Plant, lost his introspective persona as his boorish behaviour with Vivian's fiancé progressed.

The final killing was especially senseless, contributing meaningless grief, and nothing relevant to the plot. What with the narrative casting such a dark tone with the horrible fate of the children, I am not reading anymore Grimes' mysteries. ( )

This was the book that caused me to stop reading Martha Grimes books for decades; I had read them all up to that time. So horribly dark and disturbing, ugh. Will try the new 2019 one just because I like Cornwall, but somehow I can't see myself ever becoming an ongoing Grimes reader ever again, or ever wanting to read all the books I missed since 1999. ( )

. . . and I have to have a book I don't have to think about to read in bed when I'm trying to fall asleep. That's why I churn through mysteries; I save more important books for times when I'm more alert (sadly, not much of the time :) ( )