Sarah and Martin's marriage is growing weaker by the day, but at Martin's insistence, Sarah is once again chief cook and bottle washer for a dinner party. This time the guests are their bank manager, their lawyer and his girlfriend, and the mystery writer who lives next-door.
Things aren't going quite as smoothly as Martin would like, so to cover any lapses the guests begin talking about a dead body that was discovered on the Common. And isn't there a librarian missing, too? With spousal tempers running so high in the house, this may not be the best time to talk of murder!
I fell in love with Fidelis Morgan's writing when I feasted on her Countess Ashby de la Zouche historical mysteries set in London in 1700. Not only were the mysteries first-rate, the settings superb, and the characters so well-drawn that I'd instantly recognize them if I bumped into them on the street, I also found myself howling with laughter time and again. Is it any wonder that I wanted to see what this woman could do with a contemporary mystery?
I'm happy to report that, for Fidelis Morgan, time doesn't matter. She took every convention the mystery genre has to offer and stirred them together to create an absolutely wonderful piece of entertainment. The plot is the thing in The Murder Quadrille, so scarcely anything can be said about it without giving away the game. Suffice it to say that the story twists and turns on itself so often that you may find yourself a bit dizzy from time to time. And-- unlike so many plot-heavy books-- the characters are not static, two-dimensional pieces of cardboard. Just when you think you know where the story is going, Morgan instantly changes speed, direction, and focus, and she does the same thing with her characters. Each dinner party guest has his own point of view (which is definitely not as unwieldy as it sounds), and just when you think you have a character buttonholed, Morgan shows you another facet of personality that has you guessing all over again.
The best thing of all is that, at the most unlikely times, I found myself howling with laughter. Or cheering a character on to get out of danger. Or egging another one on to do something he (or she) shouldn't. The Murder Quadrille isn't a book to be read and dissected in a grim, serious manner. No, this book is quirky and complex and sheer fun. My advice? Just hang on and enjoy the ride!
The Murder Quadrille by Fidelis Morgan
eISBN: 9780957074316
Lulu Press © 2013
eBook, 378 pages
Humorous Mystery, Standalone
Rating: A+
Source: Purchased from Amazon.
Loved the opening line. I think I will also be smiling at this kind of humor
ReplyDeleteI loved it, Mystica!
DeleteWell, if you give it a A+, I must take a look. Plus it is quite economical on Kindle. I'll save it for a vacation read.
ReplyDeleteActually, I think it would make a perfect vacation read, Kay!
DeleteIsn't it great, Cathy, when an author creates not one, but two great series? I like the premise of this one quite a lot, and from the bit you shared, there's welcome wit as well. Thanks for introduction.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Margot. I'm pretty sure this book is a standalone-- which is a welcome change of pace from all the series that I read!
DeleteI now have the Murder Quadrille on my Kindle to read. It you gave it an A+ , I want to read it.
ReplyDeleteWhen you wrote "hang on and enjoy the ride", it reminded me of The Family Vault written by Charlotte MacLeod in 1978. It was the first book in her Sarah Kelling series and I just discovered her books several years ago. I had been reading some ok cozy mysteries at the time. When I read this book, I felt I was riding along with Charlotte. She was taking twists and turns and I was hanging on. I didn't know where she was going but I was enjoying the ride. She wrote precisely, with imagination and humor. I was excited after reading this first book. I thought "Now this is a good writer." Her first Peter Shandy book I think is a Christmas classic mystery called Rest You Merry. I always imagine her writing with a smile on her face. I guess I went off track but that is the memory your statement brought back to me. I know what you mean by it.
Now you've got me interested in Charlotte MacLeod, an author I've never read, so thank you for sharing that marvelous memory, Lynn!
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