Review: Not in the Same League as Lord Peter, but OK
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 12, 2013
Forget Lord Peter Wimsey. It is not fair to compare a competently done book with classics. On its own merits, the Lord James mysteries are decently done and moderately entertaining. Should satisfy  the average "cozy" reader. Putting aside the fact that the mysteries are not plotted with the ingenuity of the leaders among detective story authors, I find the greatest weakness to be the somewhat artificial flavor I get in reading about the Aristocratic couple. The prose simply does not have the ease nor the situations the convincing character of the leading writers. Having said that, I  would add that this book and its predecessor are  somewhat awkward, but entertaining stories, with characters who, over time, may well become satisfyingly familiar. I would recommend the book to the 'cozy' reader who can  accept some defects in style and focus on  the general story.