Review: Nicely Entertaining Traditional Mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 19, 2012
I listened rather than read the book so that any quarrels reviewers have had with matters of sentence structure, spelling and other formal aspects will have flowed past me either without my knowing (spelling) or having the time to note (most grammar errors). As any writer for radio knows (as does any speech writer or lecturer), reception of the flow of words is very different from the stable platform of the written word. What I did note were such things as less than mellifluous use of adjectives and somewhat clumsy expressive wording. For me these were by no means a significant deterrent to enjoyment; after all, if I have accustomed myself to the verbal style and pronunciations of the kindles male robot, it is easy to see why minor humanoid defects (if the author,in fact, manifests these to the average reader) should not trouble me.In the team of retired history teacher and active scholar, the author has the basis for a successful series. While the details of their puzzle-solving are sometimes cumbersome, and the general style is somewhat forced, these are minor difficulties which should not deter most readers. The format is in the classic tradition, that is, there is a "locked room" dilemma and clues are used to arrive at a solution. At this price, I think most readers of the traditional form will be entertained; whether it would do well going head to a head (at the same  price) with the (late) Stuart Kaminsky (Toby Peters) or others with greater command of style, is an open question which need not be resolved. I think many readers will find the purchase worthwhile and that we all can expect successor volumes in the series to show continual improvement.,