The disposition of bodily remains by the anarchists is sheer delight if, as I said, you appreciate gallows humor. If so, it is worth the read all by itself. Enjoy.
My, my, what a ride! I knew nothing about Bulldog Drummond until my husband read this book and told me I ought not to miss it.
It's a hoot! I've never read anything quite like it--a strange mixture of nonstop action careening madly along beneath a calm surface dialogue, which comes off as sort of a Lord Peter Wimsey-ish patois..."don't you know, old thing". One of Drummond's merry band actually wears a monocle. These are upper-crust demobbed officers from WWI (sons of Lord This and Lady That) who swear they will follow only two men--the King of England and Hugh Drummond. And they do...fighting to save England from evil anarchists who have more ways to kill a person than I could ever have imagined...some very clever and, if you have a good sense of gallows humor, very funny.
The action never flags for a second. The rat-a-tat pace is sometimes almost too much, but believe me, you won't fall asleep over it!
I kept thinking of the old Republic Studios movie serials as I read. You can easily see where the episodic cliffhangers would occur.
All in all a fun read. My husband is now on to the next book in the series, THE BLACK GANG. The entire series (I think) is available on Gutenberg's Australian site--www.Gutenberg.net/au. When I recover from this roller coaster ride , I will probably start THE BLACK GANG. Enjoy!
After reading the two previous disparate reviews, I have decided I agree with both of them.
I have been reading my way through the Godfrey/Lester series and have thoroughly enjoyed every entry except for this one. So, this review is sort of a conundrum for me. I don't review books I didn't like. I only review things I can wholeheartedly recommend. I think that negative reviews can be off-putting for those who come later looking for a good read. How many books might the searcher have enjoyed except that someone before him didn't like it and so he doesn't read it? It might have been perfectly to his/her taste. So I only review what I perceive as "good reads", following the old adage--if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.
That being said, I am breaking my own rule. I am only reviewing this book because I've gone through the whole series, and I didn't feel I should just stop here.
So...here goes...there were parts of this book that I liked and parts that I really didn't like....
The book was written during the British Raj, and the British were, perhaps, a bit too full of themselves. They viewed Hindus as savages. That really turned me off. There is so much noble beauty in the Hindu religion that I hated to see it maligned by Colonel Blimp!
In this book, if the Yogi is a fakir/charlatan, he is a total villain. But if he is a true Hindu practitioner, he is a bestial (to say the least) monster. Well, there's a no-win situation!
The plot was sort of silly, and there were some funny moments. Consider men is business suits spending lots of time sitting up a tree. The visual tickled me. Also the open-air inquest was creative, and the solution was probably very imaginative for the time. This was the beginning of the "new" science of fingerprinting--very high tech!
Stevenson sets it up for a sequel, and I will no doubt read it if it becomes available--chiefly because I have read all the rest of the series, and I do like the protagonists.
If you have read the previous books in the series, I would say, "go for it," but on its own I wouldn't recommend it.
Such fun! I've been reading my way through the Godfrey and Lester mysteries. Manybooks has all of the previous ones--start with the Holladay Case, then the Marathon Mystery, then this one.
This is my favorite so far. A master criminal who, with becoming modesty, calls himself L'Invicible! Subtle. It was wonderful. Subterfuge after subterfuge. Godfrey and Lester are definitely worthwhile. Great escapist fare. Enjoy!
I like Burton E. Stevenson's books. This is a sequel to his first mystery (The Holladay Case). His protagonists are Mr. Lester (a lawyer) and Mr. Godfrey (an ace reporter). They make a pretty good team, and even though it was clear who the "bad guy" was--a very diabolical villain--early in the book, it was fun to see if and how they would catch him. I'm looking forward to the next Stevenson book in the series (The Mystery of the Boule Cabinet). They are fun, escapist reads. Enjoy!
Actually, I liked it. I really don't think the Marjorie character was "empty-headed," I think she was simply immature. During the book she grows up.
I'll bet there's a lot more truth in the underlying theme of this story than one would guess. Think of marrying a soldier you have only known for a few short weeks, and then he leaves...for a long time! He comes back as a stranger--looks different, acts different. He's changed. You've changed. Yikes! Now what? That's what Marjorie and her stranger-husband have to work out. I agree with Maddie...I liked it a lot and recommend it. Enjoy!
I liked it. It wasn't at all what I expected. Wealthy Rosalind Chalmers is absolutely defined by her family's longstanding place in the Social Register. She condescends to deal when required with the common (anyone not in the "register") people--a tiresome necessity. Then she meets Sam--a deplorably common boatman and her life is turned upside down. Who is Sam? For that matter, is anyone who they say they are?
Don't misunderstand--this is not a book to be taken seriously! There is lots of comedy here. I could almost see the 1930s movie as I read. It was great, escapist fun. Definitely a worthy read. Enjoy!
Who on this planet could possibly not love Wodehouse! He is simply perfect--never puts a foot wrong. This book is no exception, I loved every moment of it.
This is not one of his over-the-top Jeeves/Wooster-type lunatic adventures, which I sometimes find almost too much for long periods of reading--Gussy Finknottle and the newts occasionally overwhelm me.
It is a more restrained nutsiness--much easier to take over the long haul. The characters are more believable. I would find myself in "I can't wait" mode during the day (I only have time to read at night).
There are other Wodehouse books here on Manybooks in this same vein--Jill the Reckless and The Girl on the Boat to name two.
They are definitely worth your time. He is nothing less than a Master. Enjoy!
Interesting. Starts out with an intriguing murder and ends with an unusual denouement. In between, the sleuthing held my interest enough so that I kept turning the pages. It is not a very long book, but I would call it worthwhile for an afternoon escape. Enjoy!
Light and frothy fun. It starts out trying to look serious but can't keep up the pose. Who is who and what is what? It brings an entirely new meaning to the question, "Would you like a cigarette, Dick?" I found it to be fun escapism. Enjoy!
Recent comments: User reviews
The disposition of bodily remains by the anarchists is sheer delight if, as I said, you appreciate gallows humor. If so, it is worth the read all by itself. Enjoy.
It's a hoot! I've never read anything quite like it--a strange mixture of nonstop action careening madly along beneath a calm surface dialogue, which comes off as sort of a Lord Peter Wimsey-ish patois..."don't you know, old thing". One of Drummond's merry band actually wears a monocle. These are upper-crust demobbed officers from WWI (sons of Lord This and Lady That) who swear they will follow only two men--the King of England and Hugh Drummond. And they do...fighting to save England from evil anarchists who have more ways to kill a person than I could ever have imagined...some very clever and, if you have a good sense of gallows humor, very funny.
The action never flags for a second. The rat-a-tat pace is sometimes almost too much, but believe me, you won't fall asleep over it!
I kept thinking of the old Republic Studios movie serials as I read. You can easily see where the episodic cliffhangers would occur.
All in all a fun read. My husband is now on to the next book in the series, THE BLACK GANG. The entire series (I think) is available on Gutenberg's Australian site--www.Gutenberg.net/au. When I recover from this roller coaster ride , I will probably start THE BLACK GANG. Enjoy!
I have been reading my way through the Godfrey/Lester series and have thoroughly enjoyed every entry except for this one. So, this review is sort of a conundrum for me. I don't review books I didn't like. I only review things I can wholeheartedly recommend. I think that negative reviews can be off-putting for those who come later looking for a good read. How many books might the searcher have enjoyed except that someone before him didn't like it and so he doesn't read it? It might have been perfectly to his/her taste. So I only review what I perceive as "good reads", following the old adage--if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.
That being said, I am breaking my own rule. I am only reviewing this book because I've gone through the whole series, and I didn't feel I should just stop here.
So...here goes...there were parts of this book that I liked and parts that I really didn't like....
The book was written during the British Raj, and the British were, perhaps, a bit too full of themselves. They viewed Hindus as savages. That really turned me off. There is so much noble beauty in the Hindu religion that I hated to see it maligned by Colonel Blimp!
In this book, if the Yogi is a fakir/charlatan, he is a total villain. But if he is a true Hindu practitioner, he is a bestial (to say the least) monster. Well, there's a no-win situation!
The plot was sort of silly, and there were some funny moments. Consider men is business suits spending lots of time sitting up a tree. The visual tickled me. Also the open-air inquest was creative, and the solution was probably very imaginative for the time. This was the beginning of the "new" science of fingerprinting--very high tech!
Stevenson sets it up for a sequel, and I will no doubt read it if it becomes available--chiefly because I have read all the rest of the series, and I do like the protagonists.
If you have read the previous books in the series, I would say, "go for it," but on its own I wouldn't recommend it.
This is my favorite so far. A master criminal who, with becoming modesty, calls himself L'Invicible! Subtle. It was wonderful. Subterfuge after subterfuge. Godfrey and Lester are definitely worthwhile. Great escapist fare. Enjoy!
I'll bet there's a lot more truth in the underlying theme of this story than one would guess. Think of marrying a soldier you have only known for a few short weeks, and then he leaves...for a long time! He comes back as a stranger--looks different, acts different. He's changed. You've changed. Yikes! Now what? That's what Marjorie and her stranger-husband have to work out. I agree with Maddie...I liked it a lot and recommend it. Enjoy!
Don't misunderstand--this is not a book to be taken seriously! There is lots of comedy here. I could almost see the 1930s movie as I read. It was great, escapist fun. Definitely a worthy read. Enjoy!
This is not one of his over-the-top Jeeves/Wooster-type lunatic adventures, which I sometimes find almost too much for long periods of reading--Gussy Finknottle and the newts occasionally overwhelm me.
It is a more restrained nutsiness--much easier to take over the long haul. The characters are more believable. I would find myself in "I can't wait" mode during the day (I only have time to read at night).
There are other Wodehouse books here on Manybooks in this same vein--Jill the Reckless and The Girl on the Boat to name two.
They are definitely worth your time. He is nothing less than a Master. Enjoy!