the lamorna wink

I really have no excuse for reading this somewhat sorry excuse for a crime novel. Visiting a house filled with high quality literature, I happened to notice the title and, having lived half my life not 20 miles from Lamorna, glanced through the first through pages. I should probably have put it down there and then, but the trap had taken hold. Off I went through 435 dull pages of forgettable characters investigating a four year old murder and a week old disappearance. In Lamorna, a village that even the Cornish consider boring.

On I plodded, and, in due course, the murderer was unmasked after a fairly predictable chain of revalations, and an even more dull side story of a friend of a friend going to get married (or something like that) meandered along to a less than thrilling conclusion. Apparently this is one of a series featuring Richard Jury as the detective, but in this book he really played only a minor role, which perhaps explained why the major detective figure seemed to do nothing except stare at people with a piercing blue gaze whilst not taking his coat off. (I swear, my pulse beat faster every time he didn't take that coat off.)

I suppose if you're a diehard Martha Grimes fan, if there is such a thing, you might want to read this book. Otherwise you'll probably find more entertainment in the TV listings.

: 24 Jun 2006 19:57 |  Tags: Book Review |  Comments (1) |  Report a problem