Death of Jezebel

pan

I read this for the #GoldenAgeCrimeClub March pick. I missed the discussion because I‘m cursed to work every Sunday book club. The characters were just awful and the plot was the worst. 👎🏻

AmyG I wasn‘t a fan either. 2mo

Ruthiella I liked it, but I agree, all the characters were people I would not like to know in real life! 😆 2mo

55 likes2 comments

kwmg40

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

pick

I found the plot to be convoluted in a rather unbelievable way but I really liked the writing style and the characters. Very grateful to @mitch and #goldenagecrimeclub for introducing me to this author and will definitely read more of her books.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#192025 #1949 @Librarybelle
#20in4 @Andrew65

Librarybelle This is going to be my 1949 entry too! I‘m close to finishing…it‘s so different! 2mo

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! 2mo

Andrew65 Brilliant 👏👏👏 2mo

kwmg40 @Librarybelle I'm glad it was chosen for #goldenagecrimeclub. It's interesting seeing the different reactions to the book. 2mo

kwmg40 @TheAromaofBooks @Andrew65 Thanks for stopping by! 2mo

34 likes5 comments

jlhammar

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

pick

A clever, humorous and somewhat ghastly take on the locked-room mystery. The players/suspects are all quite ridiculous and unlikable, but that is part of the fun. Red herrings and false confessions abound. I‘d be interested to try another Brand sometime. Maybe Green for Danger next?

#GoldenAgeCrimeClub

Mitch

rabbitprincess I remember really liking Green for Danger, so I‘d recommend it 😄 2mo

batsy Yes, I've got my eye on Green for Danger, too! Glad to hear it @rabbitprincess 🙂 2mo

58 likes2 comments

Mitch

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

Final thoughts - ideas / themes were not yet touched on………
#goldenagecrimeclub

LitsyEvents

Mitch I did have trouble with the pageant setting! I just couldn‘t picture it - I kept getting Henry VIII jousting scenes in my head and couldn‘t put myself back in the inter war years. Although I‘m sure it read better to a U.K. audience when published. Not sure the specifics of the location. Has journeyed well over time! 2mo

AmyG The pageant was hard for me to understand, too. They beought all these horses into the building? I definitely think this would have been an easier read back when it was written. I also found, as an American, that I missed some of the British nuances. All in all, I found it to be just okay. (edited) 2mo

batsy I imagined something like a cross between a Medieval Fair and an amateur theatrical 😆 I mean I couldn't visualise exactly which knight came in at precisely what location and all that, but I found the confusion to heighten the fun/amusement. Which is why the cross questioning and the different answers felt a bit like a farce, and that worked well for me. 2mo

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Ruthiella I had trouble too working out the physicality of it. But I often have trouble understand things like that in books. What I did like was the Home Exhibition, once I understood it…all the demonstrations of furnishings and equipment for that wartime population when decent housing was hard to find because rebuilding wasn‘t keeping pace with the need. That little bit about fake Marmelade (grapefruit with carrot slivers). Its like time travel! 2mo

jlhammar I agree, the Medieval pageant thing was somewhat difficult to picture, but the cloaks and armour were fun elements of the overall mystery. I also loved how Cockrill was supposed to be in town for a conference. His line at the end made me laugh. “I'm afraid they're going to think I made rather a muck of that conference.“ 2mo

kwmg40 I thought the pageant was a fun setting. It was definitely an unusual way to set up a murder. 2mo

Mitch @kwmg40 Agreed - don't think ive encountered that setting before 2mo

31 likes7 comments

Mitch

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

Brand characters all seem ‘wounded‘ in some way. Did that make them likeable / relatable / enjoyable to spend time with??? I did really like the relationship between the 2 detectives - how did you find the characters ?
#goldenagecrimeclub

LitsyEvents

Mitch They were so snarky weren‘t they @batsy - even the nicknames they used of each other were very snide! 2mo

AmyG I think I liked the detectives the most. I didn‘t really like any of the characters….or should I say…suspects. 2mo

batsy Yes, quite snide! Didn't find the characters likeable as such but it amped up the drama, which all in all I found very entertaining. I also found the lowkey competition between Cockrill and Charlesworth amusing. 2mo

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Ruthiella I found all the characters to be rather unlikable except maybe Brian Two-Times. Perpetua grew upon me with time, however. For sure, however, the tone was quite snide. Miss Betchly/Bitchley foe example! 😳😂 2mo

jlhammar I found all of the characters mostly unlikable, but I actually kind of appreciated that. It worked, I think, in terms of Brand wanting you be able to see the potential (for murder) in everyone. Also, it helped me not feel emotional about how things played out, to just sit back, trying to puzzle it out and enjoy the spectacle. Oh, and the nicknames were terrible and hilarious. 2mo

Mitch @jlhammar it was definitely all about the puzzle wasnt it … 2mo

kwmg40 I liked the detectives very much, and although the suspects weren't especially likeable or relatable, they were all interesting characters. Like @jhammar, I loved the nicknames, especially George Motherdear. 2mo

30 likes7 comments

Mitch

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

Brand sets this book up as a type of ‘locked room mystery‘ and then shows us lots of different ways it could have been committed throwing in also lots of false confessions! Did you like this format? Was there a ‘solution‘ you favoured or thought she‘d missed out!
#goldenagecrimeclub

LitsyEvents

AmyG I will admit, I was getting confused a little with all the scenarios and the characters. Not a fan of the “locked room” plotline. 2mo

batsy I don't know if you've read Murder on the Orient Express or seen the movie but that's the kind of solution I thought was for certain. So I was nodding along when Charlesworth accused all of them as part of the family 😆 2mo

Mitch @AmyG Im not keen either. I think they often feel like an author trying to be super clever 2mo

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Mitch @batsy 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 2mo

Ruthiella @batsy I was thinking about a Murder on the Orient Express solution also! 2mo

Ruthiella I didn‘t mind all the various hypothesis thrown at the reader. It was almost comical. I liked the line, “Chatsworth gathered them all together in his office at the Yard: four contestants for the enviable position of Red Knight in a game of murder.” (edited) 2mo

batsy @Ruthiella Nice!! re: our imagined solution 😆 And yes I agree about the comic effect and that line made me chuckle. 2mo

jlhammar I also appreciated the comedy. I really liked this part, when all the players are accusing each other “Inspector Cockrill leaned back quietly in his seat, and let the storm rage. Nothing like people having a good set-to: nothing like frayed nerves snapping and old wounds bursting out afresh, to bring out the truth among people too long under restraint. Now and again he contributed a word to bring the embers to a blaze again...“ 2mo

Mitch @jlhammar loved that! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 2mo

kwmg40 I found all the fake confessions hilarious. It felt as if the author was gently poking fun at the use of this device in mystery novels by deliberately overdoing it. 2mo

Mitch @kwmg40 She was definitely very conscious of the genre & style! 2mo

24 likes11 comments

Mitch

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

The prologue sets up the motive for murder on the first few pages - a revenge killing linked to a tragedy that happened in Burma. Did you like this structure???
#goldenagecrimeclub

LitsyEvents

Mitch I did like this - I liked that right from the start we‘re viewing people with suspicion! 2mo

AmyG @Mitch I think I suspected everyone at some point! 🤣 2mo

batsy Yes, I liked the structure and how the mystery was set up and then you get thrown in among the characters. It was a bit like Christie with a twist. It wasn't perfectly executed but it kept my attention. 2mo

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Mitch @batsy that‘s a good description! It felt like Christie on steroids! 2mo

Ruthiella I thought the set up was very effective. It definitely kept me invested. Also, like @AmyG I had each of the possible suspects pegged as the murderer at some point! (edited) 2mo

jlhammar Yes, this worked for me. Fun that you're trying to work out who it may be from the get-go. I loved the descriptions next to the cast of characters at the beginning. “a not very young young lady“ 😆 2mo

Mitch @jlhammar The side swipes were fun weren‘t they! And who doesn‘t love a cast list and diagrams - classic whodunnit! 2mo

kwmg40 Yes, I did like the way the mystery was set up. You could see right away the potential for plenty of suspects and motives. 2mo

20 likes8 comments

Mitch

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

Yeah - it‘s that time of the month again! Looking forward to chatting about this ‘new to me author” with you all. As always let‘s kick off the discussion with initial impressions, likes / dislikes, experience of the author etc…..

#goldenagecrimeclub #buddyread

LitsyEvents

Mitch I‘ve not read or heard of Brand before - so glad this club is stretching my reading! I think I discovered although I love mysteries I‘m not a ‘ locked room‘ lover. I think the actual puzzle element may not be as important to my love of crime fiction as I thought it was! 2mo

Mitch Hi @Ruthiella - how did you like this one? 2mo

Ruthiella I‘d never heard of this author before either, so thanks for the introduction. The style took a little getting used to. She was (I think) purposefully repetitive…Cockrill‘s magnificent head and shabby hat or Brian Two-Times shining hair. Also, the nickname “Cocky”? 😂 But I did like it and found it engaging, with interesting characters. 2mo

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Mitch @Ruthiella she was repetitive wasn‘t she - I wonder why?? 2mo

batsy I was pulled in from the start. A dramatic prologue, but I agree that the style initially took some getting used to. Probably because she dropped us right amidst the characters without going into the details of their lives (intentionally as well, I'm sure). I didn't quite notice the repetition. 2mo

AmyG I also thought the style took me a bit to get used to. It took me a while to get the characters “straight” in my head. About halfway I began to enjoy it….probably when the first murder happenned. 2mo

Mitch @batsy There was definitely no ‘warm up‘ period was there - we hit the ground running! 2mo

Mitch @AmyG I think it was smart choosing very distinct names - that helped me sort the characters - but then different people called different characters by different names!!! 2mo

AmyG @Mitch YES….Sugardaddy, Motherdear….confusing. 2mo

jlhammar Whew, just finished! My first Brand. I had never even heard of her before this so glad for the introduction. I wasn't enamored, but it was a fun puzzle. Farcical yet also rather gruesome (that head!). I enjoyed it enough where I'd like to try another (Green for Danger is calling to me). 2mo

Mitch @jlhammar agreed! It certainly wasn‘t ‘twee‘! 2mo

kwmg40 This was my first book by Brand and I liked the writing style very much, including the comedic bits. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author. 2mo

19 likes12 comments

Ruthiella

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

pick

A classic locked room mystery set in London at the end of the‘40s. It had its eccentricities in style, but was satisfying. During an amateur performance, a player is murdered in full view of the audience, but how and by whom? And as the introduction states, the book is a marvelous look at a vanished time.

#GoldenAgeCrimeClub

Mitch

rubyslippersreads Fabulous photo! 2mo

Ruthiella @rubyslippersreads Thanks! 😊 2mo

jlhammar Your photo is so perfect - love it! Didn't fully appreciate it before having read the book 😂 Yes to the eccentricities. I kept thinking it was somewhat offbeat as I was reading. Didn't fall in love with Brand, but enjoyed it enough to want to try another of her books sometime, see how it compares. 2mo

Ruthiella @jlhammar So lucky for me I had the book with me at the dog groomers, which is where I snapped the photo. Don‘t know why they have Dia de los Muertes deco in March still, but I took advantage of it. 😂 2mo

69 likes4 comments

AmyG

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

Read for the #GoldenAgeCrimeClub ….it was ok. I had trouble in the beginning with the style and the characters, but the second half picked up a bit.

#Pantone2023 @Clwojick

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batsy

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

pick

This was my first Christianna Brand & I thoroughly enjoyed it. Snarky humour, lots of witticisms, unlikeable characters losing their shit—all of this combined is apparently my cup of tea. I didn't quite see the solution coming, although I was feeling pretty smug with myself for thinking I had it figured out with one of the false solutions 😂 The depiction of the pageant & the nuttiness on display were very entertaining. #GoldenAgeCrimeClub @Mitch

Billypar That happens to me so much with mysteries. And then I'll start arguing with the book in my head about how my ending would have been so much better 😆 2mo

batsy @Billypar Haha, yes! I have to say in this case too I prefer my favoured false solution 😆 2mo

jlhammar Love your review. Just finished this yesterday. So much nuttiness! It was a fun one. 2mo

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Cuilin

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

Morning coffee read. I think I may have figured this out. 🧐 I‘m either disappointed or very impressed with myself. #goldenagecrimeclub 🕵️‍♀️

Suet624 😂😂 2mo

AmyG Ha!!! 2mo

56 likes2 comments

batsy

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

I was interested to learn that Brand was born in colonial Malaya. And I appreciate the gentle skewering of Isabel of someone who's so narcissistic and provincial and so keeps saying "out there in the Malay or wherever it was" because "in the Malay" is genuinely too funny.

#GoldenAgeCrimeClub

tphil10283 I guess it‘s one of those things that goes over my head. 2mo

jlhammar Can't wait to get started on this! 2mo

batsy @jlhammar I'm only a couple chapters in but it's started off on a promising note! 2mo

53 likes3 comments

charl08

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

'...Oh, by the way, Sergeant, this is Inspector Cockrill,
Kent police.'
Sergeant Bedd's large face took on a look of mingled excitement and awe.
'Good lord, sir: not Inspector Cockril? Not that affair of the sanded paths down at Swansmere?
And them decapitations at Pigeonsford?'

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charl08

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

Check out my library's reserve stock copy c.1976 🤩

#GoldenAgeCrimeClub @Mitch

batsy Very cool! 2mo

charl08 @batsy I'm a bit sad that the original stamp page has gone: the earliest date shown is "only" Sept 1990. 2mo

jlhammar Oooh, how cool! 2mo

AmyG Nice! 2mo

51 likes4 comments

kspenmoll

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

Love maps in any form before I start a book. #goldenagecrimeclub

Mitch

41 likes

kspenmoll

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

Lovely start to a snow day: blueberry scone, creme fraiche, cinnamon coffee, Jezebel. Still snowing outside! #goldenagecrimeclub

Mitch

Pageturner1 YUM 😋 that looks delicious. love the creamer and sugar set. 2mo

batsy That looks lovely! 2mo

kspenmoll @Pageturner1 The set was a wedding gift, Italian ceramics 2mo

kspenmoll @batsy Thank you! Sometimes were need to be surrounded by the beautiful! 2mo

Cheshirecat913 I so adore scones. Yum. 2mo

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kspenmoll

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

I seem to be enjoying a Medieval theme here.

Cuilin ❤️ it. 3mo

Crazeedi Beautiful photo!💗 3mo

59 likes2 comments

LitsyEvents

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

Repost for @Mitch:

On the last Sunday of every month the #goldenagecrimeclub meet to talk about a book. Please do come and join us if you‘d like. This month we‘re discussing a seemingly impossible crime written by Christianna Brand, first published in 1949 and described as a fiendishly constructed puzzle with dumbfounding acts of misdirection!

#BuddyRead

Original post:
https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2556745

34 likes

Mitch

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

On the last Sunday of every month the #goldenagecrimeclub meet to talk about a book. Please do come and join us if you‘d like. This month we‘re discussing a seemingly impossible crime written by Christianna Brand, first published in 1949 and described as a fiendishly constructed puzzle with dumbfounding acts of misdirection!

LitsyEvents

charl08 Where do I sign up?! 3mo

charl08 (Sounds brilliant 👏) 3mo

Mitch @charl08 just come and join us on the last Sunday of the month ! I‘ll tag everything with #goldenagecrimeclub so it‘s easy to find! 3mo

See All 13 Comments

batsy Lovely! Looking forward to revisiting the Tey and reading the other three for the first time. 3mo

Larkken Yay! So many more new-to-me authors. I‘m loving this monthly read so far thanks for organizing! 3mo

Mitch @batsy same for me too! Trying to find different things, varied and full of things to chat about ( hopefully!) 3mo

Mitch @Larkken so glad you‘re enjoying it - I am too! 3mo

LeahBergen I‘ll join in for April and May, for sure! Malice Aforethought is fantastic. 👍 3mo

Mitch @LeahBergen 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 3mo

jlhammar Awesome picks! So excited for all of these! 3mo

Gissy I‘m a little behind but I will read them. I‘m a slow reader☺️ 3mo

quietjenn Fun choices! I've only read the They and that was a while ago. 3mo

AmyG Yay!!!! 3mo

54 likes13 comments

kspenmoll

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

#marchmadness
Books that I hope to read/finish in March.
#literarycrew #nunlit #janeandtheexcellentreadalong #goldenagecrimeclub #diversecozy #sundaybuddyread #audible #gaslightmystery

TheBookHippie, DieAReader, Librarybelle, Crinoline_Laphroaig, Andrew65, Mitch, jlhammar

Librarybelle Looks like a great list!! 3mo

DieAReader Looks great! Good luck💜📚🤓 3mo

Andrew65 Looks like it will be a great month for you. 😁 3mo

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jlhammar Yay! I‘ve got With Our Blessing and Death of Jezebel in my March stack, ready to go. Can‘t wait! 3mo

kspenmoll @jlhammar My copy is on its way! 3mo

DieAReader Great stack!! Good luck🤓💜📚 3mo

52 likes6 comments

Mitch

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

Just a reminder for next month #goldenagecrimeclub

We‘re reading Death of Jezebel- it is one of those locked room / impossible crimes type novels written by a member of the Detection Club! Looking forward to chatting with you all on the last a Sunday of the month. Happy reading!

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shanaqui

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

The intro makes this sound pretty amazing, so let's see! I haven't read anything by Brand before. So far I'm a bit intrigued, but wondering if I'd be more excited if I'd read her other books and met these two detectives before...

MrsK Jezebel is one of my favorites by Brand. Have you read

Green for Danger

8mo

8 likes1 stack add1 comment

Soscha

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

pick

An impressive read, almost mathematical in plotting, with red herrings eating red herrings until the big reveal in the final chapter. Christianna Brand is also the author of the Nanny McPhee/Nurse Matilda books. Highly recommended, as is her clever & twisty romance Court of Foxes.

LianneB Thank you!! 7y

2 likes1 stack add1 comment

Soscha

Death of Jezebel | Christianna Brand

In the days before UPS.

2 likes1 stack add

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