It came as a surprise to me to discover that the author of this cosy set in 1932 is an American. The story is set at the British seaside in 1932 amongst a flapper set. I thought she did a good job of creating the ambience of the period, at the same time creating a respectable whodunnit. ( )

Found this incredibly boring with my only hope of it getting better being a possible twist with the husband. When that didn’t happen I just didn’t care. ( )

The problem with being someone like me--who falls in and out of genres as often as I blink--is that when I fall into a genre I immerse myself so far into it that I have trouble coming up from it. My old standbys--historical romance, fantasy and paranormal--I can find my way out of easily enough, but sporadic genres like this one, a historical "cozy" mystery, makes it much tougher.

I wanted to read about the 1920's/1930's, something that I usually appease by just re-reading Poirot unto death, but I wanted something different. This came along at BEA this year and I thought 'yes, that sounds delightful'. And it is, mostly. I read it while on the plane to Texas, but it didn't leave me with much impression beyond the fluff it provided.

Part of it was that it always felt...off to have the main character, Amory, alternately plotting whether she should leave her husband for her ex-fiancee or if she should trust that her husband is being serious when he says he wants to make another go of it. I don't go in for romances that feature cheating/adultry as the basis for the leads getting together and while nothing is as easy at it seems by the end, I still felt a bit meh.

The murder itself is fairly easy to unravel, though the motivations are murkier and get tangled even more since there's about 200 different subplots running around that could have easily turned to murder. For those who are going in for the "flavor" of the 1930's this does a good job of creating that atmosphere. You only really see this small selection of folk, most of whom have lived similar enough lives that they don't bring anything new to their gathering.

Overall this is a fluffy read for the beach or pool side. It won't shock or surprise anyone, but it will help to divert the mind from the duller pursuits of real life. ( )

The mystery was pretty good but I was not so thrilled with the protagonist and her mixed up relationship with her husband. I also think that the author's portrayal of 1932 England did not come across as very believable -- perhaps I have read too many mysteries that were actually written in the 1930s to enjoy the faux experience! ( )

Really enjoyable 1930’s set debut novel, first in the Amory Ames series which I will continue to read. ( )