it was a bit dated-but still well plotted ( )

Not quite a mystery, nor did it fulfill the expectations I'd developed for the author's style. Still nicely written and an interesting glimpse of a particular setting. I'm willing to try another, I just don't think I picked the right book to start with. ( )

lover's death caused by twin sister

I read most of Peter Dickinson's books many years ago, so when I found this book, I was eager to read it and see if Dickinson's writing still cast the same spell.
I can see why, at one time, I was seeking everything that Dickinson wrote....he is a very good writer. I was a bit disappointed that I chose this book. As I recall King and Joker and the Glass-sided Antcase had greater depth. All in all, a nice memory sojourn. ( )

When I was a kid, I loved Dickinson's 'Changes' trilogy, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi story set in Britain. I've read a few of his other books, including some of the short-stories he published with his wife, Robin McKinley (one of my very favorite authors), and always loved his sense of place and his capturing of the feel of mythology.
I was aware that he also wrote adult mystery novels, but hadn't read any. I picked this up thinking it was a mystery. However, it's really not. There is a murder... but it doesn't show up as a plot element until the latter part of the book. I have to admit that I found the plot structure in general to be a little weak, which is the reason I went down to 3 stars.
However, there are things I loved about this book so much that I've already talked about it and recommended it to people. Although the book has no fantasy or mythological elements, it has that same vivid, wonderful sense of time and place that I've come to associate with Dickinson's writing. The book truly opens a window into an unglimpsed world... and lets you feel like you're just about ready to step through that window.
The main character is a society girl who ends up getting a job writing a satirical column in the society pages of a weekly magazine. Dickinson himself worked at the magazine 'Punch' for many years, and undoubtedly his portrayal of what it was like to work a a magazine in the 50's informs this novel. And that's what I really loved about this book: the view of a segment of society, the milieu of the magazine, the humor and interactions... it's wonderful.
The plot hooks on the affair the girl has with her older boss, and the fallout from it that occurs much later, in the 1980's, once she has become a successful and established businesswoman. While I liked seeing her success, the first part of the book was what really caught my interest. ( )