Who would kill the perfect gentleman?

When Ernest Fletcher is found bludgeoned to death in his study, everyone is shocked and mystified: Ernest was well liked and respected, so who would have a motive for killing him? Inspectors of Scotland Yard felt it was an unlikely crime for the London suburbs: a perfectly respectable chap at home with his head bashed in. It seems the real Fletcher was far from the gentleman he pretended to be. There is, in fact, no shortage of people who wanted him dead.

Superintendent Hannasyde and Sergeant Hemingway, with consummate skill, uncover one dirty little secret after another, and with them, a host of people who all have reasons for wanting Fletcher dead. Who tiptoed into the study to do the deed? The rather nefarious nephew Neville? A neighbor's wandering wife? A fat man in a bowler hat?

The mystery's key was a blunt instrument--a weapon that the police could not find... and that the murderer can to use once more. Then, a second murder is committed, with striking similarities to the first, giving a grotesque twist to a very unusual case, and the inspectors realize they are up against a killer on a mission.... ( )

This one was more irritating than [b:They Found Him Dead|311166|They Found Him Dead (Inspectors Hannasyde & Hemingway, #3)|Georgette Heyer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1219786130l/311166._SY75_.jpg|2033956].

Note: I received a digital review copy from the publisher through NetGalley. ( )

Here's the thing about most Golden Age mysteries: the puzzle is all. No matter how witty or clever or brilliant the writing is, it's almost never about the characters themselves, but about the murder mystery puzzle. Which is, of course, why I read mysteries; I love the puzzle and I love trying to solve it. But unfortunately, if the reader does solve the murder/puzzle, there's not a lot of characterisation to fall back on; solve the puzzle and the remaining story can be tedious.

I solved this one on page 88-89. I don't think I did anything particularly clever, just that a certain passage hit me a certain way and it all became clear to me. The only thing I ended up getting wrong was the relation of the murderer to one of the characters and then only because I imagined the murderer to be the wrong age.

I didn't dnf, or skip to the end to see if I was correct solely because, when Heyer is 'on' with her writing she is on, and this is one of her better writing efforts, even if the plotting went astray (and I've found out her mysteries were all plotted by her husband). The story behind the mystery plot is a farce and Heyer thoroughly caricatures everyone except Hannasyde. The dialog was electric and even though I was thoroughly impatient with Neville at the start, I thought him wildly entertaining by the end. I wanted to keep reading just to see what he'd say and do next.

So, 2 stars for the plotting because... page 89. There was never any doubt on my part that I was wrong. But an extra star because the characters are Heyer at her wittiest and most hilarious. ( )

One of the better plot twists in the recent Heyer mysteries I've read, even though a good number of the characters were still fairly insufferable. Held my attention well, though. ( )

Seemingly well-liked Ernest Fletcher is found dead in his study. But there may be quite a few people whi wanted him dead, but with all the evidence how could the murder be done in such a short time. And then there is a second murder.
It is for Superintendent Hannasyde and Sergeant Hemingway to investigate.
I did find that the guilty party may have been too obvious and there were some really annoying characters, like Officer Glass and the idiotic Helen North. But overall the story was enjoyable enough.
A NetGalley Book ( )