Beggar's Choice - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Beggar's Choice by Patricia Wentworth

Rating: Liked It (3 Stars)
Source:   Purchased

Description:  Car Fairfax had hit rock bottom. First, he was rejected for a job because his shoes were worn out. Next, he ran into Isobel, whom he had not seen for three lovelorn years. Finally, a stranger handed him a printed flyer that read: "Do you want to make 500 pounds? If you do and are willing to earn it, write to..."

But Car's new job was odd. His sole duty, it seemed, was to dine in chic restaurants. While his mysterious boss remained undercover, his glamorous cousin Anna suddenly offered Car 500 pounds to get her out of a jam. And then his friend Fay said she was in a jam and desperately needed five hundred. Even as he pondered the curious affair, Car slowly slid into a net of dangerous deceit and criminal skulduggery that threatened both himself and his future with Isobel....

Genre: Mystery - Classic

Why I Picked This Book:  After spending the last two years reading all the Miss Silver books I'm now reading all of Wentworth's standalone mysteries that I can find.

My Impression:  Honestly, this wasn't Wentworth's best.  I loved Car and Isobel and Corinna.  I love Wentworth's writing style and there were moments were everything was clicking and I was pulled in and really enjoying the story.

However, this wasn't a consistent read.  The plot itself is fairly straightforward but getting from beginning to reveal was a convoluted journey that lost the plot several times and didn't always hold my attention.  As well while I liked Car, Isobel, and Corinna I didn't feel like I knew them very well and I knew the other important characters even less.  This made it a challenge sometimes to keep track of who was who or even what exactly was happening at times.

Overall, I enjoyed the read but it was a bit frustrating because I feel like Wentworth could have done so much better with this plot.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Of course!  While this wasn't my favorite book Wentworth is still one of my favorite authors.

Would I Recommend this Book?  As much as it pains me to say this no probably not.  While there are some good points it's overall a bit of a disjointed read.