Source: Purchased
Description: A happy bachelor in Washington, DC, Lawrence “Lollie” Blakeley is just the right age to dance with the grown-up little sisters of the girls he used to know. He is without sentiment—so he claims—but is ruled and frequently routed by his elderly housekeeper. All he really wants is to relax with a round of golf and a trip out on the yacht.
But when his law partner asks him to deliver important legal documents to a client in Pittsburgh, Lollie finds his cheerful life tremendously disturbed. In the course of one overnight trip, he ends up in the wrong berth, falls in love, and is accused of murder.
The Man in Lower Ten was the first detective novel to appear on national bestseller lists and is just as deliciously thrilling today as when it was published more than a century ago.
Genre: Mystery - Classic
Why I Picked This Book: I'm trying to read more classic mysteries and I have been really enjoying Rinehart's books.
My Impression: I really enjoy this author's books and this was a fun one! There's a murder on a train with all kinds of mistaken identities, confusion, and accusations. The story is told completely in Lollie's point of view and there is a lot of time spent in his head.
Why I Picked This Book: I'm trying to read more classic mysteries and I have been really enjoying Rinehart's books.
My Impression: I really enjoy this author's books and this was a fun one! There's a murder on a train with all kinds of mistaken identities, confusion, and accusations. The story is told completely in Lollie's point of view and there is a lot of time spent in his head.
Rinehart's tone is completely unique with a bit of a noir feel but a touch of cozy and a little bit of humor. There is some datedness to her descriptions of people and her language but at least in this story it was fairly minor. I love the vintage feel ofthe train journey, wreck, and investigation as Lollie tries to figure out what's going on to keep himself out of jail.
My main issue with this is the issue I have with pretty much every Mary Roberts Rinehart book I've read - the ending. While the solution always makes sense and is explained it somehow always comes off as a bit anti-climatic. This was no different but with the added issue that there are a lot of characters and I found it a bit difficult to keep everyone straight sometimes. I think part of that problem was I went with the audio versus the print version of this one and I think print just works better for her books.
If you're looking for a middle ground in classic mystery between Christie and Hammett but with a bit of a fun twist than Roberts is a great choice. I don't think this was my favorite but it was a lot of fun!
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely! I've enjoyed all her books and am looking forward to reading more by her.
Would I Recommend this Book? I would definitely recommend this author but maybe start with The Circular Staircase or The Bat before this book.
Would I Recommend this Book? I would definitely recommend this author but maybe start with The Circular Staircase or The Bat before this book.
Sounds fascinating, especially since it was written so long ago. First detective novel to land on the best seller lists says how people loved it back in its publishing day, and of course it would fit perfectly into their world.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good one.
ReplyDeleteI've only read one book by Rinehart, but I really enjoyed it! I need to check out some of her other mysteries. I'll have to see if my library has any of them.
ReplyDelete