Saturday, April 22, 2023

The Sunken Sailor - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads:  The Sunken Sailor (Inspector Henry Tibbett #2) by Patricia Moyes

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Purchased

Description:  Poor Inspector Tibbett! Once again, he is attempting to have a nice vacation. And once again, Crime has a different idea. This time, Tibbett and his cheerful wife, Emmy, are lazing on a friend’s yacht, tacking from one little English sea-town to the next, and it should all be delicious indolence…except that Henry can’t stop thinking about death. Well, one death in particular. The death of a local sailor. And he especially can’t stop thinking about it when it starts looking as though the drowned sailor is somehow connected to the robbery at a nearby manor-house. As with so many of the books in this series, much of the pleasure lies in the setting’s timelessness: It’s officially 1961 for The Sunken Sailor, but in Berrybridge Haven, and on England’s peaceful waterways, it is time out of mind.
 
Genre:  Mystery - Classic

Why I Picked This Book:  I read a few of Patricia Moyes' books years ago and enjoyed them so I decided I wanted to read all the Inspector Tibbett books in order.

My Impression:   I really enjoyed this mystery!  I liked the first Henry Tibbett book but found it a bit slower paced and harder to get into.  This book was faster off the mark with the action and pulled me in a bit faster.  Henry is on a sailing holiday with his wife, Emmy, and friends who are trying to teach them the joys of sailing.  In between all the wind and water and learning Henry hears of two incidents that catch his attention.  The first in the theft of family jewels belonging to the noble family of the coastal village and the second is the death of a fellow sailor that no one is quite easy about.  

The investigation itself slowly unfolds as Henry and Emmy get to know the sailing community a bit better and people start to open up (or lie) to him.  But a series of events brings the cold cases very much to the present leaving Henry, Emmy and their friends scrambling to figure out the details before it's too late.  

I did figure out the who fairly early but there were enough red herrings and other possibilities to keep me not quite sure of myself.  As well, the sailing bits might get a bit clunky from time to time and I did find myself skimming some of the longer sequences.  Overall, I did really enjoy this mystery and the blurb was actually right calling it timeless.  For the most part this book could have taken place at just about any time which made it a bit refreshing.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  I would!  I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.  

Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy Agatha Christie or Dorothy L. Sayers I think you would also enjoy Patricia Moyes.

4 comments:

  1. I love that they're on a sailing yacht...it makes this mystery sound even more fun.

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  2. Sounds like another good classic mystery.

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  3. I like it when you are almost sure who dun it, but there is still enough doubt that you are not fully sure.

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