"No Wind of Blame" by Georgette Heyer {Books}

Georgette Heyer is no Agatha Christie but I have already said that she is amazing at creating atmosphere in "The Unfinished Clue" and I would assert it more emphatically here. This novel is way better and she really wins the audience here by not getting boring during the description of her setting. A country setting with a rich wife, an elegant foreigner, a detestable neighbor are among the various backdrops of this setting. Heyer doesn't write like Chrisite. In her (Heyer's) books, the mystery starts from almost the middle of the book where as in Christie's books, the murder is almost the third or fourth chapter of the book if not the first and the atmosphere is very evil and tense right from the start where as in Heyer's thrillers, the atmosphere is brought to tensed and strained state slowly.

Ermyntrude is a beautiful and a rich wife of Wally Carter. Her house has few members like her daughter, Victoria (called Vicky) Fanshawe and Mary, niece to Wally Carter and a neighbor who is almost on the adjoined property, Harold White with his daughter, Janet and son, Alan. She invites a Russian Prince, whom she had an opportunity to meet on one of her trips, for a weekend stay and plans a dinner party in honor of her guest. The Dering family, the Bawtry's, Robert Steele (who is in love with Ermyntrude and is widely known) and Dr. Maurice Chester (very dear friend of Ermyntrude) make up the dinner party along with the family members. Whites are not invited. And, very next day, Wally Carter is shot dead while he was entering the White's grounds through a private path (their houses are adjoined as told before). 

Everyone mentioned in the novel has a reason to kill Wally Carter and everyone has an opportunity. A Scotland Yard inspector is called on to attend the case and it falls upon the inspector to unravel this mystery. And, the ending is superb. A very well-written and engaging mystery. And, definitely, a must read for Heyer's fans. 

No comments:

Post a Comment