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NOVEL: Dead Men Don’t Ski
AUTHOR: Patricia Moyes
YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1959
REVIEW:
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One of the things I like about reading mystery novels is the slice of life–the specifics of the time and place the story is set in. Dead Men Don’t Ski, the first of Patricia Moyes’ series of novels featuring Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Tibbett, is something similar to an Agatha Christie-style puzzle mystery; Henry and his wife (and assorted other visitors) are on a ski trip in the Italian Dolomites when murder interrupts their holiday. There’s a convoluted plot, plenty of people with secrets to hide, post-WWII tensions, well-developed characters (including Henry’s rather appealing wife, Emmy), an extremely unlikable victim, and generally all the necessary ingredients for an old-fashioned cozy mystery. Plus it’s fun to vicariously travel to a remote mountain village and meet the locals and the vacationers from various European countries.
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If this is the sort of thing you enjoy, you are really in luck, since Patricia Moyes wrote 18 additional novels featuring Henry Tibbett. The next novel (The Sunken Sailor) takes him boating with friends (where murder again finds him). In Death on the Agenda, he’s on an international crime conference trip to Switzerland–and you will not be surprised to learn that someone ends up dead. Murder a la Mode is set in the world of high fashion; Falling Star takes place among filmmakers; the crimes in Johnny Underground center upon a 20th reunion of Emmy’s Royal Air Force Squad. Murder Fantastical is a highlight of the series (it’s a country house mystery, and introduces some absolutely delightful eccentric characters). Death and the Dutch Uncle serves up some international intrigue and more European travel. Who Saw Her Die? takes us to a weekend house party where things go rather awry. He’s in the French Alps for Season of Snow and Sins. The Curious Case of the Third Dog brings us into the world of greyhound racing. Ms. Moyes set some of her later novels in the Caribbean and I thought these were less successful; I didn’t care much for Black Widower, The Coconut Killings, Angel Death, or Black Girl, White Girl. But Who is Simon Warwick?, A Six-Letter Word for Death, Night Ferry to Death, and Twice in a Blue Moon all return us to England for yet more deadly doings (with a few side trips). (The travel budget for Scotland Yard must have been simply enormous.)
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All in all, they’re fun stories, many of which examine a particular industry, hobby, or subculture, and justice always prevails.
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RATING (one to five whistles, with five being the best): 3 Whistles
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HOW TO PURCHASE: Felony & Mayhem
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Laura LaVelle is an attorney and writer who lives in Connecticut, in a 100-year-old house, along with her husband, two daughters, and two cockatiels.
Laura can be contacted at [email protected]
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Lead-In Image – Book Cover – Felony & Mayhem Press
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