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Review: A Christmas Party by
Georgette Heyer
2.5/5
As a Jane Austen fan, it is only natural that I should love Georgette Heyer. Both authors write of strong women in the regency era, each having their own adventures, and finding romance on their own terms. Both novels are full of wit, sparkling characters, and underlying feminist tones. I've read & reread about the practical Mary and the scandalous Lord Vidal in Devil's Cub; dreamy Phoebe and sardonic Lord Sylvester in Sylvester; and headstrong Frederica and cold Lord Alverstoke in Frederica. All these books have never failed to enthral me.
So naturally, after having torn through Georgette Heyer's regency works, I turn to her mystery novels.
To say I was disappointed is a vast understatement.
The story begins in a Christmas party, where a vast array of colorful relatives are gathered. As most of these people do not get along with each other, quarrels are inevitable (and sometimes, even encouraged!). As tensions starts to rise, the patriarch of the family, Uncle Nat, is found stabbed in the back. As a man of considerable wealth, and a scrooge-like disposition, many are set to gain from his death...but who would be willing to murder for it?
While Heyer had some of the same elements of her regency works, such as a witty, but plain, heroine and a cynical hero, the story still fell flat for me. Unfortunately, I was able to guess who the murder was from the very first page. And if you know who killed the old coot...then what was the point of reading?
The mystery wasn't skillfully crafted, the pacing was slow, and there was lack of urgency in solving the mystery. Perhaps I'm being too harsh, but having read great mystery writers like Agatha Christie, I expect more out of my novels. Christie wasn't just a mystery writer, she was a keen observer of human behaviours, and as a result, her villains and victims were all realistic. This characters in these novels were not.
It would be another while before I pick up another one of her mystery novels, but don't let that dissuade you from reading her regency novels. Now, those I will be rereading till the day I die.
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