Friday, June 28, 2013

A Blunt Instrument (1938)

A Blunt Instrument. Georgette Heyer. 1938. Sourcebooks. 309 pages.

 I hated A Blunt Instrument. I loved a Blunt Instrument. Blunt Instrument stars one of the most ANNOYING (and offensive) characters I've ever found in a mystery: Constable Malachi Glass. What makes him annoying? He only speaks in Scripture. Almost every single sentence out of his mouth--no matter the situation or context--is a quote from Scripture. So his coworkers--Inspector Hannasyde and Inspector Hemingway--could be asking a perfectly logical question extremely relevant to the murder case in question, and do they get a logical response? No! They are stuck with Glass who is more of a puzzle than a help. (If Glass is supposed to represent a "Christian" I'd be very offended! Glass is anything but.) Glass is the main reason I "hated" this mystery novel.

However, there were plenty of reasons why I LOVED it as well. There were two possibilities for romance in this one, and I happened to care about both couples! Some of the suspects in this murder mystery were so fascinating! Helen North, a neighbor, is one suspect, as is her husband, John. (The two are separated.) Helen's sister, Sally Drew, lives with her and she's a detective writer, I believe. Another memorable character and another big suspect is Neville Fletcher, the nephew-and-heir of the victim. And I really have come to enjoy seeing Inspector Hannasyde and Inspector Hemingway work together!

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