jackhaldean.co.uk

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This appeared in Kirkus, the big American review site, on 1st May 2008

Kirkus Reviews
Murder winnows the guests at a country-house party. World War I pilot-turned-mystery author Jack Haldean is attending his Aunt Alice and Uncle Philip's Silver Wedding ball at Hesperus, their country estate, when the murder of Jack's old friend Tim Preston disrupts the festivities. Down on his luck, Tim's been working as a secretary for Lord Lyvenden, an obnoxious munitions manufacturer who made a big enough bundle during the war to buy a peerage and a well-bred wife to go along with it. Tim's death looks like suicide, but Jack is suspicious, and when Lyvenden is discovered in a pool of blood he springs into sleuthing mode again (A Fete Worse Than Death, 2007). Jack's shell-shocked pal Arthur Stanton, who was found standing over the body, has decamped, but Jack wants to believe him innocent. Also staying at Hesperus is his beautiful cousin Isabelle, who despite her recent engagement to wealthy banker and sportsman Malcolm Smith-Fennimore is a little in love with Stanton and sure he's innocent; Smith-Fennimore himself, who takes a shot at the fleeing Stanton; Lyvenden's unconcerned widow Lady Harriet and her companion, Lyvenden's former mistress; Lady Alice's swaggering stepson; and sundry other guests and servants. Perhaps several mysterious and threatening Russians, some missing papers and tales of Czarist gold may hold a clue. A classic postwar country-house mystery with a Christie-like denouement.

[admin]

I live in Kansas City, Missouri USA. I just obtained Mad About the
Boy and read it in one sitting. I have thoroughly enjoyed both of your books
and look forward to the next installment.



--Gregory W. Vleisides, P.C.--

VLEISIDES DONNELLY O'LEARY, LLC

Trial Lawyers

Kansas City, Mo. & Chicago, Illinois


.

[admin]

Thanks very much for that, Gregory. It was really nice to hear from you.

[admin]

Reviewed by Rachel A. Hyde


Mad About The Boy?
A Jack Haldean Murder Mystery Book II
Dolores Gordon-Smith
Constable (Constable and Robinson)
29 May 2008
Hardback
ISBN-10: 1845296095
ISBN-13: 9781845296094

US edition is Soho Constable
Adult
Historical Mystery
1923
Sussex, England
Reviewer’s Note: None
Rachel A Hyde
rachela.hyde@virgin.net

Dolores Gordon-Smith made her literary debut last year with A Fete Worse Than Death (also reviewed on this site), a book that I chose as one of my Crime Thru Time Top Ten historical whodunits. Now debonair sleuth-about-town Jack Haldean is back with a second helping of murder and mystery as he celebrates the silver wedding of his aunt and uncle at their country house Hesperus. Jack’s cousin Isabelle is trying to decide between the sympathetic but shell-shocked Arthur and the glamorous, reckless Malcolm. They both love her, but she is not sure which man she would prefer to marry. Soon there is a rather more pressing problem to think about when a guest commits suicide – or did he? Another death soon afterwards would suggest not, but surely the guilty man must be somebody else?

I love classic era mysteries with Bright Young Things in grand country houses and this is a good one with plenty going on at all times. The author has researched the period thoroughly, and the shadow of the Great War hangs over everything, as it should do for historical accuracy. Jack is a sympathetic sleuth with a living to earn and a genuine affection for his friends but a sensibly impartial view when he has a case to solve. As such, he makes a good protagonist who stands a little aside from the entanglements, which allows him to get on with finding whodunit as well as lifting the spirits of the story. There is romance in here as well as abundant action, and despite the anguished Arthur and war reminiscences this is still a cozy in the broadest sense of the term. Ignore the mention of “torture” on the flyleaf as there isn’t any; this is just not that type of novel. Instead, sit back with a pot of tea an enjoy a real classic era novel that will doubtlessly make my Top Ten again.

[admin]

Completely brilliant!
I loved this book! A stunning return for the hero of last summer's release, A Fete Worse Than Death, with romance, Russians and fabulous evening dress thrown in. The plot races along, and you never guess what's going to happen next. Awesome book!
Penny Wallace


Thanks, Penny! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[admin]

Welcome to Dolores Gordon-Smith, author of the delightful Jack Haldean
mysteries, set in post-World War I England. If you've not yet made the
acquaintance of Jack and his creator, the first book, _A Fete Worse Than Death_
came out last year, and the second, _Mad About the Boy?_, just came out in the
US. I haven't had a chance yet to read the new book, but I read _Fete_ last year
and thought it an excellent read. It's a nice companion to the Charles Todd,
Maisie Dobbs, and Kerry Greenwood series.

Cheers,
Campion aka
Dean James (aka Jimmie Ruth Evans and Honor Hartman)
THE UNKINDEST

[admin]

Oh, sigh the mystery fans: If only someone would write an English house-party novel, set in the Golden Age and infused with its sensibilities.

Someone is. And Dolores Gordon-Smith brings the setting and the story alive in Mad About the Boy? (288 pages, SohoConstable, $24.95), the second in her Jack Haldean series. It's 1923, and Jack, a World War I veteran who writes detective stories, is visiting his cousin Isabelle Rivers at her parents' stately home, where the parents have gathered a crowd for their silver-anniversary festivities.

But the party turns ugly when a guest is found shot to death. An alleged suicide note is found nearby, but Jack suspects murder. When another guest is discovered stabbed to death, Jack goes on the hunt. Complicating matters are a veritable school of red herrings, Isabelle's being torn between two suitors and the appearance of some communist revolutionaries.

With vision and vigor, Gordon-Smith pulls off another Golden Age delight -- one touched with contemporary concerns -- that will have readers longing for the return of the era, and for Jack and his pals.

[admin]

Intelligent Nostalgia, 29 Jun 2008
By Suzette A. Hill (UK) - See all my reviews


This review is from: Mad about the Boy? (Hardcover)
In his play "Forty Years On", the inimitable Alan Bennett refers to "that school of Snobbery with Violence that runs like a thread of good-class tweed through twentieth century literature". Well, Dolores Gordon-Smith's latest novel "Mad About The Boy?" certainly has the texture of good-class tweed, but the snobbery is only mild and the violence comfortably refined! In short, this is an eminently civilized and reassuring pastiche of the classic English detective genre: good style, fiendishly orchestrated plot, plucky protagonists, foreign assassins and suave villains. Furs, Abdullahs, balls, butlers and Bugattis (Spykers and Bentleys,actually),set the social scene and provide an authentic background to the bizarre events. Yet the sombre spectre of the Great War casts its long shadow, and thus the mixture of gaiety and threat, decency and cynicism produces an ethos of moral ambiguity - a fusion which gives the novel both its realism and its intrigue

Thanks for that, Suzette!
If anyone hasn't read Suzette's books, "A Load of Old Bones" and "Bones in The Belfry" they're wonderfully written and very funny.
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[admin]

The Page 69 test is a great idea from Marshal Zeringue on the website "The Campaign for the American Reader. He asked me to have a go at P 69, which is very nice of him, especially as I'm not American.
The idea is that you take P69 of your book and see what it tells you about The Book, Life, The Universe and The Price Of Fish etc.
There's some excellent books on the site, including Jane Finnis' excellent series about 1st Century Roman Yorkshire (and no - the centurions don't wear flat caps and say "Hey up!) which are a must for anyone who loves a good historical mystery.
Do have a look at P69 - Google will bring it up - but here's my take on P69 of "Mad About The Boy?"


Sunday, July 20, 2008
"Mad About The Boy?"
Dolores Gordon-Smith is the author of A Fete Worse than Death, the first in the Jack Haldean mystery series.

She applied the Page 69 Test to the sequel, Mad About The Boy?, and reported the following:

Page 69? That’s an interesting one. Does it say, “The murderer was arrghhhh!!! And the telephone went dead or…” Well, no, it doesn’t, actually.

Page 69 of Mad About The Boy? sees us well into the action. At the Silver Wedding Ball on what should have been an idyllic evening in Sussex in 1923, one of the guests apparently commits suicide, which made the party go a bit flat. It’s the afternoon after and Jack Haldean, the hero, is feeling a bit chewed-up. He heads for a bit of peace and quiet to one of his special places, the willow by river, where the willow leaves form a leafy tent where he can be alone and have a chance to put his thoughts in order.

"A flash of blue in the spotted, rippling shade brought a stab of unexpected delight as he realised it was a kingfisher. Halcyon days. That’s what the Greeks called the time when the kingfisher flew. Halcyon? He smiled cynically and yawned. Being so damn tired didn’t help. He hadn’t been able to sleep last night.
The kingfisher flew unheeded, the languid drone of insects washed over his senses and the well-behaved river flowed placidly on. The pipe fell from his hand and he slumped, fast asleep."

When Jack wakes up, he hears voices on the other side of the willow leaves. One of the guests, a complete slimeball called Lord Lyvenden, is dallying with his mistress, Mrs Strachan.

"Haldean drew back against the ridged bark of the tree. Bloody hell! If Lord Lyvenden absolutely had to carry out a senile intrigue, why on earth did he have to do it here? The worst of it was, he was completely stuck until Lyvenden decided to move.
“Now, now, Victor,” giggled Mrs Strachan with ghastly coquettishness, slapping Lyvenden playfully. “Don’t be greedy.”
Haldean dug his hands into the soft earth in frustration. Their voices on the other side of the curtain of willow were only too clear. If he tried to escape up the bank they’d be bound to see him.
“I’m always greedy for you, little woman,” said Lord Lyvenden with elephantine playfulness."


What Jack hears next sends his thoughts in the right direction – or so it at first appears.

[admin]

I was very pleased to get the following email from Toby. Toby and Bill Gottfried are well-known to many as very kind and hugely energetic organizors of Crimefest etc. When I say energetic, I mean it. You never know quite where in the world they're going to turn up next! I had the luck to be on a panel moderated by Toby at the Bristol Crimefest 2008 and her insight, comments and questions made it a very enjoyable experience, both for the panellists and the audience. Bill, who was in the audience, helped with his very perceptive comments.

From Toby Gottfried

Dear Dolores:
Mad About The Boy was really a “good read”. I didn’t guess who did the murders! You are one clever lady for good plotting. But I especially appreciated the tie in with Stanton’s war experiences and the historical feeling for the 1920s. But of course that’s what good writing is all about. Bill and I find that Soho Press publications are always excellent from the cover to the content.
A copy is going to my cousin who started reading the book at a picnic when I left the book unguarded on the table and couldn’t put it down!
Hope the next episode in the life of Jack is on the way.
Sincerely,
Toby

[admin]

Gordon-Smith, Dolores - 'Mad About the Boy?'
Hardback: 288 pages (May 2008) Publisher: Constable ISBN: 1845296095

MAD ABOUT THE BOY? is the second book to feature 1920s crime writer Jack Haldean who made his first appearance in A FETE WORSE THAN DEATH.

Jack has been invited to the country house residence of his cousin Isabelle whose parents are celebrating their silver wedding anniversary in grand style with illustrious house-guests and fireworks. However it's not long before things go pear-shaped with the apparent suicide of one of Jack's friends, Tim Preston, who ran with an expensive crowd including fellow guest, racing driver Malcolm Smith-Fennimore and was employed as a secretary to the fireworks provider and munitions dealer Lord Lyvenden.

It's very rare in crime fiction that a suicide is actually a suicide and Jack is soon on the case, calling it murder, helped by an observation from his shell-shocked friend Arthur, a young man with a tendresse for Isabelle. Unfortunately he has strong competition in the dashing Malcolm.

Matters become further complicated with a second death, a disappearance and the involvement of Russians. Jack and his friend Superintendent Ashley have their work cut out to get to the truth of the matter.

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but MAD ABOUT THE BOY? has an absolutely stunning jacket (by Ken Leeder). Thankfully, I enjoyed the inside of the book as well. The 1920s atmosphere seems effortlessly conjured up and the repercussions of the Great War are strongly presented. Jack Haldean is a decent chap and I'd like to know a bit more about those detective stories he writes. The plot is nicely convoluted and there's a homage to the 'locked room' mystery sub-genre. Though this is set mainly in a country house, it's not one of those typical country house mysteries, where the protagonists are trapped by snow - the protagonists move about the countryside and up to 'Town' as required. This was an absorbing period mystery and though I haven't read A FETE WORSE THAN DEATH yet I do hope to remedy the situation before the next book comes out.

Karen Meek, England
August 2008

[admin]

Jack does it again!!, 18 Aug 2008
By Barbara Edwards - See all my reviews

Completely brilliant!
I loved this book!
Lots of romance, a fabulous evening ball and menacing Russians thrown in.I love classic era mysteries in grand country houses with plenty going on at all times. MAD ABOUT THE BOY? also has an absolutely stunning jacket (by Ken Leeder)which sets up the anticipation for a delicious, right good read! I loved the way Dolores G.S. has researched the 1920`s period ,the atmosphere seems so effortlessly brought to life and the repercussions of the Great War are continual undercurrents throughout the story. I felt that I could easily have slipped into the party at Hesperus(in a beautiful ballgown of course!) and had a wonderful evening,lucky Isabelle enjoying the company of both Jack and Arthur. I Can`t wait for the next Jack Mystery!!

[admin]

This is from Michael Kent.

Hello. I found your books purely by chance and I am so glad that I
did, they are wonderful and I must tell you that they have been the main reason
for my losing weight (I can't put them down and then miss dinner). Is there a
third book currently in production and if so when do you hope to have it
finished? So looking forward to your future work, kind regards, Michael.

I only wish writing could lose weight as effectively as reading! No where did I put that bar of Cadburys....

[admin]

A very enjoyable British cozy mystery., October 2, 2008
By andiesenji (SoCal,USA) - See all my reviews


This story caught my interest in the first few paragraphs and I simply could not put it down until I finished it. It is very evocative of the era and the references to the aftereffects of "The Great War" are very similar to the stories I was told by my great uncles who lived through it.
The characters are well developed and very believable and sympathetic.
This book is as good as any from the masters of the genre.

I don't know who andiesenji is, but I'm very grateful to them for posting such a great review.

[admin]

This is from Diane in Omaha, who wrote to say:

Hello! I recently ran across A Fete Worse Than Death at my local library -- I picked it up because of the witty title and the '20s timeframe -- and I fell hard for Jack Haldean. I then bought Mad About the Boy?, and I finished it this morning. It's such a pleasure to spend time in your books. I feel as though I'm reading a series from a contemporary of Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh or Margery Allingham.

I hope you have many plans for store for Jack? I was just mentioning to someone that I wish there were already ten books in the series, with more on the way. Simply waiting for the third book to arrive will be difficult. I want to learn more about your wonderful protagonist and his world!

Thanks for writing, Diane. It's great to feel that sense of connection between reader and writer and I'm grateful for your comments.
Cheers!
Thank you for some very enjoyable reading, and for a new mystery series to love.

Best,

Diane Coffin