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Penhallow
Penhallow
Oct 10, 2024 3:24 PM

Author:Georgette Heyer,Matt Addis

Penhallow

Brought to you by Penguin.

Sparkling characterisation and inventive plot from one of the best known and beloved detective novelists of all time.

The death of Adam Penhallow on the eve of his birthday seems, at first, to be by natural causes. He was elderly after all. But Penhallow wasn't well liked. He had ruled over his estate with an iron will and a sharp tongue. He had played one relative off against another. He was so bad tempered and mean that both his servants and his family hated him.

It soon transpires that far from being a peaceful death, Penhallow was, in fact, murdered. Poisoned. With his family gathered to celebrate his birthday, and servants that both feared and despised him, there are more than a dozen prime suspects. But which one of them turned hatred into murder?

© Georgette Heyer 1943 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Reviews

'We had better start ranking Heyer alongside such incomparable whodunit authors as Christie, Marsh, Tey and Allingham'

—— San Francisco Chronicle

'Rarely have we seen humour and mystery so perfectly blended'

—— New York Times

'Sharp, clear and witty'

—— The New Yorker

'Heyer's characters and dialogue are an abiding delight to me ... I have seldom met people to whom I have taken so violent a fancy from the word "Go"'

—— Dorothy L. Sayers

'The wittiest of detective writers'

—— Daily Mail

Before She Disappeared introduces what may be the most powerful sleuth of the decade, an "ordinary" woman driven to uncover the truth at any personal cost. There's only one thing to ask for by the time the book ends: please, please, a sequel and a series.

—— New York Journal of Books

The plot itself is intricate, beautifully sad, and totally outraging.
Lisa Gardner outdid herself with this superb piece of fiction that feels real enough to leave a lasting impact on you.?????

—— Chocolate’N’Waffles

Wow-what a story, what a book! I knew that I would love it, I mean it is a Lisa Gardner book for starters, but she is prolific in sucking you into her world and feeling everything your characters feel

—— ZooLoo Blog

This story gripped me from the start with its rather intense opening. The ending was very clever and took me completely by surprise. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future

—— Over The Rainbow Book Blog

Before She Disappeared' is a well-paced mystery that really packs an emotional punch. This may have been the first Lisa Gardner book that I've read but it won't be my last

—— Elementary Watson

Before She Disappeared is another sophisticated, gritty, unnerving read by Gardner that may be the first standalone novel she's written in a while but still has all the twists, turns, suspense, in-depth character development, and forensic analysis we've come to expect and love from all her previous novels

—— What's Better Than Books

Frankie is one strong, independent and determined lady and she does not give up. Got to praise her for that. Can she find the girl before it's too late? A very clever story one that I didn't know much about to be honest. Very clever. Highly recommend. A huge five stars from me. Brilliant read!

—— BTP Book Club

This is action-packed, fast paced with an underlying humour. I absolutely loved it. Frankie Elkin is a character that I want to see more of. 5 Stars

—— Write Results

Before She Disappeared is a fantastic novel and one that had me hooked from the beginning. It's a great concept, and I liked the approach to solving a missing persons cases as Frankie's role gives a different perspective to the more common police procedural and journo angles. Highly recommended

—— Jo's Book Blog

This is a truly gripping novel, full of tension and a surprisingly emotional core, with characters and story which kept be completely gripped from the off. I know I'd be happy to meet up with Frankie again in the future, but for now I'll settle for heading back to the Lisa Gardner back catalogue, see what other treats there are waiting for me

—— Jen Med's Books

While other writers come across as formulaic, Sveistrup's plot develops naturally, and he finds space amid the child abuse and harassment for enough injections of humanity that The Chestnut Man never turns into violence porn, a stumbling block for several of his Danish colleagues. The key is Thulin and Hess, the most promising pair of investigators in Nordic crime since Saga and Martin first met over a corpse on a bridge in 2011

—— A-magsinet

Individual scenes in the narrative stand out knife-sharp in all their calculated evil. Their encounter with brutal reality nearly overwhelms those involved, and the reader is profoundly challenged by the novel's material. But you survive because you retain a clear sense that there must be a deep well of sorrow behind the crimes, and because the author depicts his cast of characters in such a nuanced way that you sympathise with the hard-pressed investigative team, the victims, and the person behind the terrible murders. Sveistrup keeps the reader gripped until the very end. This is professional writing in the very best sense, and I'm looking forward to more.

—— Dagbladenes Bureau

The Chestnut Man is an intensely gripping first novel that feels anything but debut-like. Seasoned crime fans with feel as though they're in very safe hands ... [Sveistrup] throws his hat into the ring with extreme professionalism and a talent for deploying his special tricks in precisely calibrated doses.

—— Børsen

Praise for The Killing

—— -

Excellent . . . A shrewd mix of police procedural, political thriller and domestic drama

—— New York Times

TV of the absolute finest quality . . . the writing shines

—— Guardian
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